2026 Agenda

The agenda is being continuously updated, please check back for speaker updates.

The Westin Boston Seaport District
425 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02210

7:30–8:15 Breakfast

8:15–8:30 Welcome: Introduction to MedExecWomen

8:30–9:00 The Laurie Halloran Keynote Address - A Fireside Chat

Rewiring Medicine: Leading with Data, AI, and Care

Featuring: Jessica Mega, MD, MPH

‍ ‍Hosted by: Ann Roy, Vice President, Health Economics & Market Access, Boston Scientific

Dr. Jessica Mega is a leader at the intersection of technology, life science, and health. She is a Cardiologist at Stanford and serves on the Advisory Board for Stanford's Center for Digital Health. She is a Co-Founder of Alphabet's Verily and former Chief Medical Officer of Google Life Sciences. She sits on the Board of Directors at Boston Scientific, having previously served on Danaher Corporation's. She is on the Board of Advisors for Research!America and the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy.

9:00–9:45 Panel 1

Harnessing the Power of AI to Drive Innovation

This panel will examine the transformative potential of Gen AI within the MedTech sector. We will discuss how organizations are leveraging these technologies to address unmet customer needs and advance innovation.

Moderated by: Tyler Mansfield, Partner, PwC

• Joni Anderson, SVP & Global Head of Regulatory Affairs, BD

• Denise Lane, SVP & Global Intellectual Property Counsel, Olympus

• Betsabeh Madani-Hermann, Global Head of Research, Philips

• Manisha Shah-Bugaj, CEO, Activ Surgical

9:45–10:15 Networking Break

10:15–11:00    Panel 2

360 Degrees on New Medtech: The Patient, Clinician, and Medtech Provider

Hear from a patient, a physician, and a medtech provider about the impact of hospital at home, a channel that every medtech executive should be monitoring for opportunity.

Moderated by: Anne Smart, Partner - Medtech, ZS Associates

• Eric Alper, MD, Chief Quality Officer & Chief Clinical Informatics Officer,UMass Memorial Health

• Kim Dumais, Patient

• Karen Phillips, MD, Head of Medical Safety, Philips

• Pippa Shulman, Chief Medical Officer, Dispatch Health

11:00–12:00 Breakout Session 1

Topic A: Board Readiness

Is joining boards the right step for your career?  We will discuss the differences between director roles in a private company, a PE owned company and a public company.

Facilitator: Ellen Zane, CEO Emeritus, Tufts Medical Center

• Janet Dillione, CEO, Connect America & Board Director

• Maggie Pax, Life Sciences Executive & Board Director

• Martha Shadan, Medtech CEO & Board Director

Topic B: Making the Leap from VP to C-Suite

Unlike earlier promotions that often rely on a deep understanding of one's specific function, the final step to the C-suite requires proving a command of the entire business landscape. Learn what key factors contribute to earning and thriving in a C-suite role.

Facilitator: Leslie Storms, MedExecWomen Board Advisor

• Liz Bywater, President, Bywater Consulting Group

• Nona Footz, Client Partner, Coulter Partners

12:00–1:00      Lunch

1:00–1:30     _Executive Interview

Interview with Heather Knight, Chief Commercial Officer, Solventum

Interviewed by: Karen Zaderej, Board Chair, MedExecWomen

Heather Knight is a strategic, people-first leader who has spent more than 30 years building and leading high-performing teams across the medtech industry. Her career has spanned general management, upstream innovation, and commercial strategy at Medtronic, Covidien, Tyco Healthcare, and Kendall. Most recently, as COO of Baxter International, she led global sales across three business segments along with R&D, supply chain, and medical and regulatory affairs, including serving as interim Group President of Baxter’s Medical Products and Therapies segment, its largest business unit.

Now as CCO at Solventum, Knight oversees global commercial and R&D operations across the company's MedSurg, Dental Solutions, and Health Information Systems segments, with a focus on accelerating growth through coordinated execution and innovation. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Waters Corporation and is a Board Advisor to MedExecWomen.

1:30–2:15      Panel 3

Leading with Purpose, Adapting with Speed

In today’s rapidly changing business environment, effective leadership requires more than traditional management skills—it demands agility, adaptability, and the ability to drive meaningful impact. This session explores the mindsets and behaviors that enable leaders to thrive amid ambiguity and complexity. Participants will hear insights on how to make swift, informed decisions, inspire resilient teams, and foster a culture of continuous learning and innovation. Through interactive discussions and group sharing, this session will help equip leaders to respond to change with confidence, lead with purpose, and deliver lasting results for dynamic environments.

Moderated by: Michelle Russell , Managing Director & Senior Partner, BCG

• Simrit Sandhu, President, Spend Management, Vizient

• Meghan Soens, VP & Global General Manager, Endoscopy,Boston Scientific

• Krista Sugerman, VP & General Manager, Medtronic

• Kathy Weiler, Chief Transformation Officer, Solventum

2:15–3:15      Breakout Session 2

Topic A: Connected Care in Action: Inside the Digital Health Playbook

Digital health is no longer a peripheral trend; it’s central to how care is delivered, devices are used, and value is created in a connected healthcare ecosystem. For medtech leaders, understanding the core principles of digital health is critical to navigating evolving business models, regulatory landscapes, and product development strategies. This session will provide practical, executive-level overview of digital health fundamentals, including use cases, value levers, and strategic implications. Attendees will then engage in small group discussions with domain experts in software, cybersecurity, product development, and go-to-market strategy to deepen their understanding and apply insights to their own organizations.

Facilitator: Delphine Zurkiya, Senior Partner, McKinsey

• Victoria Beadle, VP Wound R&D, Smith + Nephew

• Tracy Byers, CEO Enterprise Imaging, Optum

• Acacia Parks, VP Regulatory Compliance and Engineering, Avania

• Mary Varghese Presti, Corporate VP, Health & Life Sciences, Microsoft

Topic B: From Vision to Value: Scaling Robotics for Impact

Robotic and image-guided surgical interventions are transforming procedural care, enabling more precise, minimally invasive treatments and expanding access to advanced capabilities beyond traditional hospital walls. This session will combine an introduction to current robotics activity in MedTech with practical, cross-functional learning for leaders navigating robotics adoption and strategy. Expert-led discussions across different functional areas will uncover real-world challenges, compare organizational approaches, and develop actionable insights.

Facilitator: Julia Samorezov, Partner, McKinsey

• Vaishali Kamat, GM of New Ventures, GE Healthcare

• Neeta Mhatre, VP Asia Commercial Operations & China Strategy, Intuitive

• Aleksandra Popovic, President, MONARCH, Johnson & Johnson

• Crystal Simon, Head of Commercial Marketing, Procept BioRobotics

3:15–3:45      Networking Break

3:45–4:15      Afternoon Keynote

DeChane Dorsey, Executive Director, AdvaMed Accel

As head of AdvaMed Accel, Dorsey champions the voices of smaller medtech companies — the startups and early-stage innovators driving disruption, creating jobs, and shaping the future of healthcare — and works to make sure those voices are represented in policy conversations. Previously, as AdvaMed’s Vice President of Payment and Health Care Delivery Policy, Dorsey provided analysis and guidance to association members on Medicare payment, coding, and coverage issues; and developed the association’s policy positions for improved payment and coding infrastructure. 

Before joining AdvaMed, Dorsey served as Director of Health Policy for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and as Senior Counsel in the Office of Counsel to the Inspector General within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

4:15–5:15      Pitch Showcase, Highlighting Four Local Startups

Pitch Companies:

• Jean Pham, Co-Founder & CEO, Cellens

• Zoe Watson, Co-Founder & CEO, Microvitality Bio

• Vera Hoffman, CEO, Reveal Pharmaceuticals

• TBA

Pitch Judges

• Susana Amorim Lopes, Investment Director, Gilde Healthcare

• Neha Begwani, Managing Director - Healthcare Investment Banking, Morgan Stanley

5:15–6:30     New Friends Await — Networking Session with MedExecWomen Speakers and Board Advisors

Close out the day with this networking session. Be there as the pitch competition winner is announced. Enter the prize drawing to win a complimentary registration for MedExecWomen2027. (Must be present to win.) And remember to pick up your gift with our thanks for attending MedExecWomen2026!