Bench, Beside & Breakthrough: Health Tech Innovation from Silicon Valley to Bio Health Capital Region – May 26, 2026
From Clinical Insight to Real- World Deployment
Venue: 2115 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC, USA
Overview
AI Healthcare Conference in Washington DC
Join us for an exclusive convening at the Georgetown University – MedStar Health AI CoLab, bringing together leaders across healthcare, AI,
What You’ll Gain
- Insight into how unmet clinical needs translate into health tech innovation
- Practical pathways from concept to product development and regulatory readiness
- Perspectives on data governance, safety, and compliance in AI-driven healthcare
- Strategies for commercialization, revenue models, and venture investment
- Opportunities to engage with leaders shaping the future of clinician-led innovation
Who Should Attend
- Healthcare clinicians and frontline providers
- AI and health tech researchers, developers, and innovators
- Startups, investors, and industry leaders
- Government and federal stakeholders
- Community organizations and healthcare advocates
This event is designed for those committed to advancing clinician-driven, real-world AI solutions that improve patient care and health system outcomes.
Event Agenda Highlights & Session Schedule:
Agenda:
Bench, Bedside & Breakthrough
Health Tech Innovation from Silicon Valley to BioHealth Capital Region
Tuesday, May 26, 2026 · 9:00 AM – 7:30 PM · MedStar-Georgetown AI CoLab
2115 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC
A one-day symposium where domain-expert founders, clinicians, scientists, and investors map the journey from insight to impact.
VISION → NEED → BUILD & APPROVE → FUND → LOCALIZE → LEAD
8:30 AM | Registration & Badge Pickup
Conference center entrance, 1st floor. Badge pickup remains open until 3:30 PM.
9:30 AM | Coffee & Networking
10:00 AM | Opening & Welcome Remarks
• Nawar Shara · Director, AI CoLab, MedStar Health (Event Chair)
10:15 AM | OPENING KEYNOTE · Vision
“The Domain-Expert Founder as Architect: From Insight to Regulatory-Ready Product”
Sets the North Star for the day. The speaker traces the full arc from insight to artifact, showing how domain-expert founders (clinicians and scientists) translate frontline or laboratory insight into products designed from day one for clinical, regulatory, and operational success.
Speaker
• Therese Canares · CEO, CurieDx
11:15 AM | PANEL 1 · Need
“From Bench and Bedside to Breakthrough: Identifying Unmet Needs as the Foundation for Health Tech Innovation”
Clinicians, biomedical scientists, and informaticians on how the most durable health tech products begin with rigorous problem definition, not technology in search of a use case.
Panelists
• Julia Finkel · Children’s National Hospital
• George Tetz · Second Life Group
• Lori Irvin · Uncommon Cures
• Senan Ebrahim · Delfina
• April Zambelli-Weiner · Johns Hopkins University
Moderator: Ahmad Saleh · Sufra
12:00 PM | Lunch & Networking
Catering on-site. Open networking across all attendee groups.
1:00 PM | PANEL 2 · Build & Approve
“Navigating the Pipeline: Regulation, Evidence Generation & Public-Private Pathways to Market”
Former federal regulators, public-health-security leaders, and a regulatory strategist on FDA pathways for software and AI/ML devices, ONC interoperability, and BARDA-supported pathways for medical countermeasures and rapid-response health tech.
Panelists
• Judy Costello · Montgomery County Executive Office
• Tammi Thomas · TEDCO
Moderator: Daniela Drago · NDA Partners
2:00 PM | FIRESIDE / KEYNOTE · Fund
“Capital, Founders & Commercialization: The Investor Perspective on Founder-Led Health Tech Startups”
An investor’s-eye view of founder-led health tech: what investors look for in a domain-expert founder, how to value pre-revenue companies in regulated markets, and how to structure a startup so technical and clinical risks are de-risked in the right sequence.
Guest
• Katherine Hill Ritchie · TEDCO
Moderator: Kolaleh Eskandanian · MedStar Health
2:45 PM | Coffee Break
3:00 PM | PANEL 3 · Localize
“Building Here: The DC / Maryland / Virginia Health Innovation Ecosystem”
Local CEOs join Georgetown’s tech commercialization lead to map the assets actually available to founders in our region: NIH and FDA proximity, BARDA, university IP and licensing, county-level incentives, talent pipelines, and capital sources.
Panelists
• Patrick Cheng · eKare
• John Sanvo · Wearable Dose
• Therese Canares · CurieDx
• Tatiana Litvin-Vechnyak · Georgetown University
Moderator: Kolaleh Eskandanian · MedStar Health
4:00 PM | CLOSING KEYNOTE · Lead
“The Future of Founder-Led Health Tech: Policy, Equity & Responsible Innovation”
The day closes by zooming back out. What kind of healthcare system should founder-led innovation be building toward? Topics include health equity and access, responsible deployment of AI in clinical settings, and the policy environment shaping the next decade.
Speakers
• Vasum Peiris · Former FDA CMO for Pediatrics and Special Populations
Moderator: Heather Colvin · Johnson & Johnson MedTech
4:45 PM | Closing Remarks
5:00 – 6:30 PM | Reception
Networking across clinicians, founders, investors, and DMV ecosystem leaders.
PRESENTED BY
Georgetown University · MedStar Health · AI CoLab · Sufra Health
Parking
If you are driving and will need parking, this building has a parking garage ($12). The entrance to the garage is located off of Whitehaven Street (you may enter 3300 Whitehaven St NW into your GPS). However, Do not stop at the Harris building and its attached garage. Please continue to the cul-de-sac, make a left and go all the way down. You will see the garage straight ahead. Please note that there is also limited 4-hour free parking on Whitehaven Street, before you enter the garage.
The elevators are located in the middle of the parking areas. Exit the elevator on the 1st floor of the building. The Conference Center is near the front door.
Badge Pick Up
Location:
- Address: 2115 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC, USA
- Badge pickup is on 1st floor at conference center entrance
- 5/26/26: 8:30 am – 3:30 pm ET
Stay connected use #Bench,Bedside&Breakthrough in your social media posts!