"Health Tech '16: Fueling Innovation in Westchester" Presents the New Thinking and Research That's Transforming Healthcare

The Westchester County Association (WCA) today released details about its third annual healthcare conference, Health Tech ’16: Fueling Innovation in Westchester, reflecting Westchester’s surging healthcare, health tech, and biotech sectors. Recognized as the premier healthcare business conference in the New York metro area, Health Tech ’16 brings together hundreds of the region’s top healthcare executives, researchers, entrepreneurs, business leaders, professionals, investors, academicians, and commercial real estate developers to discover brand new opportunities and catch an eye-opening glimpse of the research and discoveries that are unfolding.

Health Tech ’16 will take place Wednesday, September 28, 2016 from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Tarrytown, New York.

The WCA has assembled an all-star roster of speakers to identify the latest emerging trends and ideas to transform healthcare. The morning keynoter is former U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, MD, an advisor to the Manhattan Institute’s Project FDA and a three-time cancer survivor, who will explain four ways the nation can usher in a new Golden Age of medicine in “Race Against Time: Why We Need a National Health Innovation Strategy.” Luncheon keynote speaker Michael J. Dowling is the President and CEO of Northwell Health (formerly North Shore-LIJ Health System), which has entered the unchartered waters of commercial insurance, venture capital, and joint ventures with non-healthcare players. Dowling will discuss “Think Differently: Writing a New Prescription for Healthcare.”

Conference attendees also will hear from the leading strategists from Memorial Sloan Kettering, IBM Healthcare, NewYork-Presbyterian/Lawrence, WMCHealth, Burke Medical Research Institute, Addicaid, and GNS Healthcare. In addition, the conference includes the exciting WCA Innovation Panel and Pitch Contest, in which entrepreneurs seek advice and pitch new products and services to the pros. This year’s Innovation Panel features experts representing some of the biggest names in the digital health startup world, including Dreamit Health, BioLabs New York, Blueprint Health, and NewYork-Presbyterian Innovation Center. WESTMED Medical Group and Northwell Ventures will join the panel to judge the pitch contest.

“The WCA’s Health Tech conferences have attracted the best and the brightest minds in the region because healthcare and life sciences is a $15+ billion industry and a major economic engine in Westchester County,” said William M. Mooney, Jr., President and CEO of the WCA. “We have become a major hub for healthcare/health tech/biotech innovation, and that is creating opportunities for everyone who does business in Westchester.”

“Health tech has spawned a digital economy in the Hudson Valley, and we at the WCA want to take it to the next level through our smart growth initiatives,” said William V.Cuddy, Jr., chairman of the WCA’s Smart Growth Initiative. “We are leading the effort to build the infrastructure—including gigabit broadband—upon which an innovation economy depends, to attract more talent by turning Westchester cities into exciting and affordable places to live.”

Registration Information

Full Conference: $275 for WCA members; $275 for young professionals, and $325 for non-members.

Healthcare Innovation Panel and Pitch Contest Only: $75 for members and $100 for non-members.

For additional information and to register online, visit http://www.healthtechwca.com. Inquiries can also be made by contacting Lauren Randall at lrandall@westchester.org or 914-948-6444. The public is invited to keep up with all the news about Health Tech ’16 by following #HT16 on Twitter.

AGENDA

Wednesday, September 28

7:30 am Registration and Breakfast

Ongoing Innovation Showcase

8:15 am Welcoming Remarks

8:30 am Morning Keynote Address: Former U.S. Senator Tom A. Coburn, MD

Advisor to the Manhattan Institute’s Project FDA and a Three-Time Cancer Survivor

Race Against Time: Why We Need a National Health Innovation Strategy

Dr. Coburn shares his ideas for ushering in what could be a new “Golden Age of Medicine.” He explains why more lives could be saved through four national initiatives: streamlining development of new drugs and medical devices; improving interoperability of health information technology; expanding the use of patient-reported outcomes, and sharing data among the research community.

9:30 am Special Presentation: Precision Health and Big Data: Hope or Hype? A Road Map to Realizing the Dream

Speaker: Iya Khalil

Chief Commercial Officer and Co-Founder, GNS Healthcare

Recognized by President Obama as a leading entrepreneur in genomic medicine, Dr. Khalil shares her vision of transforming medicine with Dig Data analytics into a discipline that is quantitative, predictive, and patient-centric.

10:00 am Breakthroughs In Action: From Labs to Care

Hear from America’s innovative biotech, hospital, and research institutions about their latest discoveries, and find out what’s in store for 2017.

Moderator: Edward Halperin, MD, Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer, New York Medical College

Panelists:

Sam Frons, Founder, Addicaid

Glen Prusky, PhD, Director, Center for Visual Restoration, Burke Medical Research Institute

Gary Schwartz, MD, Chief of Hematology and Oncology, NewYork-Presbyterian/ Columbia University Medical Center

Corey Scurlock, MD, Medical Director, WMCHealth eHealth Center

11:10 am Break

11:30 am Presentation of the Purchase College Science Entrepreneurship Awards

11:45 am Luncheon served

12:15 pm Luncheon Keynote Address: Michael J. Dowling

President and Chief Executive Officer, Northwell Health—one of Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare

Mr. Dowling heads Northwell Health, one of the nation’s largest integrated healthcare systems and the largest private employer in New York State. The institution has made waves by launching its own commercial health plan, starting a venture capital investment arm, working with the Cleveland Clinic, and signing nearly 100 joint ventures—including projects with non-healthcare players

12:45 pm Panel Discussion – Hospitals Without Walls: Healthcare Undergoes a Paradigm Shift

Healthcare has a new mission. Find out what it is in a lively roundtable discussion.

Moderator: Kevin Dahill, President & CEO, Suburban Hospital Aliance of NYS; and Executive Vice President of the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS)

Michael J. Dowling, President and Chief Executive Officer, Northwell Health

Michael Fosina, President, NewYork-Presbyterian/Lawrence Hospital

Judy Murphy, RN, Chief Nursing Officer, IBM Healthcare

Wendy Perchick, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Innovation, Memorial Sloan Kettering

1:45 pm Break and Innovation Showcase

2:00 pm Healthcare Innovation Panel and Pitch Contest

Health tech entrepreneurs receive expert advice from the region’s top health accelerators and incubators, then have the chance to pitch their Big Ideas to the panel and some of the region’s leading decision makers.

Moderator: Anthony Manson, Co-Organizer, Health 2.0 NYC, Chief Digital Officer, MD Alert

Panelists/Judges:

Steve Barsh, Chief Innovation Officer, Dreamit Health

Peter Fleischut, Chief Innovation Officer, NewYork-Presbyterian Innovation Center

Nicole McKnight, PhD, Director, BioLabs New York

Brad Weinberg, MD, Founder, Blueprint Health

Additional Judges:

Thomas Thornton, Senior Vice President and Executive Director, Northwell Ventures

Anthony Viceroy, Chief Executive Officer, WESTMED Medical Group, President, WESTMED Practice Partners

4:00 pm Networking Reception and Innovation Showcase

Sponsors of Health Tech ’16 are:

Berkeley College, Bleakley Platt, Citrin Cooperman, Compufit, Corporate AV, ENT & Allergy, Fareri Associates, Harrison Edwards, Indian Point Energy Center, The Journal News, M & T Bank, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Montefiore, New York Medical College, New York-Presbyterian, Northern Westchester Hospital/Northwell Health, Pace University, Purchase College, PKF O’Connor Davies, Reckson, Regeneron, Simone, Suburban Hospital Alliance, United Hebrew, VNS NY, Westchester County, WESTMED, White Plains Hospital, WMCHealth.

The Westchester County Association (www.westchester.org) is the preeminent business leadership organization serving Westchester County. The Association is committed to business advocacy, economic vitality and to providing a strong and clear voice for the interests of businesses on the regional, national and international levels. Its key objectives are promoting positive economic development in the region; fostering business development; and providing its members with access and interaction with key public and private sector individuals, agencies and organizations.

Photos: 1) Tom Coburn, 2) Michael Dowling.