Former Vice President Joe Biden Tapped As Speaker During Upcoming SXSW In Austin

AUSTIN, TX — Former Vice President Joe Biden will be among the speakers at this year's SXSW Conference, organizers announced Monday.

Biden will outline his plans for a cancer-fighting initiative during a talk scheduled March 13 at the Austin Convention Center in downtown Austin. The talk is scheduled at 3:30 p.m.

During his discussion, Biden will reflect on progress made at his helm of the White House Cancer Moonshot and expound on the need for innovations to end the scourge of cancer with faster gains in treatment.

“We’re excited to have Vice President Biden address the creative innovators and entrepreneurs that attend SXSW,” said Hugh Forrest, chief programming officer. “His commitment and leadership is crucial at a time when the smartest minds from the worlds of technology and healthcare are working together to create groundbreaking new solutions in the battle to end cancer.”

Biden represented Delaware for 36 years in the U.S. Senate before becoming the 47th Vice President of the United States. In the latter role, Biden traveled more than 1.2 million miles to more than 50 countries in representing U.S. interests. Biden convened sessions of President Barack Obama's cabinet, led inter-agency efforts, and worked with Congress in his fight to raise the living standards of middle class Americans, reduce gun violence, address violence against women, and end cancer as we know it.

Last year, Biden established the National Cancer Moonshot, which aligns with MD Anderson’s Moon Shots Program in the fight against cancer. Biden’s talk is part of the Connect to End Cancer series in collaboration with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the AT&T Foundry for Connected Health, and Merck & Co., Inc.

The Connect to End Cancer series at SXSW takes place on Sunday, March 12 in the Health Track, organizers added. It provides education, exposure and potential development support to entrepreneurs and encourages collaboration among innovators, industry executives, venture capitalists, celebrities, philanthropists and SXSW attendees who share a commitment to Making Cancer History.

Vice President Joe Biden’s SXSW talk is open to all SXSW registrants. The video of his talk will be available to watch following this event at sxsw.com.

By many measures, Biden is uniquely qualified to speak about cancer and the need for innovations to stop its spread. One of those measures is deeply personal given the loss of his son Beau, who ultimately succumbed to brain cancer. The experience of having lost a child to cancer also yielded insight into the financial exigencies that often emerge among families coping with a cancer-stricken loved one.

As he told CNN during an interview, Biden, during one of his regular private lunches with Obama during their administration, told the president he and his wife were contemplating selling their home to raise funds for his son's medical treatment if his son were forced to step down from his position as Delaware's attorney general and lose his income as a result.

Biden told CNN that Obama prevented him from selling the family home as a fundraising measure to pay medical bills: "He said ‘I’ll give you the money. Whatever you need, I’ll give you the money. Don’t, Joe. Promise me. Promise me,' " Biden told CNN.

Last year, SXSW organizers scored a coup in luring both President Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as speakers. The president spoke on the importance for civic engagement in society, expounding on tactics to achieve it while Mrs. Obama primarily addressed her initiative Let Girls Learn aimed at raising school enrollment rates for teenage girls around the world.

>>> Photo of Vice President Joe Biden via SXSW