2026 Annual Alumni Conference

REGISTER FOR OUR CONFERENCE HERE

APPLY FOR OUR PITCH COMPETITION HERE

Lodging:
A Room Reservation Block is available at The Inn at Penn through October 9th


Conference Theme: Bold Bets at Healthcare's Tipping Point

The Wharton Healthcare Alumni Association Annual Conference returns to The Inn at Penn and Huntsman Hall on October 29–30. This year's theme — Bold Bets at Healthcare's Tipping Point — reflects a defining moment of reckoning for the industry. U.S. healthcare spending has reached $5.3 trillion, now consuming 18% of GDP — a trajectory no one credibly defends as sustainable. At the same time, the healthcare consumer has fundamentally changed: more informed, more activated, and less willing to accept the friction and opacity that legacy systems were built around. An aging population is compressing the timeline, demanding that care delivery, population health, and access models evolve faster than the institutions designed to serve them. And AI is not waiting — it is already accelerating how we think about diagnostics, care delivery, population management, and drug development, while raising urgent and unresolved questions about ethics, bias, and responsible adoption. Political headwinds and intensifying government scrutiny are simultaneously redrawing the rules of engagement across payers, providers, and life sciences. 

This is not a moment to optimize incrementally or wait for clarity that may never come. The responsibility falls on us — as Wharton & Penn-trained healthcare leaders — to place deliberate, informed bets that shape what comes next, not scramble to catch up after AI, policy, and consumer expectations have already moved on. If you have a bold perspective on where healthcare must go, we want you in the room.

CONFERENCE AGENDA

Thursday, October 29 - The Inn at Penn

3:00 - 5:30 PM

Conference registration - Suite 300

3:00 - 3:50 PM

Alumni Panel/Professional Development Session -  Suite 300

4:00 - 5:30 PM

Pitch Competition - Innovations in Healthcare & Life Sciences - Suite 300

5:30 - 7:00 PM

Networking Reception - 2nd floor - Regent / St. Marks

7:00 - 9:00 PM

WHAA Dinner and Alumni Awards Presentations - 2nd floor - Woodlands CD

Friday, October 30 - Jon M. Huntsman Hall

7:15 - 10:30 AM

Conference Registration - Lower Level - Forum

7:15 - 8:00 AM

Coffee & Breakfast - Forum Level - Forum

8:00 - 8:10 AM

Welcome & Opening Remarks - Conference Co-Chairs - Ground Level - G06 Auditorium

8:10 - 8:35 AM

Alumni Achievement Award Recipient Presentation - The Boldest Bet May Be Policy: When Changing the Rules Changes Healthcare - Ground Level - G06 Auditorium

8:40 - 9:25 AM

Opening Keynote Fireside Chat: Innovation Isn't Enough: Making Bold Bets Pay Off - Ground Level - G06 Auditorium

9:30 - 9:45 AM

Break and Networking - Forum Level - Drinks & Snacks

9:45 - 10:40 AM

AM Panel Breakouts:
1. Care Solutions Transformation | From AI Adoption to AI-Native Healthcare: What It Takes to Scale - Forum Level - F85
2. Wither Health Policy | Costs, Coverage, Health Status, Sustainability - Forum Level - F90
3. Life Sciences, Medicine, and Therapeutics | Leading the AI Transformation from Pipeline to Patient - Forum Level - F95

10:55 - 11:25 AM

Pitch Competition | Mini Pitch & Awards - Ground Level - G06 Auditorium

11:30 AM - 12:15 PM

General Session: Evaluating and Deploying AI in U.S. Health Systems - Ground Level - G06 Auditorium

12:15 - 1:30 PM

Lunch & Networking | Industry Breakout Rooms

Forum Level – Forum
Industry Breakout Room: Payer/Care Delivery: F85; Pharma/Life Science: F95; Entrepreneurship & Investing: F90

1:30 - 2:15 PM

General Session: Global Health and International Models - Ground Level - G06 Auditorium

2:15 - 2:30 PM

Break and Networking - Forum Level - Drinks & Snacks

2:30 - 3:25 PM

PM Panel Breakouts:
1. From Care Model to Operating System | Population Health at the Tipping Point - Forum Level -F90
2. Ethics, Innovation and Policy | The Ethics of Financing Disease Research in Rich and Poor Nations - Forum Level -F85 
3. Life Sciences and Innovation Deep Dive | Funding and Investing in Women's Health: From Niche to Mainstream - Forum Level -F95

3:35 - 4:20 PM

Closing Keynote Fireside Chat: Evolving the Healthcare System: Rethinking Incentives, Innovation, & the Path to Better Outcomes - Ground Level - G06 Auditorium

4:20 - 4:30 PM

Closing Remarks - Conference Co-Chairs


Confirmed Speakers:

Professional Development Session (Thursday)

  • Anne Sissel, CFA, WG'05, Vice President, Corporate Development at Johnson & Johnson
  • Beverly Ginsburg Cooper, WG'80, Managing Member, Cancer Strategies
  • Maria Whitman, WG'05, Board Member; Managing Partner, Global Commercialization Strategy Solutions, ZS Associates
  • Venkat Ramamurthy, WG'13, Founder & CEO, TrackHealthAI LLC
  • Michael Rovinsky, WG'86, President, Integrity Consulting Group
  • Megan Ax, WG'06, Executive Director, Ex-US Content & Omnichannel; Commercial AI Strategy & Analytics, Bristol Myers Squibb

Opening Fireside Chat: Industry Leaders on Conference Theme

  • Craig E. Samitt, MD, MBA, WG'95, Founder and CEO of ITO Advisors, Former President & CEO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (BCBSMN) and Former President, Carelon
  • Jean-Bernard Simeon, Senior Vice President, ViiV Healthcare (part of GSK) 

A.M. Panel Breakouts:
#1 - Care Solutions Transformation | From AI Adoption to AI-Native Healthcare: What It Takes to Scale

#2 - Wither Health Policy | Costs, Coverage, Health Status, Sustainability

#3 - Life Sciences, Medicine, and Therapeutics | Leading the AI Transformation from Pipeline to Patient

General Session: Evaluating and Deploying AI in U.S. Health Systems

General Session: Global Health and International Models

  • Eric Cioè Peña, MD, MPH, Founding Director of the Center for Global Health of Northwell Health and the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
  • Wharton Global Health Volunteers Spotlight

P.M. Panel Breakouts:
#1 - From Care Model to Operating System | Population Health at the Tipping Point

#2 - Ethics, Innovation and Policy | The Ethics of Financing Disease Research in Rich and Poor Nations

  • Katie Ellias, WG'06, Venture Partner Zubi Capital, Board Director SAB Bio, Founder KE Advisory LLC (Moderator)
  • Arthur L. Caplan, PhD, Drs. William and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor of Bioethics, NYU Grossman School of Medicine; Founder, Center for Bioethics and the Department of Medical Ethics (Est. 1994)
  • Michael Fairbanks, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Akagera Medicines
  • Philippa Mbonye, Global Sector Specialist - Health Services, International Finance Corporation

#3 -  Life Sciences and Innovation Deep Dive | Funding and Investing in Women's Health: From Niche to Mainstream

Closing Fireside Chat: Evolving the Healthcare System: Rethinking Incentives, Innovation, & the Path to Better Outcomes

  • Amol Navathe, MD, PhD, Professor, Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Perelman School of Medicine and Professor, Healthcare Management, Wharton School; Chair of MedPAC (Medicare Payment Advisory Commission) - Dr. Navathe's views represent his personal perspective and do not reflect the official stance of MedPAC
  • Aaron Martin, WG'97, President, Insurance at Humana

 

Pitch Competition Judges:

Contact Information:

For more information, contact the 2026 WHCMAA Alumni Conference Co-Chairs:

Ryan Berger, WG’06: [email protected]
Hailey Ji, WG’24: [email protected]

Conference Planning Committee: Christina Liu, WG'13, John Winkelman, WG'80, Michael Puchon, C'09, Amanda Hopkins Tirrell, WG'86, Katherine Cheng, W'14, Michael Rovinsky, WG'86, Cristina Gutierrez, WG'05, Harris Contos, WG'80, Bryan Bushick, MD, WG'89, Kathryn Tong, WG'07, Katie Ellias, WG'06, Pete Hanna, WEMBA 44, WG'20, Ron Kero, WG'86


With special thanks to our sponsors:

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