Plenary Speakers
These nationally known thought leaders offer fresh perspectives on topics such as achieving peak performance, understanding the political determinants of health and facilitating healthy communication. Attend their sessions and leave enlightened, inspired and ready for new challenges!
Plenary speakers will be added to this page as they are confirmed.
Wednesday, April 9
Sandeep Jauhar, MD, PhD
Sandeep Jauhar, a practicing cardiologist and contributing opinion writer for The New York Times since 2015, holds a PhD in experimental physics from the University of California, Berkeley and a medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis. He has written extensively about medicine for the Times since 1998 and is the author of four acclaimed books. His debut, Intern: A Doctor's Initiation, was a national bestseller and optioned by NBC, while Doctored and Heart: A History were widely lauded, with the latter named a best book of 2018 and a PBS NewsHour/New York Times book club pick. His most recent work, My Father’s Brain (2023), is a deeply personal memoir intertwining his father’s battle with dementia and the science of brain degeneration.
Jauhar frequently appears on NPR, CNN and MSNBC, and his essays have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Time and Slate. His TED Talk on the emotional heart was among the ten most watched of 2019. Blending personal insight with historical and scientific exploration, his writings illuminate complex medical and ethical issues for a broad audience. To learn more, visit his website at www.sandeepjauhar.com or follow him on Twitter @sjauhar.
Wednesday, April 9
Joel Bervell, MS4
Ghanaian-American medical student and science communicator Joel Bervell is known as the ‘Medical Mythbuster’ for creating viral medical content on social media that is at the forefront of conversations about racial disparities in healthcare, the hidden history of medicine, and overlooked biases in the healthcare industry. After entering medical school, Bervell became a highly respected TikTok and Instagram creator, with over 1M+ combined followers and 300M+ views. In his videos, as he does in speaking engagements, he breaks down complex topics about how healthcare fails to serve marginalized groups. A gifted educator and engaging speaker, Bervell has been sought after to share his unique and inspiring perspective with groups like Novartis, Meta, Google, TikTok, the Clinton Foundation, General Electric, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and on behalf of the Congressional Black Congress, among others.
Bervell has been featured in the New York Times, on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Good Morning America, Business Insider, NPR, YahooNews, WebMD and more, and has advised organizations like TikTok on efforts to increase Diversity & Inclusion. The Medical Mythbuster serves on councils including the White House Office of Public Engagement’s Health Care Leaders in Social Media, the Council for Responsible Social Media and the World Health Organization’s ‘Operation Fides’. He has collaborated with brands including Neutrogena, Google, Samsung, Listerine, Gushers, the American Medical Association and numerous others. Bervell’s work earned him the honor of being named a Seattle Forbes 30 Under 30, Smithsonian Channel ‘Cyclebreaker’, a Scientific American ‘Revolutionary’, a 2022 National Minority Quality Forum “40 Under 40 Leader in Minority Health,” and the 2022 recipient of the American Medical Student Association’s Racial Justice in Medicine Award.
Thursday, April 10
Britt Wray, PhD
Britt Wray, PhD, is a researcher and author at the forefront of climate change and mental health. She serves as the Director of CIRCLE (Community-minded Interventions for Resilience, Climate Leadership, and Emotional well-being) within Stanford Psychiatry at the Stanford School of Medicine, where she leads research and action initiatives to build resilience in the face of climate disruption.
Dr. Wray is also the Founder of Unthinkable, a non-profit dedicated to connecting individuals with resources and community supports to foster psychological resilience amid climate change. She is the author of two books, including the national bestseller Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Anxiety, a generational perspective on mental well-being in the climate crisis, which was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award.
Dr. Wray has received the Canadian Eco-Hero Award and the Excellence in Science Communication Award from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. A sought-after global speaker, she has presented at TED and the World Economic Forum, and her work has been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Guardian and other prominent publications.