Main Stage Talks

Time is precious for all of us. For Michelle Stump-Kerry, even more so. She’s spent her career dedicated to designing trials and brings a unique perspective.

Michelle is here with a vision, and a plea: that we build trust before times of crisis, and that we build systems to earn that trust.

Every decision in clinical research is shaped by data, yet today’s abundance of tools creates more confusion than clarity. How do we separate real insight from noise and use data to drive better outcomes?


Mo Ali, a data strategist across pharma, tech, and academia, helps teams uncover what’s hidden in the numbers. His reminder: data isn’t neutral — but used wisely, it can be transformative.

Patients struggle to navigate clinical trials, but the biggest barrier often comes first: finding one. Fragmented systems, competing recruiters, and confusing dead ends make discovery difficult.

With 30 years of sponsor-side experience, Steve Walker has spent the past year bringing together industry, academic, and advocacy partners to rethink how patients navigate this complex process.

Much of what the clinical trial industry talks about is what’s recent or next. But many challenges are old. Catherine Gregor led digital transformation at one of the nation’s largest site networks. 

Catherine calls out a basic limitation that holds back progress—and argues that until we fix some basics at the site level, talking about fancy stuff risks being not much more than theater.

A couple years ago, Bernadette Tosti led an Innovation Network Dive Team that sparked an idea…how might we re-think patient compensation based on clinical data? And she made sure that spark didn’t flame out.

This Spring, working with the Innovation Network and Professor Steve Calandrillo at the University of Washington School of law, she co-authored a paper that was published in the prestigious Yale Journal of Health Policy, Law and Ethics.

The work we all do is hard. There are many players. Decisions and plans can happen far away from the people on the ground. So as we hear from clinical executives and founders today, let’s also make sure we listen to those on the front lines. 

Kaye Doiron has spent years leading site operations across academic and industry settings, with a deep understanding of what frontline staff actually need.

As we navigate uncertainty on several fronts, a debate swirls around diversity in clinical trials, and it’s tempting for companies to pull back. 

Del Smith argues the opposite: this is a moment to lean in. He worked as an Information Systems Analyst for the US Army, as a college professor, and now a founder of a health tech company designed to reach underrepresented populations.

It’s not surprising that the work we do in this industry is hard. We have to solve problems across multiple vectors – biology, chemistry, IT, regulatory and ethics, business systems … and economics. And the dollars matter. 

Some of the most brilliant ideas in biotech never make it to patients — not because of flawed science, but because of flawed funding models.

Study sponsors know the challenges of operational quality just as solution providers know the burden of painstaking vendor qualification. Most of the challenges facing clinical research aren’t new. Sometimes the barrier is not a matter of failing to see a problem … but feeling it’s too big to address.

Patty Leuchten has spent decades working across global teams to take on persistent and complicated problems. Problems that can feel unsolvable.

With everyone sharing the goal of collaboration, why is it so hard to implement? Why do smart people hold back at critical moments? The answer isn’t will. And it certainly isn’t incompetence. It’s all about trust.

Lindsay Daniel has spent her career leading global talent, culture, and learning functions across financial services, life sciences and health care. From C-suite teams to frontline staff, she’s helped organizations confront the invisible forces that stall innovation.

Susannah Fox sees a revolution brewing - not in boardrooms, but in living rooms, hospital rooms, and online communities. She is the former Chief Technology Officer of the US Department of Health and Human Services, and a longtime advocate for peer-driven innovation.

She's here to map the movement led by patients, survivors, and caregivers - and to show how tapping into their power isn't just the right thing to do. It's a competitive advantage.

When you think of the work that we do, what do you feel? Gratitude? Fear? Sometimes Sadness? Frustration? What about Awe?

The work we do sometimes can help save and improve lives -- at scale. And that is worthy of some awe.