Doors Open & Registration

Keynote: The Federal Shift: What National Funding Changes Mean for Health Innovation

The recent wave of federal funding restrictions, pauses, and potential freezes has sent shockwaves through the health innovation landscape, disrupting research, healthcare programs, and economic development nationwide—including right here in St. Louis. In this keynote, Ben Johnson will unpack the complex and rapidly evolving funding landscape, exploring how sweeping executive orders and agency-level uncertainties are affecting NIH, NSF, and other critical sources of research and healthcare investment. While some freezes have been temporarily halted, the uncertainty lingers, leaving institutions, startups, and research organizations scrambling to assess long-term impacts. Johnson will break down the real implications for federally backed health innovation programs, from clinical research and biotech startups to community health initiatives, highlighting the cascading effects on economic growth, job creation, and life-changing medical advancements. He will also outline ongoing advocacy efforts to safeguard funding and offer insights on how organizations can navigate this uncertain terrain while ensuring their work continues to drive innovation and impact.

Track A - Scaling Science: The Next Stage for St. Louis' HealthTech & Biotech Innovators

As St. Louis continues to emerge as a national leader in HealthTech and Biotech innovation, a new wave of startups is moving beyond early-stage success and into high-growth expansion. This panel will feature founders and executives from the region’s fastest-growing health and life sciences companies who have recently secured growth capital investment (some Series B & C), positioning them for rapid scaling, commercialization, and broader market impact. Panelists will discuss the evolving investment landscape, the strategic milestones that attract later-stage capital, and how they are leveraging funding to expand operations, accelerate clinical development, navigate regulatory pathways, and enter new markets. With growing support from venture capital, corporate partnerships, and a maturing ecosystem, St. Louis’ HealthTech and Biotech scaleups are proving that breakthrough science can translate into high-growth businesses that drive economic and healthcare transformation.

Track B - Optimizing BioPharma Manufacturing: The Intersection of Innovation and Infrastructure

As the pharmaceutical industry evolves, ensuring a resilient, efficient, and scalable biopharma manufacturing ecosystem is critical for national health security. This panel, led by APIIC, brings together experts from academia, industry, and advanced manufacturing to discuss how cutting-edge technologies, strategic public-private partnerships, and infrastructure optimization are shaping the future of drug production. With a mission to strengthen the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain, APIIC plays a pivotal role in uniting government agencies, research institutions, and manufacturers to accelerate novel pharmaceutical manufacturing solutions. Panelists will explore the latest advancements in continuous manufacturing, automation, and AI-driven process optimization, along with strategies to maximize the potential of underutilized facilities to expand domestic production capacity.

Transition Break

Track A - From Epic to Insights: An End-to-End Healthcare Data Journey with Databricks & Databasin

Join us as we showcase how Databasin, supporting over 200 sources, effortlessly ingests data directly into Databricks—while running entirely within our client’s own cloud tenant. We’ll showcase Databasin’s Team Onboarding feature to automatically spin up compute clusters and SQL warehouses, create sandboxes, configure users and groups, and apply permissions—instantly establishing robust governance across the Databricks ecosystem. We’ll also explore Databasin’s unified permission management tools for real-time oversight and control, along with its automation module that orchestrates SQL queries, Databricks jobs, Reverse ETL, and even Docker containers. If you’re looking to simplify data integration, governance, and automation within Databricks, this session is a must-see.

Track B - Health Startup Learnings: Unlocking Value with the D of R&D

Health or science-based startups don’t require a research breakthrough. By bringing interdisciplinary innovation, startups can create huge value through _development_: the forgotten D of R&D. Across disciplines as diverse as consumer behavior, battery electrochemistry and human metabolism, we’ve consistently seen how bringing interdisciplinary tools like basic science, advanced math, and software can translate existing research breakthroughs into valuable products. We’ll share our stories in hopes to help spur your own innovation.

Track A - Scaling Talent for the Bioscience Industry: Data Science, Engineering & Lab Skills for Tomorrow’s Workforce

As the bioscience industry continues to expand, equipping the next generation of scientists and technologists with data science, engineering, and lab skills is essential for sustaining innovation and economic growth. This panel, moderated by Sally Steuterman, Manager of Scientific Training Partnerships at BioSTL, will explore how BioSTL, BioNexus KC, and MOBIO are leading workforce development efforts to bridge the talent gap and prepare individuals for high-demand careers in biotech and life sciences. Through the Bioscience Industry Occupational Training & Equity Collaborative Hub (BIOTECH), these organizations are designing and implementing industry-led training programs that connect education, research, and workforce development to meet the needs of Missouri’s bioscience sector. Panelists will discuss hybrid technical training programs, bioscience core skills certifications, and strategic partnerships that are helping individuals—particularly from underrepresented communities—gain the technical expertise needed to enter and advance in bioscience careers.

Track B: Democratizing Health Telemetry through Wearable Health Devices

Wearable health devices are at the forefront of a healthcare revolution, providing real-time monitoring and personalized insights into individual health. From fitness trackers to advanced medical devices, these gadgets offer real-time insights into our physical and mental well-being. This talk will explore the latest advancements in wearable technology, including: * Trackers / Rings: These devices help you reach your fitness goals by tracking steps taken, heart rate, calories burned, and sleep patterns * Smartwatches: Smartwatches offer monitoring of health metrics such as heart rate, sleep patterns, and activity levels, oxygen saturation and stress levels * Medical-Grade Wearables: Can help actively diagnose / manage chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and respiratory disorders Learn how these devices analyze health data, improve patient outcomes, and empower you to take control of your health through the intersection of technology and healthcare.

Lunch

Track A: Navigating AI Safety in Healthcare: Ensuring Trust, Security, and Ethical Care

This introductory keynote explores the evolving landscape of AI safety in healthcare, spotlighting current frameworks, emerging best practices, and Primordial Labs’ pioneering experiments. Attendees will discover strategies for building patient trust, maintaining data integrity, and meeting regulatory standards, while fostering innovation. Gain practical guidance to responsibly harness AI-driven solutions that improve patient outcomes and uphold the highest ethical standards.

Track B - Empowering Innovation: Integrating Design Justice into Engineering, Tech, and Medicine in St. Louis

In the rapidly evolving landscape of STEM-related fields, the integration of design justice is crucial for addressing systemic disparities and fostering inclusive innovation. This keynote will explore how recent local, national, and global trends are shaping the future of technology, particularly in diversifying data collection, promoting educational equity, and policy changes affecting access to medicine. By examining these issues through the lens of the St. Louis tech scene, we will discuss the role of technology in supporting diverse populations and overcoming barriers to innovation. Attendees will gain insights into the intersection of policy, technology, and social justice, equipped with actionable steps to foster more inclusive development in their own work and organizations.

Track A - Pharma AI: Reinventing Healthcare & Drug Discovery with AWS

Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing healthcare and drug discovery, accelerating breakthroughs that were once thought impossible. In this session, Brian Loyal, a Senior AI/ML Solutions Architect in the Global Healthcare and Life Sciences team at Amazon Web Services (AWS), will explore how AI and machine learning are transforming pharmaceutical research, precision medicine, and drug development pipelines. With 16+ years of experience in biotechnology and machine learning, Brian will provide real-world insights into how AWS-powered AI solutions are helping organizations tackle genomic and proteomic challenges, optimize clinical trials, and accelerate drug discovery. He will discuss how AWS is enabling biopharma companies, researchers, and healthcare organizations to harness scalable cloud-based AI for everything from drug target identification to patient-specific treatment recommendations.

Track B - Inside Track: Partnering with Large Health Systems to Build Successful Consumer Products

Breaking into large health systems is no easy feat—but it’s essential for innovators looking to build scalable, impactful consumer health products. In this candid fireside chat, Kristin Ebert, former Chief Experience Officer at Mercy and seasoned product and strategy leader, shares insider insights on how to earn trust, align with enterprise priorities, and create products that resonate with both consumers and complex healthcare systems. With 25+ years of experience driving growth through human-centered design, Kristin reveals what it really takes to go from outsider to strategic partner in today’s evolving healthcare landscape.

Track A - AI-Powered Health Innovation with Google Public Sector

Track B - Startup World Cup - Biotech / Healthtech Pitch Competition

AI-Driven Healthcare: Transforming Decision-Making with Data Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the healthcare landscape, equipping providers with powerful tools to access and interpret real-time data that support more informed decisions, streamline operations, and improve patient care experiences. This panel brings together experts at the forefront of AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics to discuss how these technologies are being integrated into electronic medical records (EMRs), predictive modeling, and hospital workflows to enhance care coordination and operational efficiency.