Register for the 2026 Gathering — September 16, 2026
Check-In / Breakfast / Expo — 7:30am to 8:00am
Russ Lipari — 8:00am to 8:20am
Luncheon Keynote
Jay Bhattacharya,
MD, PhD
MD, PhD
18th Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Immediate Office of the CDC
Regional Welcome
to Health Connect South
Samantha Brown-Parks,
MD, MPH
MD, MPH
Regional Director
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Atlanta Region
Atlanta Region
Presenting Sponsor
Corwin Harper
President
Kaiser Permanente Georgia
Kaiser Permanente Georgia
Opening Remarks
The Southeast’s Health Future Starts Here
Networking Break — 8:45am to 8:55am
Building Healthcare’s Digital Future
Todd C. Sharp
Principal Executive Technology
Advisor & Field CTO,
Global Healthcare/Life Sciences Team
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Advisor & Field CTO,
Global Healthcare/Life Sciences Team
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Jeff Arnold
Co-Founder &
Executive Chairman
Sharecare
Executive Chairman
Sharecare
Matt Carr
Managing Director,
US Healthcare & Life Sciences
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
US Healthcare & Life Sciences
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
The Future of Brain Health: Innovation Meets Impact
Tim Denning, PhD
President & CEO
Georgia Research Alliance
Georgia Research Alliance
Allan Levey, MD, PhD
Director Emory’s Alzheimer’s
Disease Research Center
Emory University’s
School of Medicine
Disease Research Center
Emory University’s
School of Medicine
Erica Coe
Global Executive Director
McKinsey Health Institute
McKinsey Health Institute
Chris Rozell, PhD
Executive Director,
Institute for Neuroscience,
Neurotechnology & Society
Georgia Tech
Institute for Neuroscience,
Neurotechnology & Society
Georgia Tech
Funding the Future: Where Healthcare Investment Is Heading
Bob Crutchfield
Managing Director
1824 Health Ventures &
Mainsail Venture Funds
1824 Health Ventures &
Mainsail Venture Funds
Tim Howe
AVP, Strategy &
Investments – Healthcare
Cox Enterprises
Investments – Healthcare
Cox Enterprises
Stephen Scott
Principal
Morgan Health Ventures
Morgan Health Ventures
Lauren Pierce Flickinger
Partner
Hatteras Venture Partners
Hatteras Venture Partners
Voices from the Top: Healthcare’s Biggest Challenges
Caylee Noggle
President & CEO
Georgia Hospital
Association
Georgia Hospital
Association
Oscar Marroquin, MD
Chief Administrative &
Chief Operating Officer
Emory Healthcare
Chief Operating Officer
Emory Healthcare
Anthony Saul
President & COO
Grady Health System
Grady Health System
David W. Zaas MD, MBA
CEO
Duke University
Health System
Duke University
Health System
Networking Break / Expo
Value Based Care
Cheryl Preheim
Anchor 11Alive News
NBC Atlanta
NBC Atlanta
Hamza Hasan
Executive Director,
Strategy & Implementation
Kaiser Permanente
Strategy & Implementation
Kaiser Permanente
Delvecchio Finley
President and CEO
Atrium Health Navicent
Atrium Health Navicent
Healthcare Affordability and Preventive Care
David Rubinger
Market President
and Publisher
Atlanta Business Chronicle
and Publisher
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Amanda Free
President
Anthem, Blue Cross and
Blue Shield of Georgia
Anthem, Blue Cross and
Blue Shield of Georgia
Yogin Patel, MD
CEO
ApolloMD
ApolloMD
Transforming Cancer Care: Innovation on the Front Lines
Kristin Higgins
Chief Clinical Officer
City of Hope
Cancer Center Atlanta
City of Hope
Cancer Center Atlanta
Leslie Popplewell, MD
Chief of Hematology
City of Hope
Cancer Center Atlanta
City of Hope
Cancer Center Atlanta
Chris Waits
Executive Director of
Oncology
Spencer Cancer Center
Oncology
Spencer Cancer Center
The State of Healthcare: Industry Leaders’ Perspectives – Reimagining Workforce
Jay Dennard, FACHE, FHFMA, CPXP
President,
Gwinnett Hospital Foundation,
VP Governmental &
Community Affairs
Northside Hospital System
Gwinnett Hospital Foundation,
VP Governmental &
Community Affairs
Northside Hospital System
Chris Franklin
President
LocumTenens.com
LocumTenens.com
Chet Bhasin, FACHE, MBA, MS
Executive Director
Georgia Board of
Healthcare Workforce
Georgia Board of
Healthcare Workforce
Douglas Patten, MD, FACS
Associate Dean,
SW Regional Campus
Medical College of Georgia
at Augusta University
SW Regional Campus
Medical College of Georgia
at Augusta University
Artificial Intelligence: Revolutionizing Medicine Development
Dennis Liotta, PhD
Executive Director
Emory Institute for
Drug Development
Emory University
Emory Institute for
Drug Development
Emory University
Jeffrey Skolnick, PhD
Regents’ Professor,
GRA Eminent Scholar in
Computational Systems Biology
Georgia Tech
GRA Eminent Scholar in
Computational Systems Biology
Georgia Tech
Lauren Drowley
Head of U.S. Research
UCB
UCB
Breaking Silos: Collaboration as Healthcare’s Competitive Advantage
Tim Lieuwen, PhD
Executive
Vice President for Research
Georgia Tech
Vice President for Research
Georgia Tech
Carolyn K Clevenger, DNP, RN, GNP-BC, FAANP, FGSA, FAAN
Founding Dean &
Professor School of Nursing
University of Georgia
Professor School of Nursing
University of Georgia
Lunch & Speakers — 12:10 – 1:05pm
Keynote Introduction
Wayne C. Glasgow, PhD
Senior Vice Provost
for Research
for Research
Mercer University
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Mehmet Oz
Administrator
Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS)
Medicaid Services (CMS)
Tom Price, MD
23rd Secretary Health
and Human Services
and Human Services
Transition Break
Closing the Gap: Advancing Healthcare in Rural America
Brandon Talley, PhD, MPH
Executive Vice President,
Chief Impact and Innovation
CDC Foundation
Chief Impact and Innovation
CDC Foundation
Jeremy Slaga
Chief Clinical
Operations Officer
FSU Health
Operations Officer
FSU Health
Baha Zeidan
CEO
Azalea Health
Azalea Health
Stephanie Beavers, MD, FACP
Vice Dean of Academics
and Administration
Mercer University School
of Medicine
and Administration
Mercer University School
of Medicine