Invited Speakers

Research & Development

• Veenu Aishwarya

  Speaker profile coming soon.

• Mary Pat Moyer

  Speaker profile coming soon.

• Zhanna Bartosh

  Speaker profile coming soon.

• Pragya Singh

  Pragya Singh is a biomedical scientist working in biotechnology research and development, where she contributes to research in the areas of biomaterials and regenerative medicine. She earned her PhD from University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Her career spans academic and industry research, leveraging expertise in cell and molecular biology to advance scientific discoveries into real-world biomedical applications.

• Kreg Zimmern

  Kreg Zimmern is a Senior Research Engineer at Southwest Research Institute, specializing in Medical Device Research and Development. With a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from UTSA, he boasts over 10 years of experience in creating medical devices and equipment for regenerative medicine, bioprocessing, bioproduction, and biomanufacturing. Kreg's expertise covers all facets of development, including mechanical design, device validation and verification, method development, project management, and regulatory compliance. He plays a crucial role in advancing the Bioengineering group's capabilities in Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing, and leads initiatives focused on Traumatic Brain Injury.

• Alex Perdue

  Alex Perdue is a Senior Manager and Clinical Development Trial Lead at Eli Lilly and Company, where he works on the neuroscience portfolio, supporting global clinical development programs and partnering closely with cross‑functional teams to drive high‑quality trial execution.

  Alex holds a Bachelor of Arts from Franklin College, an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University, and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Data Analytics from the University of Indianapolis. His academic background combines business leadership with advanced analytical training, informing his approach to data‑driven decision‑making in clinical development.

  In addition to his core role, Alex is actively engaged in workplace inclusion efforts through his involvement with Lilly Pride, contributing to initiatives that foster belonging, equity, and representation across the organization. He also serves as an AI subject matter contributor, with a focus on how emerging technologies can responsibly enhance productivity, decision‑making, and collaboration in highly regulated environments such as clinical research.

  Prior to joining Lilly, Alex built experience across roles supporting complex, cross‑stakeholder work, developing a pragmatic approach to delivery, change management, and operational execution. This background informs his perspective on how AI can be integrated thoughtfully into day‑to‑day work while keeping people, ethics, and outcomes at the center.

  Alex is passionate about helping organizations adopt AI in ways that are human‑centered, inclusive, and practical, and he regularly contributes to conversations on the future of work and technology‑enabled teams.

• Madalyn Stancik

  Madalyn Stancik is a Senior Associate- Clinical Development Trial Lead within Eli Lilly and Company's neuroscience department, where she oversees clinical trial management with a focus on the advancement of treatments for individuals living with psychiatric conditions. In her current role, she has embraced the integration of artificial intelligence as a transformative force in clinical development — leveraging emerging tools to streamline trial operations and develop better ways to collaborate cross-functionally.  Madalyn's work reflects a deep commitment to ensuring that the patients who need care most are never left out of the clinical process.

  Madalyn holds a Bachelor of Science in Neurobiology and Physiology from Purdue University. She began her tenure through Lilly’s internship and rotational development programs before transitioning into a role in Mobile Research and Community Engagement, where she deepened her commitment to accessible, community-centered healthcare. She established and grew Lilly's Clinical Talent Development Program internship from the ground up, serving as its inaugural Internship Chair. She has recruited for Lilly internship and fellowship programs for four years. Prior to her industry career, Madalyn served as a Certified Compounding Pharmacy Technician at a hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic — an experience that reinforced her passion for patient care under the most demanding of circumstances. 

  Beyond her professional accomplishments, Madalyn is a dedicated mentor and advocate for early-career professionals. She serves as the Academic Excellence Chapter Advisor for Phi Mu's Delta Epsilon chapter at Purdue University and is an active member of Lilly's Pride and Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly employee resource groups. She is passionate about building more diverse and accessible clinical trials and helping others discover their own professional purpose. Outside of work, Madalyn is a proud member of the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, an avid reader, and enjoys life at home with her husband Josh and their two corgis, Gouda and Brie.

Bioinformatics/Data Scientists

• Niti Vanee

  Speaker profile coming soon.

• Ruben Tovar

  Ruben U. Tovar, M.S., Ph.D., is a first-generation college graduate and Latino from San Antonio, TX. He is an Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at St. Mary’s University, where he joined the faculty in Fall 2025. He teaches courses in Anatomy and Cellular and Molecular Methods and conducts research in Evolutionary Developmental Biology (Evo-Devo), with a focus on the molecular and developmental processes underlying biodiversity.

  Tovar earned his B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies from The University of Texas at Arlington, where he engaged in diverse research experiences across biology and archaeology, including fieldwork throughout Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. His early work focused on the evolutionary relationships and behavioral traits of slug-eating snakes within a comparative phylogenetic framework.

  Tovar turned his research focus toward the endemic, cave-adapted Eurycea salamanders of central Texas. He earned his M.S. in Biology from Texas State University, where he took a comparative developmental approach to target two proteins known to play a leadership role in eye development: PAX6 and SHH. Using confocal microscopy and immunohistochemistry, he examined labeling patterns of these key developmental proteins along with proteins involved with phototransduction (Opsin and Rhodopsin) in adult salamander retinal tissue.

  He continued this work as a Dean’s Strategic Minority Fellow in the Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Ph.D. program at The University of Texas at Austin. Under the mentorship of David M. Hillis, Ph.D., and working closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) – San Marcos Aquatic Resources Center (SMARC), Tovar managed to breed and obtain a developmental series for several species. He took an integrative approach to understand how far reaching developmental convergent and parallel evolution is at the morphological, cellular and molecular levels. He uses microCT (diceCT) imaging, microscopy and RNA-sequence to analyze eye development across multiple cave-dwelling species. This work led to the identification of candidate genes involved in ocular development and degeneration.

  Following his Ph.D., Tovar completed a postdoctoral position with Dean Hendrickson, Ph.D. (Curator of Ichthyology) at UT Austin’s Biodiversity Center, initiating collaborative work on blind cavefish with Patricia Ornelas García, Ph.D. (UNAM). At St. Mary’s, he is building breeding colonies of salamanders to further explore genetic and developmental parallels between cave-adapted vertebrates and human congenital eye disorders.

  His lab welcomes motivated Master of Science (M.S.) in Medical Genomics and undergraduate students (Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Biology) to participate in all aspects of this integrative research, including fieldwork, animal husbandry, 3D imaging, confocal microscopy, geometric morphometrics and bioinformatics.

• Jeff Howard

  Jeffrey Howard is Professor of Public Health at the University of Texas at San Antonio. As a health demographer and health data scientist, his research is focused on how exposure to trauma contributes to accelerated aging and premature mortality by triggering physiological dysregulation. His research is situated within the broader Life Course Perspective and focuses on how exposure to trauma leads to accelerated aging and premature mortality. 

  His research into this process focuses on 4 distinct, but often overlapping exposure domains: (1) traumatic injury (within military and civilian settings), (2) racial/ethnic health and mortality disparities, (3) environmental and mass traumatic events (climate events and COVID-19 pandemic), and (4) substance use/misuse. Within these 4 exposure domains, he examines how these processes operate within short-term (immediate death/survival) and long-term time scales (accelerated aging, chronic disease and premature mortality).  His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense (DoD).  

Start-ups/Entrepreneurs

• Vincent Pham

  Vincent Pham is the Co-Founder and CEO of Powerhouse Therapeutics Inc, a biotechnology company developing next-generation cell-based therapies for solid tumors. He focuses on translating academic discoveries into scalable therapeutic platforms designed to overcome cancer immune evasion and treatment resistance. His work sits at the intersection of scientific innovation, venture creation, and clinical translation. 

  Beyond his role at Powerhouse Therapeutics, Vincent is active in the broader biotech ecosystem, working with founders, scientists, and investors to help bring early-stage life science technologies from the lab to the market. He is particularly interested in building new models for turning academic breakthroughs into companies capable of delivering meaningful impact for patients.

• Rafael Veraza, PhD, MPH

  Dr. Rafael J. Veraza, PhD, MPH is the CEO & President of Vascular Perfusion Solutions (VPS), a San Antonio–based MedTech company developing next-generation organ preservation technologies to expand access to life-saving transplantation. A translational scientist and entrepreneur, he leads the development of the VP.S ENCORE® platform, a portable system designed to preserve donor hearts and other organs while increasing utilization and equity in transplantation.

  Dr. Veraza joined VPS in 2017 and has held several leadership roles including Director of Translational Science and CSO/CTO before becoming CEO in 2022. Under his leadership, the company secured FDA Breakthrough Device Designation and is advancing its technology toward clinical trials.

  He holds a PhD from the Joint PhD Program in Translational Science at The University of Texas system and an MPH from Emory University. His work focuses on translating scientific innovation into practical medical technologies that expand access to transplantation.

• Brian Keiser

  Speaker profile coming soon.

• Lauren Cornell, Ph.D., M.S.

  Lauren Cornell attended Texas A&M University as a Robert C. Byrd Scholar, earning a Bachelor of Science in Genetics in 2009. She subsequently joined a research team in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford before completing a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering through the joint program at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) in 2012. Following her graduate training, she joined the United States Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR), Sensory Trauma Department, where her work focused on the development of sensory and regenerative therapeutics for wounded warriors.

  In 2015, while at USAISR, Cornell co-founded NovoThelium, a biotechnology company dedicated to advancing women’s health, with an initial focus on improving nipple reconstruction outcomes following mastectomy. In 2016, she was accepted into the Translational Science PhD program—a joint initiative of UT Austin, UTSA, and UTHSCSA - where she continued her research in sensory trauma while simultaneously advancing NovoThelium’s translational and commercialization efforts. She earned her doctorate in 2019.

  During her doctoral training, Cornell was selected for a U.S. Food and Drug Administration Fellowship, received a Military Health Young Investigator Award (Military Health System Research Symposium), and was chosen for an internationally competitive scientific communication fellowship that included direct engagement with U.S. Congressional and Senate representatives on scientific funding and policy.

  NovoThelium has received national and international recognition, placing in more than ten business plan competitions and being recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration for Women in Science Day. Cornell has been named a 40 Under 40 honoree by the San Antonio Business Journal (2026) and is the recipient of the Life Sciences Catalyst Award (2025, BIOCOM), the Aesthetics Technology Award (2025, OCTANE), and the Golden Ticket Award (2024, Allergan Aesthetics & University Lab Partners), reflecting her work at the intersection of regenerative medicine, translational science, and applied medical innovation.

  Beyond her academic and industry work, Cornell has held leadership roles in human spaceflight analog research. She served as Commander of NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) Crew 6, Mission 1, and has been selected for multiple competitive space-focused fellowships recognizing leadership, performance, and research excellence in extreme and isolated environments.

• Tarjani Shukla, Ph.D.

  Speaker profile coming soon.

Academia- Research and Administration

• Maarten Rotman, Ph.D.

  Maarten Rotman, Ph.D. is the inaugural Assistant Dean of Medical Innovation and Entrepreneurship and an Assistant Professor of Medical Education at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin. He leads the design of longitudinal innovation curricula and learner pathways in medical translational science and supports the Texas Health Catalyst Roundup and Rodeo, a major event at Dell Med that connects clinical innovators, researchers, and industry.

  Dr. Rotman’s career has followed an intentionally nonlinear path. He trained in biotechnology, disease biology, neuroscience, Alzheimer’s disease, and glioblastoma research before moving into research innovation and educational program development. At a prior role at the Mayo Clinic, he created and taught Lean Startup Methodology for Life Sciences and co-designed the new academic field of rank of Clinical and Translational Science and served as its first Assistant Professor in that field.

  At Dell Med, he now builds programs that integrate innovation training across the educational pipeline and supports efforts that strengthen global translational science ecosystems. He also co-founded the NSF funded CONNECT network, which expands entrepreneurial training in undergraduate biology and is involved with a startup company that changes the way we obtain and validate stem cells for research and clinical purposes. Dr. Rotman remains an active mentor, speaker, and advocate for healthcare innovation.

• Uday Pratap, Ph.D.

  Uday Pratap, Ph.D. is currently a faculty member in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He earned his Doctorate in Biotechnology (Neuroimmunology) from SRM University in Chennai, India, in 2017. Pratap then advanced his expertise through a postdoctoral fellowship at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UT Health San Antonio, in neuroendocrinology, and drug discovery and development.

  Pratap’s current research involves developing and optimizing small molecules that target novel oncogenes, aiming to translate these discoveries into potential therapeutic options. Pratap’s research involves developing and utilizing preclinical cancer models—including patient-derived xenografts and organoids- to investigate the mechanism of novel drugs' actions. His research aims to bridge the gap between laboratory discoveries and clinical applications in brain, liver, and gynecological cancers.

  He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and is the recipient of multiple national and international awards, including AACR Scholar-in-Training and Minor Faculty Scholar awards. In addition to his research, Pratap is actively involved in teaching, mentoring trainees at all levels, and serving on editorial boards and national grant review panels. 

   

• Chris Rathbone

  Speaker profile coming soon.

Academia- Teaching

• Alisa Isaac, Ph.D.

  Speaker profile coming soon.

• Lindsey Barron

  Speaker profile coming soon.

• Terry Shackelford, Ph.D.

  Speaker profile coming soon.

• Maria Gonzalez Porras, Ph.D.

  Maria Gonzalez Porras, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering at The University of Texas at San Antonio. She holds a PhD in Physiology and Biomedical Engineering from the Mayo Clinic and was an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow at UTSA. 

  Gonzalez Porras's research integrates cutting-edge bioengineering techniques with a deep understanding of adipose tissue cells metabolism. Her team combines physiology, cell biology, and bioengineering to enhance our understanding of fat cells metabolism and the microenvironmental conditions that contribute to metabolic dysfunctions in obesity, cancer and wound healing. As an early-career investigator, her long-term goal is to develop engineering tools that modulate adipose tissue pathophysiological processes in several applications. Since becoming an Assistant Professor, Gonzalez Porras has received several prestigious awards, including the Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) Young Innovators Award, the Voelcker Fund Early Career Award and the Mays Cancer Center Early Career Award. She is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), the American Physiological Society (APS) and the American Society for Matrix Biology (ASMB). Her contributions to the field are demonstrated through multiple publications and patent disclosures.

Science Communication and Outreach

• Monika Macdonald

  Speaker profile coming soon.

• Vanessa Young, M.S.

  Vanessa Young, M.S., is a PhD candidate in Translational Science (Data Science Track) at UT Health San Antonio and a Clinical Research Project Manager at the Glenn Biggs Institute. Since 2021, she has served as Faculty Associate at Arizona State University, where she teaches undergraduate psychology and statistics courses in the online psychology program. She is also the Communications Chair for the Alzheimer’s Association Technology & Dementia Professional Interest Area, leading strategic communication initiatives to ensure emerging research is accessible, trustworthy, and impactful for diverse communities. Trained in psychology, her work focuses on translating complex biomedical research into accessible, evidence-informed communication. 

  From 2020–2023, she served as a scientific writer and collaborator with Cochrane Rehabilitation Group, contributing to systematic reviews commissioned by the World Health Organization and developing plain-language summaries to broaden the reach of global health evidence. Through this work, she developed expertise in evidence synthesis, knowledge translation, and dissemination. Over the past several years, she has delivered numerous outreach presentations on dementia, sleep, and healthy brain aging across South Texas and implemented culturally responsive engagement strategies to foster trust and participation among Hispanic/Latinx older adults in longitudinal research.

Commercialization and Tech Transfer

• Julie Hoke

  Speaker profile coming soon.

Medical and Clinical Affairs

• Saif Nirzhor, Ph.D.

  Saif Nirzhor, Ph.D. is a data-driven oncology specialist combining academic rigor with clinical strategy. He holds a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from UT Health San Antonio and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Neuro-oncology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. As a Medical Science Liaison, he integrates clinical oncology with bioinformatics to drive the adoption of AI-powered precision medicine. He brings over 13 years of oncology experience spanning preclinical and clinical research to his role in medical affairs, managing comprehensive field medical activities and territory strategy. He leverages this unique trajectory to unite scientific innovation with clinical utility, using real-world evidence to translate molecular insights into impactful patient outcomes.

• Kat (Passlack) Guillen

  Speaker profile coming soon.

• Jason Mendoza

  Speaker profile coming soon.

Military

• Athena Farias

  Athena Farias is a Research Exercise Physiologist, Certified Personal Trainer, Performance and Corrective Exercise Specialist, Run Coach, and Menopause for Athletes Coach. She currently serves as the multi-site lead on a large federally funded study focused on improving return-to-duty decision-making following musculoskeletal injury, developing validated predictive models that integrate physical, biological, psychological, and environmental factors.

  Much of her career has been spent in clinical research settings, translating research into practical programs and helping improve standards of care in rehabilitation. Outside of research, Athena coaches endurance athletes from 5K to ultramarathons, many of whom are pursuing personal records, navigating perimenopause, rebuilding after injury, or training for lifelong strength. She also mentors with Game Changer, supporting the development of women of color coaches in the running industry and advocating for representation, leadership, and access.

  Athena combines her passion for running with her research career—developing performance systems during the day and coaching athletes by night.

• Margaux Salas

  Speaker profile coming soon.

Regulatory Affairs

• Noor Obadi, MD, PhD

  Noor Obaidi, MD, PhD serves as Senior Vice President of Regulatory and Scientific Affairs at The Metis Foundation. In this role, she provides executive oversight of both pre-award and post-award research administration, including strategic program development, proposal development, grant negotiations, compliance oversight, and full lifecycle award management. She leads the development of new research initiatives and drives institutional strategy across medical, scientific, and regulatory domains, ensuring alignment with federal, DoD, and industry sponsor requirements.

  Obaidi has successfully developed and implemented organizational strategies that strengthen Metis’ research infrastructure, enhance regulatory compliance, and expand extramural funding portfolios. She oversees grant submission processes, budget development, contract execution, and post-award performance monitoring to ensure operational excellence and fiscal stewardship.

  Prior to joining The Metis Foundation, Obaidi earned her medical degree from the Baghdad School of Medicine in 2009 and completed clinical training under the Royal Jordanian Ministry of Health before transitioning into a career in basic and translational research. In 2022, she completed her PhD in Translational Science at The University of Texas Health Science Center.

  In addition to her executive leadership responsibilities, Obaidi remains actively engaged in research as a Clinical Research Scientist, with a primary focus on wound healing and improving outcomes in acute burn and complex wound care. She oversees clinical research operations, including study design, regulatory coordination, data analysis, manuscript preparation, and grant writing.

  Outside of her professional work, Obaidi studies fine art with a focus on impressionism. She practices yoga regularly and enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.