Keynote Session

Acting Director
Health Science Futures Office
Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)

"Funding Opportunities and Partnerships with ARPA-H"

Bio: Dr. Tyler Best joined ARPA-H in October 2022 from the National Institutes of Health, where he was a Program Officer in the Office of the Director. He is a distinguished neurotechnologist specializing in the development and management of high-reward scientific initiatives. With a rich background in both scientific research and program management, Best excels at identifying, clarifying, and implementing innovative solutions across government, industry, and academic sectors. His expertise spans peripheral nerve interfaces, neuronal biophysics, and various facets of molecular and cellular biology. Best’s career includes significant contributions as a Booz Allen Hamilton associate, where he supported the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). He earned a PhD in neuroscience from the Uniformed Services University and conducted postdoctoral work at Northwestern University and Urogenix Inc.

Chief Scientific Officer
Johnson & Johnson MedTech

"Future of Surgery"
Over the past four decades, there have been major transformations in how surgery is performed – from the advancements with laparoscopy in late ‘80s and early ‘90s through the introduction of robotics at the turn of the century.  Today, new innovations in AI and the digital surgical ecosystem will chart the path for the next evolution of surgery.

Johnson & Johnson MedTech Chief Scientific Officer Peter Schulam, MD, PhD, will present on the progression of surgical innovation through the lens of his own professional journey – from his three decades as a clinician and academic integrating and guiding novel technology and medical device design through his current role in industry, where he leads a team driving the next phase of surgery innovation.  He can attest to the importance of academia and industry working hand-in-hand to drive advancement in medical technology and ultimately improve outcomes for patients.

Bio: Peter G. Schulam, M.D., Ph.D., is the Chief Scientific Officer, Johnson & Johnson MedTech. In this role, Peter works across the J&J MedTech, medical, and scientific communities to develop real-world policies, practices and technologies that improve outcomes for patients. Additionally, Peter leads the Global MedTech Regulatory Affairs organization and serves as co-chair of the Johnson & Johnson Data Science Council (JJDSC).

Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Peter served as Chair of the Department of Urology at Yale School of Medicine and Chief of the Department of Urology at Yale New Haven Hospital. During this time, he was a professor of both urology and surgery and nationally recognized as a clinician for his expertise in minimally invasive surgery, robotics and telesurgery. He served as Interim Director of Yale Cancer Center and Physician-in-Chief of Smilow Cancer Hospital from September 2015 through December 2016. Peter co-founded the Yale University Center for Biomedical and Interventional Technology, an interdisciplinary initiative to foster greater innovation in medical technology by catalyzing medical device innovation, improving clinical efficiency and efficacy, and lowering healthcare costs. In June 2018, he was named Chief Innovation and Transformation Officer at Yale New Haven Health System.

Prior to joining Yale, Peter was the Henry E. Singleton Professor of Urology at the Ronald Reagan Medical Center at University of California, Los Angeles, where he served as Vice Chair of Urology, Chief of the Division of Endourology and Minimally Invasive Surgery, and Director of the Surgical Living Kidney Donor program. Peter was a recipient of the Medical Scientist Training Program Award and received his Medical Degree, as well as his Ph.D., in Immunology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He completed his urology residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Having received more than $17 million in grants throughout his career, Peter is known for his research. He holds multiple patents, has more than 90 peer-reviewed publications, contributed chapters to 14 books and has presented and lectured at more than 150 medical meetings around the world.

Director, Earl E. Bakken Medical Devices Center; Bakken Professorship for Engineering in Medicine; Endowed Lions Professorship in Otolaryngology; Institute for Translational Neuroscience Scholar; Co-Director, Center for Neural Engineering; Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Otolaryngology

University of Minnesota