JOIN US
WEDNESDAY, MAY 7th
5 PM - 11 PM | Outer Bar
Informal meet-up for Convergence attendees
Patrons may purchase drinks and light fare from the Outer Bar menu
THURSDAY, MAY 8th
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM | Pavilion Reception
Registration and Information Desk Open
8:30 AM - 9:45 AM | Private Dining Room
Meet the Fellows Breakfast
8:30 AM - 9:45AM | Garden Terrace
Networking Breakfast
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM | Mainstage Room (Pavilion Ballroom)
Welcome and Introductions
10:30 AM - 11:15 AM | Mainstage Room (Pavilion Ballroom)
Mainstage Session: The View from DC
Speakers:
Richard Burr, former Senator North Carolina; Chair, Health Policy Strategic Consulting practice, DLA Piper
Tom DiLenge, Senior Partner, Flagship Pioneering
Moderator:
John Stanford, Executive Director, Incubate Coalition
11:15 AM - 11:45 AM
Networking Break
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM | Breakouts, Round 1
A. Obesity and Cardiometabolic Treatments Beyond GLPs
Location: 28 Atlantic: Private Dining Room
Speakers:
Dawn Bell, PharmD, CEO, Board Director, Antlia Bioscience
Rahul Dhanda, Co-Founder, President & CEO, Syntis Bio
Uli Stilz, PhD, Head, Bio Innovation Hub, Novo Nordisk
Moderator:
Steve Dickman, CEO, CBT Advisors
B. Hot Button Issues in China, the UK, and the EU
Location: 28 Atlantic: Main Dining Room
Speakers:
Irene Hong, Founding Partner, CEC Capital Group
Karin Kleinhans, PhD, Partner, MRL Ventures Fund
Justine Levin-Allerhand, PhD, Executive Partner, Origination and Corporate Development, Flagship Pioneering
Moderator:
Marian Nakada, PhD, VP of Venture Investments, Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC
C. Venture Dynamics
Location: Mainstage Room (Pavilion Ballroom)
Speakers:
Julia Moore, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Breakout Ventures
Kiran Reddy, MD, Managing Director, Blackstone Life Sciences
Dave Reshef, MD, PhD, Venture Partner, GV
Jason Rhodes, Partner, Atlas Venture
Moderator:
Andrew Gilbert, Partner, DLA Piper
12:45 PM - 2:00 PM | Garden Terrace
Lunch
12:45 PM - 2:00 PM | Harbor Room
Lunch Discussion: Women’s Health Investment – Why Now?
Speakers:
Elizabeth Bailey, Managing Partner, Foreground Capital
Marissa Fayer, CEO, DeepLook Medical; CEO, HERhealthEQ
Pita Navarro, PhD, Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer, Evvy
Liz Powell, Esq., MPH, Founder, Women’s Health Advocates; former Legislative Director in U.S. Congress
Moderator:
Ryan Brady, Head of Global Discovery Business Development, Evotec
2:15 PM - 3:15 PM | Breakouts, Round 2
A. Running a Successful Clinical Trial in 2025
Location: 28 Atlantic: Private Dining Room
Speakers:
Amit Khera, MD, Vice President, Genomic Medicine, Verve Therapeutics
Alison Schecter, MD, SVP, Clinical Development, Mineralys Therapeutics
Moderator:
Juliane Mills, Executive Director, Therapeutic Strategy for Rare Disease & RWE, Worldwide Clinical Trials
B. DC Funding & Policy Shifts with the New Administration
Location: 28 Atlantic: Main Dining Room
Speakers:
Pat Gallagher, Managing Partner, Laidlaw Partners; CEO, Voltron Therapeutics
Nada Hanafi, MPH, MSc, Co-Founder, MedTech Color and Medtech Strategy Advisors; former FDA Senior Science Health Advisor
Liz Powell, Esq., MPH, Founder & CEO, G2G Consulting; former Legislative Director in U.S. Congress
Reginald Swift, Founder & CEO, Rubix LS
Moderator:
Ashlyn Roberts, Vice President of Government Affairs, National Venture Capital Association
C. "Breaking the Brain": Navigating the Breakthroughs, Setbacks, and Opportunities in Neurodegeneration, Neuropsycholology, and Mental Health
Location: Mainstage Room (Pavilion Ballroom)
Speakers:
Michael Chen, PhD, Co-Founder and CSO, Seaport Therapeutics
Fiona Elwood, PhD, VP, Disease Area Stronghold Lead, Neurodegeneration, Johnson & Johnson
Ben Neale, PhD, Core Institute Member; Co-director, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute
Stacie Weninger, PhD, President, FBRI and Venture Partner at F-Prime
Moderator:
Delia Silva, PhD, Managing Director, L.E.K. Consulting
3:15 PM - 3:45 PM
Networking Break
3:45 PM - 4:30 PM | Mainstage Room (Pavilion Ballroom)
Mainstage Session: Academic Research and R&D: New Directions
Speakers:
Paul Biondi, Managing Partner, Flagship Pioneering
Grant Murphy, PhD, PRO Chair, Protein Therapeutics, Arena BioWorks
Sarah Sheikh, BM BCh, Head, Global Development; Senior Vice President, Neuroscience, Takeda
Moderator:
Michael Gilman, PhD, CEO, Arrakis Therapeutics
4:45 PM - 5:45 PM | Wequassett Dock
Harbor Cruise
Sign-up at Convergence registration desk.
4:45 PM - 6:15 PM | Tennis Courts
Pickleball on the courts
Sign-up at Convergence registration desk.
4:45 PM - 6:15 PM | 28 Atlantic: Private Dining Room
Sushi Rolling
Sign-up at Convergence registration desk.
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM | Outer Bar
Wine Tasting Reception
Sponsored by Worldwide Clinical Trials
Sign-up at Convergence registration desk.
Introduction:
Juliane Mills, Executive Director, Therapeutic Strategy for Rare Disease & RWE, Worldwide Clinical Trials
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM | Cape Cod National Golf Club
Golf Workshop
Sign-up at Convergence registration desk.
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM | Garden Terrace
Dinner
9:00 PM - 11:00 PM | Garden Terrace Bar & Promenade Firepits
Post Dinner informal meet-up. Cash Bar will be available.
FRIDAY, MAY 9th
7:30 AM - 3:00 PM | Pavilion Reception
Registration and Information Desk Open
7:30 AM - 8:45 AM | Private Dining Room (Breakfast Discussion)
Off the Record Discussion: What Does Biopharma Industry Leadership Look Like Under the Current Administration?
Speakers:
Jen Asher, PhD, Founder & CEO, 1910 Genetics
Mark Leuchtenberger, Chief Executive Officer, SpyBiotech Ltd.
Ashlyn Roberts, Vice President of Government Affairs, National Venture Capital Association
Moderator:
Michal Preminger, PhD, Board of Directors, MassBio
7:30 AM - 8:45AM | Garden Terrace
Networking Breakfast
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM | Mainstage Room (Pavilion Ballroom)
Mainstage Session: Getting Breakthrough Science into the Market
Speakers:
Sangeeta Bhatia, MD, PhD, Professor, Director Marble Center for Cancer Nanomedicine, MIT
Sam Kulkarni, PhD, CEO, CRISPR Therapeutics
Paula Ragan, PhD, CEO, X4 Pharmaceuticals
Moderator:
Ann DeWitt, PhD, General Partner, Engine Ventures
9:45 AM - 10:15 AM | Fireplace Room
Networking Break
10:15 AM - 11:15 AM | Breakouts, Round 3
A. Partnering in 2025
Location: 28 Atlantic: Private Dining Room
Speakers:
Liz Leveille, VP, Business Dev. & Licensing, Head, Boston & European Innovation Hubs & Discovery Transactions, Merck
Phil McGurk, PhD, SVP, Head of Corporate Development, Takeda
Lesley Stolz, PhD, Head West North America External Scientific Innovation, Johnson & Johnson Innovation
Moderator:
Rosemary Reilly, Partner, WilmerHale
B. C-Suite Only: Let's Discuss Your Issues
Location: Harbor Room
Speakers:
Jen Asher, PhD, Founder & CEO, 1910 Genetics
Rosana Kapeller, MD, PhD, CEO, President, Co-Founder, ROME Therapeutics
Vanessa King, PhD, CEO, King Bioventures
Moderator:
Jodie Morrison, Venture Partner, Atlas Venture
C. In the Lab: Micro and Nano Technologies to Address Major Challenges in Medicine
Location: Mainstage Room (Pavilion Ballroom)
Speaker:
Sangeeta Bhatia, MD, PhD, Professor, Director Marble Center for Cancer Nanomedicine, MIT
Moderator:
Sheila Gwidzak, Vice President, Head of Consulting, Halloran Consulting Group
11:15 AM - 11:30 AM | Fireplace Room
Networking Break
11:30 AM - 12:15 PM | Mainstage Room (Pavilion Ballroom)
Mainstage Session: From Stealth to $1.4B M&A: Aliada’s Acquisition and the Future of CNS Drug Delivery
Speakers:
Josh Resnick, MD, Partner, RA Capital Management
Steve Sweeney, former President and COO, Aliada Therapeutics; EIR, Atlas Venture
Moderator:
Marian Nakada, PhD, VP of Venture Investments, Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC
12:15 PM - 1:30 PM | Garden Terrace
Lunch
12:15 PM - 1:30 PM | Harbor Room
Lunch Discussion: The Future of Aging: Executing on Biopharma's Vision for Extended Lifespan and Healthspan
Speakers:
David Barzilai, MD, PhD, Founder & CEO, Longevity Physician
Jens Eckstein, PhD, Investment Partner, Hevolution
Kristen Fortney, PhD, CEO, BioAge
Joan Mannick, MD, Co-Founder and CEO, Tornado Therapeutics
Moderator:
Ramani Varanasi, Managing Director, ReVive Advisors
1:45 PM - 2:30 PM | Mainstage Room (Pavilion Ballroom)
Mainstage Session: View from the Healthcare C-Suite
Speaker:
Kevin Churchwell, MD, President/CEO, Boston Children’s Hospital
Moderator:
Alison Taunton-Rigby OBE, PhD, Independent Director, CEO, and Entrepreneur, Life Science & Healthcare Organizations
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM | 28 Atlantic: Private Dining Room
Post-Event Conclave: Key Next Steps for the Ecosystem (and Feedback on Convergence)
Moderator:
Scott Kirsner, Advisory Board Member, Convergence Forum
3:15 PM - 4:15 PM | Thoreau’s Tavern
Meet-Up for Post Conference Conversations
*Agenda subject to change