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
Breakfast Discussion
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: Private Dining Room
Speakers:
Dawn Bell, PharmD, CEO, Board Director, Antlia Bioscience
Rahul Dhanda, Co-Founder, President & CEO, Syntis Bio
Moderator:
Steve Dickman, CEO, CBT Advisors
B. Hot Button Issues in China, the UK, and the EU
Location: Harbor 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
C. Venture Dynamics
Location: Mainstage Room (Pavilion Ballroom)
Speakers:
Julia Moore, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Breakout Ventures
Dave Reshef, MD, PhD, Venture Partner, GV
Jason Rhodes, Partner, Atlas Venture
Moderator:
Andrew Gilbert, Partner, DLA Piper
12:45 PM - 2:00 PM | Twenty-eight Atlantic
Lunch
12:45 PM - 2:00 PM | Garden Terrace
Lunch Discussion: Women’s Health Investment – Why Now?
Speakers:
Elizabeth Bailey, Managing Partner, Foreground Capital
Marissa Fayer, CEO, DeepLook Medical; CEO, HERhealthEQ
Pita Navarro, Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer, Envy
Liz Powell, 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: Private Dining Room
Speakers:
Amit Khera, MD, Vice President, Genomic Medicine, Verve Therapeutics
Osama Rahma, MD, VP, Global Clinical Strategy Head, GI Oncology, Astrazeneca
Alison Schecter, MD, SVP, Clinical Development, Mineralys Therapeutics, Inc.
Moderator:
Peter Benton, CEO, Worldwide Clinical Trials
B. DC Funding & Policy Shifts with the New Administration
Location: Harbor Room
Speakers:
Pat Gallagher, Managing Partner, Laidlaw Partners; CEO, Voltron Therapeutics
Elizabeth Garner, MD, CEO, Sena Therapeutics; Immediate Past President, American Medical Women’s Association; former CSO, Ferring Pharmaceuticals
Nada Hanafi, Co-Founder, MedTech Color and Medtech Strategy Advisors; former Senior Science Advisor for FDA
Moderator:
Liz Powell, Founder, Women’s Health Advocates; former Legislative Director in U.S. Congress
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, The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson
Ben Neale, PhD, Core Institute Member; Co-director, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute
Staci Weninger, PhD, Executive Director, F-Prime Biomedical Research Initiative
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:
Natalie Artzi, PhD, Associate Professor, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Paul Biondi, Managing Partner, Flagship Pioneering
Grant Murphy, PhD, PRO Chair, Protein Therapeutics, Arena BioWorks
Andy Plump, MD, PhD, President, Research & Development, 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 | Sea Glass Cottage/Children’s Center
TBD
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:
Peter Benton, President & co-CEO, Worldwide CRO
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?
Speaker:
Ashlyn Roberts, Vice President of Government Affairs, National Venture Capital Association
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
9:45 AM - 10:15 AM | Fireplace Room
Networking Break
10:15 AM - 11:15 AM | | Breakouts, Round 3
A. Partnering in 2025
Location: 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, Vice President, Early Innovation Partnering, 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
Vanessa King, PhD, Board Member, AZAFAROS B.V.
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 Gwidzek, 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, President and Chief Operating Officer, Aliada Therapeutics (acquired by Abbvie)
Moderator:
Marian Nakada, PhD, VP of Venture Investments, Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC
12:15 PM - 1:30 PM | Twenty-eight Atlantic
Lunch
12:15 PM - 1:30 PM | Garden Terrace
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: Inside the World of Hospitals + Insurers
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 | Overlook Terrace
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