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2024 AGENDA*
WEDNESDAY, MAY 8th
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 9th
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: Flipping Hate to Inspiration -
Reversing the Public Antipathy at the Root of Anti-Innovation Policy
Speaker:
Peter Kolchinsky, PhD, Founder and Managing Partner, RA Capital Management
Moderator:
Anna Protopapas, Board of Directors, Mersana Therapeutics
11:15 AM - 11:45 AM
Networking Break
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM | Breakouts, Round 1
A. The Changing Hospital Landscape
Location: Private Dining Room
Speakers:
Joe Colaiano, Associate Chief Legal Officer, Mayo Clinic
Allen Smith, MD, President & CEO, South Shore Health
Moderator:
Larry Vernaglia, Partner, Foley and Lardner LLP
B. Office Hours with Sec. Yvonne Hao: How Do We Keep Building on Massachusetts' Life Sciences Strengths?
Location: Harbor Room
Speaker:
Yvonne Hao, Secretary of Economic Development, Commonwealth of Massachusetts; former CFO & COO, PillPack
Moderator:
Rob Weisman, Reporter, The Boston Globe
C. VC/PE in 2024: How We're Supporting Portfolio Companies, and Where We're Investing
Location: Mainstage Room (Pavilion Ballroom)
Christine Brennan, PhD, Managing Director, Vertex Venture HC
Steve Kafka, PhD, General Partner, Section 32
Amir Nashat, PhD, Executive Partner, Polaris Partners
Kiran Reddy, Senior Managing Director, Blackstone Life Sciences
Moderator:
Michael Gilman, PhD, CEO, Arrakis Therapeutics
12:45 PM - 2:00 PM | Garden Terrace
Lunch
12:45 PM - 2:00 PM | Twenty-eight Atlantic
Lunch Discussion
From Preclinical to Commercialization: Overcoming Common Obstacles along the Development Roadmap
Speakers:
Jessica Ballinger, President & CEO, Lyndra
Pushkal Garg, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Gilmore O’Neill, MD, President and CEO, Editas
Moderator:
Katie McCarthy, Chief Innovation Officer, Halloran Consulting Group
2:15 PM - 3:00 PM | Mainstage Room (Pavilion Ballroom)
Mainstage Session: Genome Editing for Transplants: What We've Achieved and What Happens Next
Speaker:
George Church, PhD, Co-Founder, eGenesis; Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School
Moderator:
David Ewing Duncan, Contributor, Vanity Fair, Wired
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Networking Break
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM | Breakouts, Round 2
A. Quantum Computing: Mapping Out the Potential in Life Sciences
Location: Private Dining Room
Speaker:
Shahar Keinan, PhD, CEO and co-founder, POLARISqb
Riccardo Sabatini, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Orionis Biosciences
Woody Sherman, PhD, Chief Innovation Officer, Psivant Therapeutics
Moderator:
Larissa Bifano, Partner, DLA Piper
B. Shaping Your Story — for Internal and External Audiences
Location: Harbor Room
Speakers:
Abe Ceesay, CEO, Rapport Therapeutics
Cynthia Clayton, Vice President, Communications & Investor Relations, Third Rock Ventures
Anne Mostue, Anchor and Reporter, Bloomberg LP
C. New Pressures for Clinical Trials
Location: Mainstage Room (Pavilion Ballroom)
Speakers:
Julianne Bruno, SVP and Head of Programs & Portfolio Management, CRISPR Therapeutics
Pushkal Garg, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Ramita Tandon, Chief Clinical Trials Officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance
Moderator:
Ivana Magovcevic-Liebisch, PhD, CEO and President, Vigil Neuroscience
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
Chocolates Around the World & Truffle Making
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 10th
7:30 AM - 3:00 PM | Pavilion Reception
Registration and Information Desk Open
7:30 AM - 8:45 AM | Private Dining Room
Breakfast Discussion: What Happens When Strategic Options Run Out?
Speaker:
Jodie Morrison, CEO and Board Member, Q32Bio
Rosemary Reilly, Partner, WilmerHale
Moderator:
Marian Nakada, PhD, Vice President, Venture Investments JJDC, Johnson & Johnson
7:30 AM - 8:45AM | Garden Terrace
Networking Breakfast
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM | Mainstage Room (Pavilion Ballroom)
Mainstage Session: The Latest from the Labs
Speaker:
Donald Ingber, Md, PhD, Founding Director, Wyss Institute
Jeff Karp, PhD, Author and Distinguished Professor of Anesthesia, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Fiona Marshall, PhD, President, Biomedical Research, Novartis
Moderator:
Katrine Bosley, Founding CEO, DaCapo Brainscience and Manta Medicines
9:45 AM - 10:15 AM | Fireplace Room
Networking Break
10:15 AM - 11:15 AM | | Breakouts, Round 3
A. Reversing the Public Antipathy at the Root of Anti-Innovation Policy
Location: Private Dining Room
Speaker:
Peter Kolchinsky, PhD, Founder and Managing Partner, RA Capital Management
B. C-Suite Coaching Session (Just for C-Level Leaders and Convergence Fellows)
Location: Harbor Room
Speakers:
Abe Cessey, CEO, Rapport Therapeutics
Jeb Keiper, CEO, Nimbus Therapeutics
Jigar Raythatha, Partner, Third Rock Ventures
Moderator:
Rosana Kapeller, MD, PhD, President and CEO, ROME Therapeutics
C. Life Ignition Tools: Firing Up Your Innovation Potential
Location: Mainstage Room (Pavilion Ballroom)
Speaker:
Jeff Karp, PhD, Author and Distinguished Professor of Anesthesia, Brigham and Women's Hospital
11:15 AM - 11:30 AM | Fireplace Room
Networking Break
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM | Mainstage Room (Pavilion Ballroom)
Mainstage Session: DC & The Industry: Looking Ahead
Speaker:
Jake Auchincloss, U.S. Representative, U.S. Congress
Moderator:
John Stanford, Executive Director, Incubate
12:30 PM - 1:45 PM | Garden Terrace
Lunch
12:30 PM - 1:45 PM | Twenty-eight Atlantic
Lunch Discussion: Where Will AI Make the Biggest Impact This Year..and in the Future? What Should Your Organization Be Doing?
Speaker:
Colin Hill, CEO, Aitia
Jean-Frederic Petit-Nivard, Chief Commercial Officer, Owkin
Robert Plenge, MD, PhD, Executive Vice President, Chief Research Officer, Head of Research, Bristol Myers Squibb
Moderator:
Ryan Brady, Head of Global Discovery Business Development, Evotec
1:45 PM - 2:45 PM | Mainstage Room (Pavilion Ballroom)
Mainstage Session: Understanding the Funding Strategy of Foundations
Speakers:
Katie Ellias, PhD, Managing Director, JRDF T1D Fund
John Higgins, Managing Director, Brain Tumor Investment Fund
Alice Pomponio, Managing Director, BrightEdge - American Cancer Society
Anna Turetsky, PhD, Principal, Venture Investments, The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research
Meg Wood, Managing Director, New York Blood Center Ventures
Moderator:
Stephanie Oestreich, PhD, Managing Director, Myeloma Investment Fund
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM | Overlook Terrace
Feedback and Ideas for Convergence 2025!
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM | Thoreau’s Tavern
Meet-Up for Post Conference Conversations
*Agenda Subject to Change