A Trusted Global Community
Sharing Ideas, Discoveries, Breakthroughs, and Passions

What We Are

TEDMED is the independent health and medicine edition of the TED conference, dedicated to “ideas worth spreading”.

TEDMED is a 501(c)(3) Public Charity wholly owned by The TEDMED Foundation


What We Do

TEDMED bridges the gap between science and the public by sharing stories that inform, inspire, engage and provoke action both inside and outside of health and medicine. TEDMED values inclusive, multi-disciplinary collaboration to fulfill its mission to catalyze a healthier world.

Year-round, TEDMED engages a community of dedicated change-makers in dynamic TEDMED Conversations through digital media, TEDMED Talks and a variety of programmatic efforts leveraging dynamic partnerships.

TEDMED seeks to support the biomedical community by sharing stories that represent

  • Transformative Science
  • Current Issues
  • New Ideas & Thinking
  • New Questions
across Health and Medicine.

Topics are selected based on

  • groundbreaking research and emerging thinking
  • significant and underexposed issues
  • subjects that are top of mind in science and medicine

TEDMED values multi-disciplinary collaboration that will move the bigger conversation forward faster.

FOUNDERS & PATRONS

Dorothy J. Bahna

Ralph M. Bahna
(1942-2014)

Ian and Nancy Ashken

Mark Brodsky

Jay and Elleen Walker

Ricardo "Ric" Elias

Jon and Suzanne Ellenthal

Ford Franklin Farabow, Jr.
(1938-2016)

Daniel S. Feldstein

Tan Sri Kok Thay "KT" Lim

Richard Merkin, MD
 

Joann M. Neth

Harry Peden, III

Nancy Peretsman

Jose and Patricia Suarez
 

Jeff C. Tarr, Sr.

Creating The Stage
Program

TEDMED’s editorial process is guided by five core values. Each year, TEDMED considers thousands of potential speakers and performers for our stage – and selects a few dozen to be featured at our annual event.
 

Our Core Values

Curatorial decisions about our stage program are driven by TEDMED’s commitment to five core values: 

Scientific Rigor and Significance

TEDMED seeks to shape the biomedical community by selecting people who are qualified to discuss or represent important cutting-edge science, current issues and game-changing ideas across health and medicine. Guided by a distinguished, independent Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) of leading physicians, scientists, researchers, public health experts, academics, journalists, philanthropists, technologists, designers, performers and communicators, TEDMED selects speakers to address high-priority topics. These topics are chosen based on groundbreaking research, significant and underexposed issues, new discoveries and new thinking.

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Multi-disciplinary, “Horizontal” Focus

TEDMED believes valuable insights that contribute to breakthroughs often come from fields outside of a particular medical specialty – and even from outside of health and medicine. Accordingly, TEDMED is committed to an inclusive, radically multi-disciplinary approach to health and medicine that breaks down the silos of traditional specialties and considers viewpoints from a multiplicity of fields. TEDMED’s “horizontal” thinking reaches beyond health and medicine to government, technology, business, journalism, philanthropy, entertainment, design and the arts. Our multi-disciplinary philosophy is reflected in the makeup of our global community, in our speaker/performer roster and in our selection of topics for the stage program.

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Broad Accessibility

TEDMED believes the most critical issues in health and medicine require the best thinking from all of us. That’s why TEDMED believes it is not only possible, it is urgently necessary to bridge the gap between biomedical science and the general public on the great issues that impact the wellbeing of our planet’s seven billion people.

In creating our annual stage program, TEDMED seeks to engage thought leaders in health and medicine with cutting-edge research, while addressing the educated public by making these rigorous topics accessible to non-scientists who are passionate about health and medicine. Our key strategy to accomplish this is to help our speakers find and share stories that inform, inspire, engage and provoke action across our global community.

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A Mission to Accelerate Change

TEDMED recognizes that scientific ideas change from decade to decade, and even from day to day. Intellectual evolution is the hallmark of science. TEDMED believes that the more responsibly and imaginatively we can challenge today’s medical thinking, the faster we can create a healthier world. Our speakers are selected in part because of their personal, demonstrated commitment to living these values, to embracing the TEDMED mission of catalyzing a healthier world, and to accelerating new thinking that can spur revolutionary approaches to improving health and medicine for all.

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Openness and Transparency

In designing the annual stage program, TEDMED is dedicated to openness, transparency and responsibility. We accept speaker nominations and encourage topic suggestions from any and every member of the global community.

TEDMED’s process for creating our program themes and topics, as well as our rigorous process for speaker selection, leverages the insights and wisdom of a distinguished and independent Editorial Advisory Board. The Board’s members and selection criteria are public. Our Editorial Advisory Board consists of leading thinkers and doers from health and medicine, business and technology, foundations and academia, philanthropy and design, and journalism and communications.

The mission of the Board is to assist TEDMED in selecting appropriate themes and topics and to review nominated speakers, ensuring that their qualifications and topics meet the highest standards for scientific relevance. This mission is governed by TEDMED’s Code of Ethics.

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Our Code of Ethics 

Vision

TEDMED is a multi-disciplinary community that brings together leading thinkers and doers from all walks of life to explore important issues, ideas and cutting-edge biomedical science to benefit both professionals in health and medicine and the general public. We strive for objectivity and neutrality toward political, religious and economic interests. Like Sesame Street, NPR, PBS and public libraries, TEDMED aspires to be part of the fabric of global civic society.

Editorial Independence

The integrity and credibility of our stage program is founded on academic-level rigor in selecting themes, topics, angles and speakers, as well as on editorial independence, which ensures that content is unaffected by advertising or commercial considerations.

Personal or business interests that conflict with TEDMED’s vision and integrity, whether in appearance or in reality, undermine our credibility. Under no circumstance are speaker and topic selection skewed toward personal gain, to help TEDMED’s bottom line or to please funders and sponsors.

Decisions about subject matter and how it will be covered is made by TEDMED exclusively, with input from the Editorial Advisory Board.

Impartiality

TEDMED strives to produce and present stories on its stage, its website and other channels that transcend biases and treat all evidence-based scientific views fairly. We challenge our own perspectives and pursue inclusion of a diverse range of viewpoints. We consistently aim to present the facts and science as completely as possible within the context of material intended to serve the scientific community and the general public simultaneously.

Diversity

TEDMED's talks and performances are composed of diverse voices that reflect the health and medicine community and divergent views that contribute to informed debate.

Transparency

TEDMED and its Editorial Advisory Board are strongly committed to ensuring the transparency of our editorial process. To that end, we make each of the steps of our general curatorial process (such as the selection of priority topics and speakers) available to the public by posting them on our website in advance of each event.


The values expressed below take into account those that are considered the industry's standard for editorial quality and independence, from NPR, The New York Times and the New England Journal of Medicine's code of ethics.
 

TEDMED's
Editorial Advisory Board

TEDMED’s editorial process for curating our stage program’s themes, topics, speakers and performers are guided by the combined experience, insights and wisdom of a distinguished, independent Editorial Advisory Board.

Our Editorial Advisory Board consists of recognized leaders in health and medicine, business and technology, foundations and academia, philanthropy and design, and journalism and communications.

Members voluntarily serve on the Editorial Advisory Board and attend three in-person meetings. They receive no financial compensation or in-kind contributions for their devotion of time and effort to TEDMED, other than complimentary passes to TEDMED and a stipend covering travel, room and board for the three annual Board meetings.

The purpose of the Editorial Advisory Board is twofold: (1) assist TEDMED in selecting appropriate themes and topics for each year’s stage program, and (2) review nominations, ensuring that the qualifications and topics of those selected speakers meet the highest standards for scientific relevance and rigor.

Editorial Advisory Board members commit to research and review nominated speakers with whom they have no conflict of interest or institutional affiliation; to present their recommendations to TEDMED and the full Board; and to consult with TEDMED on themes and topics.

The Editorial Advisory Board helps ensure the integrity and credibility of TEDMED’s stage program by bringing academic-level rigor to our selection of themes, topics and speakers. Board members provide their guidance with complete editorial independence, which ensures that content is unaffected by advertising or commercial considerations. Like TEDMED itself, the Editorial Advisory Board is committed to our Core Values and our Code of Ethics.



Meet Our Advisors

TEDMED is proud to acknowledge and recognize the members of our Editorial Advisory Board. These outstanding thought leaders generously provide their time and effort in the interest of supporting TEDMED’s mission to inspire new thinking and accelerate change in health and medicine.

Current Members Previous Editorial Advisory Board Members, and TEDMED Advisors
Adam Goulburn, PhD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Adam Goulburn, PhD
General Partner, Lux Capital
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Abraham Verghese, MD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Abraham Verghese, MD
Physician and Author
View Profile
Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD
Professor of Neurology, Physiology and Psychiatry at UCSF
View Profile
Alexandra Drane
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Alexandra Drane
President and Co-Founder, Eliza Corporation
View Profile
Alicia Jackson, PhD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Alicia Jackson, PhD
Founder and CEO, EverNow
View Profile
Betsy Nabel, MD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Betsy Nabel, MD
President, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
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Atul Butte, MD, PhD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Atul Butte, MD, PhD
Director of the Institute of Computational Health Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco
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Bijan Salehizadeh, MD, MBA
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Bijan Salehizadeh, MD, MBA
Managing Director, NaviMed Capital
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Carla Pugh, MD, PhD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Carla Pugh, MD, PhD
Surgeon and Director of the Health Clinical Simulation Program at the University of Wisconsin
View Profile
Carleen Hawn
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Carleen Hawn
Founder and CEO HealthSpottr
View Profile
Carlos Bustamante, PhD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Carlos Bustamante, PhD
Professor of Genetics and Biology, Stanford University
View Profile
Celine Gounder, MD, ScM
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Celine Gounder, MD, ScM
Internist, Infectious Diseases Specialist, Epidemiologist, Journalist, and Filmmaker
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Charles “Chuck” Pell
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Charles “Chuck” Pell
Chief Science Officer and Co-Founder at Physcient
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Chrissie Giles, MSc
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Chrissie Giles, MSc
Longform Writer and Editor; Editor of Mosaic
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Christopher Elias, MD, MPH
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Christopher Elias, MD, MPH
President of the Gates Foundation Global Development Program
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Daria Mochly-Rosen, PhD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Daria Mochly-Rosen, PhD
Professor of Chemical and Systems Biology at Stanford University and Founder and Director of Stanford University’s SPARK program
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Dean Kamen
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Dean Kamen
President, DEKA Research & Development
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Giles Newton, PhD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Giles Newton, PhD
Head of Communication Partnerships, Wellcome Trust, and Editor in Chief of Mosaic
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Harith Rajagopalan, MD, PhD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Harith Rajagopalan, MD, PhD
Co-Founder & CEO, Fractyl Labs
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Harvey Fineberg, MD, PhD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Harvey Fineberg, MD, PhD
President of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Presidential Chair of UCSF
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Hemai Parthsarathy, PhD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Hemai Parthsarathy, PhD
Scientific Director, Breakout Labs and Founding Partner, Breakout Ventures
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Howard Bauchner, MD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Howard Bauchner, MD
Editor in Chief, JAMA and The JAMA Network
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Ivan Oransky, MD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Ivan Oransky, MD
Vice President and Global Editorial Director of MedPage Today
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Jamie Heywood
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Jamie Heywood
Co-Founder & Chairman, Patientslikeme
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Jeff Karp, PhD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Jeff Karp, PhD
Associate Professor, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School
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John E. Abele
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
John E. Abele
Co-Founder, Boston Scientific Corporation
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John Qualter
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
John Qualter
Co-founder of BioDigital Systems
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Kafui Dzirasa, MD, PhD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Kafui Dzirasa, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University
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Kathleen Goodman
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Kathleen Goodman
Deputy Director, Strategy and Innovation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
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Laura Schmidt, PhD, MPH, MSW
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Laura Schmidt, PhD, MPH, MSW
Professor of Health Policy in the School of Medicine at the University of California at San Francisco
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Leonard Sender
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Leonard Sender
Medical Director of the Hyundai Cancer Institute
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Lisa Rosenbaum, MD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Lisa Rosenbaum, MD
Cardiologist, Brigham and Women's Hospital; National Correspondent, New England Journal of Medicine
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Lucy Kalanithi, MD, FACP
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Lucy Kalanithi, MD, FACP
Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine
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Michael Painter, JD, MD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Michael Painter, JD, MD
Senior Program Officer, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Michael Penn, MD, PhD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Michael Penn, MD, PhD
Physician Scientist, and Founder, Penn Consulting Partners
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Mohit Kaushal, MD, MBA
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Mohit Kaushal, MD, MBA
Partner at Aberdare Ventures
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Nadja Oertelt
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Nadja Oertelt
Co-Founder & Chief Content Officer, Massive Science
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Nina Tandon, PhD, MBA
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Nina Tandon, PhD, MBA
Co-Founder of EpiBone
View Profile
Orin Levine, PhD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Orin Levine, PhD
Director of Vaccine Delivery at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
View Profile
Pam Belluck
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Pam Belluck
Health and Science Writer, New York Times
View Profile
Peter Bach, MD, MAPP
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Peter Bach, MD, MAPP
Physician, Epidemiologist, Researcher & Healthcare Policy Expert, Drug Pricing Lab
View Profile
Peter Hopkins
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Peter Hopkins
Cofounder and President of Big Think
View Profile
Regina Benjamin
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Regina Benjamin
18th U.S. Surgeon General (2009-2013) | MacArthur Fellow Recipient Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights
View Profile
Richard N. "Dick" Foster
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Richard N. "Dick" Foster
Senior Faculty Fellow at Yale School of Management
View Profile
Roberta Ness, MD, MPH
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Roberta Ness, MD, MPH
Vice President of Innovation at University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
View Profile
Roxanne Khamsi
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Roxanne Khamsi
Chief News Editor, Nature Medicine
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Sandeep “Sunny” Kishore, MD, PhD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Sandeep “Sunny” Kishore, MD, PhD
Associate Director, Arnhold Institute for Global Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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Sara Gorman, PhD, MPH
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Sara Gorman, PhD, MPH
Director, High School Programming, Jed Foundation
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Shantanu Nundy, MD, MBA
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Shantanu Nundy, MD, MBA
Senior Technology Advisor, World Bank Group Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice
View Profile
Simmi Singh
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Simmi Singh
Head of Healthcare Services, Egon Zehnder
View Profile
Stacey Chang
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Stacey Chang
Executive Director of the Design Institute for Health, University of Texas at Austin
View Profile
Susan Skochelak, MD, MPH
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Susan Skochelak, MD, MPH
Group vice president, Medical Education American Medical Association
View Profile
Teeb Al-Samarrai, MD
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Teeb Al-Samarrai, MD
Physician and Epidemiologist
View Profile
Willard D. "Bill" Nielsen
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Willard D. "Bill" Nielsen
Corporate Management Consultant, former VP of Johnson & Johnson
View Profile
Victor Dzau
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Victor Dzau
Honorary Editorial Advisory Board Member | President of the Institute of Medicine
View Profile
Udaya Patnaik
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Udaya Patnaik
Entrepreneur and Consultant
View Profile
Ursheet Parikh
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Ursheet Parikh
Partner, Mayfield Fund
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Vanessa Ruiz
Editorial Advisory Board Profile:
Vanessa Ruiz
Creative Director, Wolters Kluwer Health; Founder, Street Anatomy
View Profile

 

TEDMED's
Research Scholars


TEDMED relies on a carefully selected group of passionate, objective experts from across the biomedical, public health, and emerging technology spectrumsincluding faculty, post docs, graduate students, health policy experts, medical students, public health professionals, and science journalists. These experts help assess the credibility of the science upon which TEDMED's editorial priorities are based. 

Additionally, we’re excited to try something new with TEDMED's 2018 Research Scholar Program. We’ve partnered with Massive, a digital science media publication that brings together scientists and the science-curious public, and tapped into their pool of first-rate researchers to help us evaluate this year’s nominations. The TEDMED-Massive Scholars are members of this year's Research Scholar Program, and they are denoted by an asterisk in the list below. 

 


Abe Janis, MS
Regenerative Medicine, Medical Devices, Skin Injury & Healing

Alex Lopez, MS, MD
Healthcare, Medical Technology, Basic & Clinical Research, Augmented Reality, Education

Alexandrea K. Ramnarine, BS
Infectious Diseases, Nanotechnology, Regenerative Medicine

*Alyssa Shepard, PhD Candidate
Cancer Biology, Molecular Biology

Andrew Chou, MD
Orthopaedics, Biodesign, Medical Devices, Education

Beth Taylor Mack, PhD
Health and Wellness Innovation

Bhanu Ghantasala, MSc
AI / Emerging Technologies, Digital Health Entrepreneurship, Patient-Centric Innovation

Biodun Awosusi, MD, MSc
Health Economics, Health System Innovation, Digital Health

Brendan Brbich, MSc
Public Health (Health Economics)

*Brittney G. Borowiec, PhD Candidate
Comparative Physiology, Zoology, Science Writing

Daniel Bu, MD/MSc Candidate
Behavioral Economics, Global Health, Health Care Delivery

Darren Saunders, PhD
Molecular Oncology, Neurodegeneration

*Devang Mehta, PhD
Genomics and Genetic Engineering of Plants

Elena Minenko, MS
Pharmaceutical Industry, Neuroscience, Health Informatics

Elizabeth W. Mwashuma, MSc, PhD Candidate
Public Health Informatics, Implementation Research

Evan Yates, DO, MBA, MSc
Emergency Medicine, Entrepreneurship, Medical Education

Fahima Dossa, BSc, MD, PhD Candidate
Clinical Epidemiology, Health Services Research 

Fidaul Alam, MD
Medical Education, Clinical Research, Health Advocacy, Neuroscience

Frank Qian, MPH, MD Candidate
Cardiovascular Medicine, Cancer Epidemiology, Population Health

Jessica Dale, BSHM, MSN, CCFP, CTP DNP
Compassion, Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, Grief, Care Delivery

*Jiwandeep Kohli, PhD Candidate
Neuroscience and Clinical Psychology

*Joshua Peters, PhD Candidate
Bioengineering, Genomics, Infectious Disease, Immunology

Kaitlyn N. Sadtler, PhD
Immunology & Regenerative Medicine

Kanupriya Agarwal, MD, MBBS
Physician Entrepreneur, Digital Health, Precision Oncology

Kelly Jamieson Thomas,
MS, PhD

Cancer Prevention, Wellness Education

Kyle Isaacson, PhD
Bioengineering

*Lauren White, Post-doc, PhD
Disease ecology

Mari Teitelbaum, MHA
Maternal-child health, Health information Systems, Strategic Perspectives, Health Outcomes, Innovation

Martin Jensen, PhD
Biomedical Engineering, Biomaterials, Medical Devices

Meg Barron, MBA
Digital Health Strategy

*Monica Javidnia, PhD
Neuroscience, Neurodegenerative Disease, Pharmacology

Nicholas A. Giordano,
PhD, RN, AM, MS, BSN

Pain Science

Oyuka Byambasuren, MD, MMedRes
Digital Health, mHealth, Primary Care, Health Apps

*Pallavi Pant, PhD
Air Pollution, Environmental Health, Science Communication

Paul Lindberg, JD
Public Health, Community Health

Peter A. DePergola II,
PhD, MTS

Clinical Bioethics and Medical Humanities

Pooja Chandrashekar,
MD Candidate

Healthcare Delivery, Digital Health, Population Health

Rachel Rizal, MD
Healthcare Innovation, Digital Health, Entrepreneurship, Health Education

Ria Rungta, MPH Candidate
Epidemiology, Global Health, Chronic Diseases, Genetics, Health Technology

Sara Jiayang Li, BS
Autoimmune Skin Disease, Clinical Research

sj Miller, PhD
Gender Identity in Schooling Contexts

*Sophie Okolo, MPH
Aging, Health Technology, Bioinformatics, Science Communication

Stephen Chen, MD, PhD
Surgery, Genomics, Oncology, Biotech & Life Sciences

*Tara Fernandez, PhD
Cell & Gene Therapies

Tareq Al Saadi, MD
Medicine, Epidemiology, Public Health, Cardiology

Toyosi Okurounmu,
MD, MPH, MBA

Health System Transformation

Victor Ekuta, BA, MD Candidate
Neuroscience, Neurodegenerative Disease, Neuroimaging

Vivian Ho, MBA
Global Health, Medical Innovation, Neuroscience

*Xinwen Zhu, PhD Candidate
Biotechnology, Systems Cell Biology

Xiya Ma, MSc, MD Candidate
Global Health, Biomedical Research, Innovation

 

*TEDMED-Massive Scholar

 The Influence of Art & Design

Albert Einstein once said, “The greatest scientists are artists as well.” – a view is shared by many of those responsible for the greatest transformations in human history. Da Vinci gave us the Mona Lisa as well as the design for the helicopter and other flying machines. Aristotle gave us the model for the universe and wrote extensively on art and poetry. 

Regardless of their precise contributions to mankind, every transformer understood that both art and science are about expressing our creativity in ways that lead to a deeper understanding of our world. Science allows us to better understand our current world – what actually is – and art allows us to engage our imagination to better understand a more idealized world – what we can become, with change. That’s why TEDMED embraces doctors and designers, astronauts and artists, practitioners and poets. Each is united in a quest for understanding that opens the door to a healthier future.

2018
Marlene Morales Tollett
2016
Gabriel Gutierrez
2015
Lauren Hess
2014
Victor Juhasz
2013
Stem to Steam Program at RISD
2012
Hanoch Piven
2011
Alexander Isley Inc.
2014
Imagine Science Films

FEATURED 2018 ARTIST

Marlene Morales Tollett

Our warmest thanks to Marlene Morales Tollett for contributing her fantastic talent to TEDMED 2018's Program.

Whether it’s with her patient’s eyesight, her children, or her paintbrush, Marlene always finds her hands full. As a board-certified diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology, she is a practicing ophthalmologist and specializes in comprehensive ophthalmology and oculoplastic surgery.

Marlene always had a passion for art growing up and enjoyed creating with her hands. These qualities, and meticulous attention to detail, have served her well as a surgeon. She rediscovered painting after her medical training and found it was a natural extension of existing skills, as well as an incredible escape for her. Through monochromatic watercolor portraits, she is able to capture a minimalistic yet realistic depiction of her subjects. 

FEATURED 2016 ARTIST

Gabriel Gutierrez

Ever since Gabriel was young, he's always had a special attitude, as someone who would rather observe his surroundings instead of expressing himself with noises and actions. He's enjoyed drawing hi life–creating is something he loves deeply, because it’s something that brings comfort in every situation. He enjoys multiple forms of art, from writing to drawing and painting, because the act of making something out of nothing has no limit. 

When Gabriel was young he was diagnosed with Gilles de la Tourette's Syndrome, which was something that he couldn’t manage to understand. However, after focusing on art for a few years, he was finally able to control his tics. It seemed as if they had disappeared. He remembers reading an article where it said that tics are similar to scratching and itch, where a person with GTS will repeat the tic until it feels just right. As he puts it, "Maybe drawing did that for me, and maybe pouring so much time into the creative process didn’t leave any time for the mysterious itch."

Read our Q&A with Gabriel on the TEDMED Blog to find out more.

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FEATURED 2015 ARTIST

Lauren Hess

Lauren Hess graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2012. Her work has received received recognition from the Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts magazine, and the 3x3 Illustration Annual.

She comes from a family of surgeons, nurses, and pediatricians; compassionate people who she says imparted in her a firmly logical worldview and "an understanding of medicine through the safety of scientific distance."

An evolving understanding of mental illness has shaped her illustration work. When she met her partner, who has been battling clinical depression, her perspective was transformed.' I have witnessed the way medicine and methods can improve one's outlook and believe that while medicine can be clinical, healing is personal," Hess says.

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FEATURED 2014 ARTIST

Victor Juhasz

The portraits for this year's TEDMED speakers were created by internationally acclaimed artist Victor Juhasz.

An illustrator for 40 years, Victor serves on the Executive Board of the Society of Illustrators in New York City. He has been the recipient of awards and citations for his illustrations, including a silver medal from the Society in 2010, the Arthur William Brown Award in 2012 for his work documenting and bringing greater attention for our troops in harm's way (in particular the returning wounded), and in January 2013, a gold medal and the prestigious Hamilton King Award for his embed work in Afghanistan with the 1-52nd Arctic Thunder Dustoff, an Army helicopter Medevac unit. In February 2014, he was awarded in silver medal by the Society for his illustrations that appeared in the New York Observer covering the work of the nonprofit Foundation Rwanda in Rwanda. 

Victor is a member of The Joe Bonham Project, documenting through drawings and paintings the wounded soldiers and Marines returning from the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan at Walter Reed Medical Center. 

In the spring of 2012, Victor was invited to speak about his drawings of the wounded as well as war/witness art at the first ever military-sponsored TEDx event at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. 

He is a contributing member of David Feherty's Troops First Foundation (TFF), traveling to Iraq and Afghanistan with TFF from 2008 to 2011, drawing the soldiers and Marines on the bases and sending the portraits to their families back home. 

You can read Victor's posting on drawger.com/victorjuhasz or visit his website, juhaszillustration.com.
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  • NANDA

    Acrobaticalists
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  • Resa Lewiss

    Point-of-Care Ultrasound Educator
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  • Inspector Gadje

    Balkan Brass Band
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  • Sonia Shah

    Social Justice Science Journalist
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  • Dominick Farinacci

    Worldly Trumpeter
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  • Danielle Ofri

    Reflective Physician
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  • Zachary Copfer

    Bio-Artist
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  • Elizabeth Kenny

    Patient Performer
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  • Foteini Agrafioti

    Biometrics Entrepreneur
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  • Josh Stein

    Serial Entrepreneur
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  • Erica Frank

    Virtual Medical School Pioneer
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  • Gary Conkright

    Predictive Analytics Entrepreneur
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  • Mark Levatich

    Disruptive Biomedical Engineer
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  • Marc Koska

    Persistent Inventor / Global Life-Saver
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  • Nina Tandon

    Tissue Engineer
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  • Heather Raffo

    Global Witness / Artistic Healer
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  • Thomas Goetz

    Visionary Health Entrepreneur & Writer
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  • Elizabeth Nabel

    Medical Leader
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  • Uzma Samadani

    Brain Trauma Detective
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  • Nora Volkow

    Explorer of the Human Brain
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  • John Cryan

    Neuromicrobioticist
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  • Brian Primack

    Media and Medicine Researcher
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  • Amy Baxter

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  • Debra Jarvis

    Irreverent Reverend
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  • Diana Nyad

    Open Water Swimming Champion
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  • Jeffrey Iliff

    Glymphatic Scientist
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  • Gerardo Contino

    Cuban Musician
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  • Jill Vialet

    Recess Champion
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  • Marc Abrahams

    Science Humorist
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  • Peggy Battin

    End-of-Life Ethicist
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  • Rupa & The April Fishes

    Rock Star Hospitalist / Rebel Musician
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  • Sigrid Fry-Revere

    Organ Donation Ethicist
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  • Leana Wen

    Transparent Physician
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  • Gail Reed

    Cuban Health Care Expert
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  • Jared Heyman

    Crowd Wisdom Channeler
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  • Daniel Webster

    Gun Violence Preventer
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  • Emery Brown

    Anesthesia Neuroscientist
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  • John Donoghue

    Brain-Machine Scientist
    View Speaker Bio
  • Rosie King

    Storytelling Activist
    View Talk
  • Drew Lakatos

    Trauma Prevention Technologist
    View Talk
  • Cathy Ladman

    Self-Probing Comic
    View Talk
  • Amy McGuire

    View Talk
  • Gypsy Sound Revolution

    East-West Fusion Musicians
    View Talk
  • Rebecca Adamson

    Global Indigenous Economics Maven
    View Talk
  • Robin Guenther

    Sustainable Healthcare Architect
    View Talk
  • Elliot Swart

    Smart Dermatologic Cameraman
    View Talk
  • E. Bimla Schwarz

    Women’s Health Truth-Teller
    View Talk
  • Mariana Figueiro

    Illumination Researcher
    View Talk
  • Ram Sahasranam

    Catalyst and Connector
    View Talk
  • Joshua Roman

    Versatile Cellist
    View Speaker Bio
  • Daniel Kohane

    Drug Delivery Innovator
    View Talk
  • Rupal Patel

    Speech Scientist
    View Talk
  • Sophie de Oliveira Barata

    Imaginative Prosthetics Sculptor
    View Talk
  • Farah Siraj

    Global Humanitarian Musician
    View Talk
  • Jeff Karp

    Bio-Inspired Innovator
    View Talk
  • Carla Pugh

    Haptic Educator
    View Talk
  • Jen Hyatt

    Global Social Entrepreneur
    View Talk
  • Leslie Morgan Steiner

    Motherhood Investigator
    View Talk
  • Bob Carey

    Tutu Self-Portraitist
    View Talk
  • Tig Notaro

    Counterintuitive Comedian
    View Speaker Bio
  • Kitra Cahana

    Incisive Photographer
    View Talk
  • Ramanan Laxminarayan

    Drug Resistance Economist
    View Talk
  • Howard Rose

    Health Games Designer
    View Talk
  • Kayt Sukel

    Edgy Science Writer
    View Talk
  • Julian Treasure

    Sound Evangelist
    View Talk
  • Tiffany Shlain

    Interconnected Filmmaker
    View Talk
  • Stephen Goldner

    Clinical Trials Matchmaker
    View Talk
  • Nadine Burke Harris

    Stress Doctor
    View Talk
  • Abraham Verghese

    View Talk
  • Eric Chen

    Scientific Wunderkind
    View Talk
  • Ted Kaptchuk

    Placebo Investigator
    View Talk
  • Patricia Horoho

    Army Surgeon General
    View Talk
  • Carl Hart

    Drug Data Dealer
    View Talk
  • Zsolt Bognár

    Concert Pianist
    View Talk
  • Barbara Natterson-Horowitz

    Zoobiquitous Physician
    View Talk
  • John La Puma

    Culinary Medicine Pioneer
    View Talk

FEATURED 2013 ARTIST

Stem to Steam Program at RISD

In an intellectual and creative adventure, RISD faculty members and students have contributed their talents by creating captivating portraits of our TEDMED 2013 speakers.  We thank them for graciously contributing such beautiful, thoughtful and inspiring elements to TEDMED 2013.

In his STEM to STEAM initiative, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) President John Maeda is transforming thinking about the role of art and design in civic life, in commerce, and as an agent of innovation in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

RISD’s Illustration Department has long pursued partnerships in learning through its practical course offerings and partnerships with academic, corporate and research institutions, working side-by side with physicians, scientists, computer programmers and engineers.  Throughout, they have cultivated a deep commitment to the notion that art and design afford vital poetic and communicative form and spirit to scientific discovery, and all parties have come to recognize that human ingenuity of the highest level is what propels both research innovation, whether in the laboratory or in the studio.

In appreciation to Robert Brinkerhoff for leading the charge.
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  • John Maeda

    President, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)
    View Talk
  • Francis S. Collins

    M.D., Ph.D., Director of the National Institutes of Health
    View Speaker Bio
  • Eli Beer

    Founder and President, United Hatzalah
    View Talk
  • Laura Deming

    Partner, The Longevity Fund
    View Talk
  • Mick Cornett

    Mayor of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
    View Talk
  • Charity Tillemann-Dick

    Singer
    View Talk
  • Salvatore Iaconesi

    Interaction Designer, Robotic Engineer, Artist & Hacker
    View Talk
  • Roni Zeiger

    CEO, Smart Patients
    View Talk
  • Raghava KK

    Multidisciplinary Contemporary Artist
    View Talk
  • David Agus

    Professor of Medicine and Engineering, University of Southern California | Author, "The End of Illness"
    View Talk
  • Elizabeth Marincola

    President, Society for Science and the Public; Publisher, Science News
    View Talk
  • Victor Wang

    Founder and CEO, GeriJoy Inc.
    View Talk
  • Regina Benjamin

    U S Surgeon General
    View Speaker Bio
  • Peter Attia

    Founder and President, Nutrition Science Initiative (NuSI)
    View Talk
  • Sekou Andrews

    Internationally Acclaimed Spoken Word Artist, Playwright, Actor, Poet.
    View Talk
  • Andrew Solomon

    Writer and lecturer on psychology, politics, and the arts; Winner of the National Book Award
    View Talk
  • David Odde & Black Label Movement

    Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota | Dance Theatre
    View Talk
  • Deborah Estrin

    Professor, Computer Science, Cornell Tech, NYC Professor, Public Health, Weill Cornell Medical College Co-founder, Open mHealth
    View Talk
  • Gary Slutkin

    M.D., Founder and Executive Director of Cure Violence Professor, Epidemiology and International Health, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health
    View Talk
  • Harvey Fineberg

    President, Institute of Medicine
    View Talk
  • H. Shaw Warren

    Physician and Pediatrician, Massachusetts General Hospital Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
    View Talk
  • Isaac Kohane

    Professor of Pediatrics and Health Sciences Technology, Harvard Medical School
    View Talk
  • John Kheir

    M.D., Staff Physician and Scientist, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital Harvard Medical School
    View Talk
  • Jonathan Bush

    Co-Founder, President, Chairman and CEO, athenahealth
    View Talk
  • Kelli Swazey

    Anthropologist
    View Talk
  • Kishi Bashi

    Singer-Songwriter, Composer and Performing Artist
    View Talk
  • Larry Smarr

    Professor, UCSD, Director Calit2
    View Talk
  • Steve Gullans

    Managing Director, Excel Venture Management
    View Talk
  • Mariano Vazquez

    Researcher, Barcelona Computing Center
    View Talk
  • Max Little

    Wellcome Trust/MIT Fellow and Assistant Professor, Aston University; Visiting Assistant Professor, MIT
    View Talk
  • Michael Hebb

    Food Provocateur and Founder, One Pot
    View Talk
  • Mike Pazin

    Program Director, Functional Genomics, Division of Genome Sciences, National Human Genome Research Institute
    View Talk
  • Pritpal S Tamber

    Founder, Optimising Clinical Knowledge Ltd
    View Talk
  • Rafael Yuste

    Professor of Biological Sciences, Columbia University
    View Talk
  • Ryan Panchadsaram

    U.S. White House Deputy Chief Technology Officer
    View Talk
  • Ramesh Raskar

    Associate Professor, MIT Media Lab
    View Talk
  • Sally Okun

    VP Advocacy, Policy & Patient Safety, PatientsLikeMe
    View Talk
  • Sue Austin

    Artist, Freewheeling, 'Creating the Spectacle!'
    View Talk
  • The Manzari Brothers

    Tap Dancers / Performers
    View Talk
  • Washington Conservatory of Music

    Piano Faculty
    View Talk
  • Afro Blue

    Howard University's premier vocal jazz ensemble
    View Talk
  • Christopher J.L. Murray

    Institute Director, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME)
    View Talk
  • Zubin Damania

    M.D., Director of Healthcare Development, Downtown Project Las Vegas
    View Talk
  • Dean Karnazes

    Speaker, Bestselling Author, Athlete, Entrepreneur
    View Speaker Bio
  • Ashley Atkinson

    Co-Director, Keep Growing Detroit
    View Talk
  • Amanda Bennett

    Freelance Journalist, Former Executive Editor, Bloomberg News Author, 'The Cost of Hope'
    View Talk
  • Amy Abernethy

    M.D., Director, Center for Learning Health Care, Duke Clinical Research Institute
    View Talk
  • Elazer Edelman

    Thomas D. and Virginia W. Cabot Professor, Health Sciences and Technology, MIT Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School Director, Harvard-MIT Biomedical Engineering Center Senior Physician, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
    View Talk
  • Richard Simmons

    Fitness personality
    View Speaker Bio
  • Susan Desmond-Hellmann

    Chancellor Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Distinguished Professor University of California, San Francisco
    View Talk
  • America Bracho

    CEO and President, Latino Health Access
    View Talk
  • Danny Hillis

    Inventor, Scientist, Engineer, Entrepreneur, and Author
    View Talk
  • Larry Brilliant

    President & CEO, Skoll Global Threats Fund
    View Talk

FEATURED 2012 ARTIST

Hanoch Piven

The portraits of this year’s TEDMED speakers were created by internationally acclaimed Israeli author and illustrator Hanoch Piven.

Over the course of the past 20 years, Piven’s portraits have appeared in most major American and European publications.

His work is included in the permanent collection of The Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

Since 2003, Piven has been conducting creative workshops across the globe, applying the principles of his collage technique to prompt children and adults to create their own works of art using common every day objects.

These workshops have been embraced by educators, art therapists, and management consultants as an efficient tool for raising psychological issues to the surface through play and creativity.

In this capacity, he has most recently been collaborating with physicians and therapists in the treatment of cancer patients and soldiers suffering from PTSD.

Hanoch created the illustrations for TEDMED 2012 on an iPad using an app he co-authored. More on his work can be found at pivenworld.com.
View Site
  • David Icke

    Chief Executive Officer of mc10
    View Talk
  • Otis Brawley

    Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society
    View Talk
  • Judith Salerno

    Leonard D. Schaeffer Executive Officer of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies
    View Talk
  • Stephen Petronio

    Founder, Stephen Petronio Company
    View Talk
  • Sandeep Kishore

    M.D., Ph.D. student, co-chair, Young Professionals Chronic Disease Network
    View Talk
  • Leslie Saxon

    Executive Director & Founder, USC Center for Body Computing
    View Talk
  • Miguel Nicolelis

    Founder of Duke’s Center for Neuroengineering
    View Talk
  • Gail McGovern

    President and CEO of the American Red Cross
    View Talk
  • Bryan Stevenson

    Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative
    View Talk
  • Bud Frazier

    Director, Cardiovascular Surgery Research, Texas Heart Institute
    View Talk
  • Nick Boulis

    Founder of the Boulis Laboratory, Emory University School of Medicine
    View Talk
  • Dan Perry

    President & CEO, Alliance for Aging Research
    View Talk
  • Diane Kelly

    Senior Research Fellow at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst
    View Talk
  • E.O. Wilson

    Honorary Curator in Entomology and University Research Professor Emeritus, Harvard University
    View Talk
  • MOMIX

    Dancers-Illusionists
    View Talk
  • Ed Gavagan

    Owner, PraxisNYC
    View Talk
  • Franziska Michor

    Associate Professor of Computational Biology, Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
    View Talk
  • Hiep Nguyen

    Director, the Robotic Surgery, Research, and Training Center and the Pediatric TeleUrology Service at Children’s Hospital Boston
    View Speaker Bio
  • Howard Shapiro

    Global Staff Officer, Plant Science and External Research, Mars, Incorporated | Adjunct Professor, Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences, University of California, Davis
    View Talk
  • Gregory Petsko

    Chair of the Department of Biochemistry at Brandeis University
    View Talk
  • Jonathan Mann

    Singer/Songwriter
    View Speaker Bio
  • Rebecca Onie

    Co-Founder & CEO, Health Leads
    View Talk
  • Robert Vijay Gupta

    Founder and Artistic Director for Street Symphony
    View Talk
  • Lynda Chin

    Chair, Department of Genomic Medicine & Scientific Director, Institute of Applied Cancer Science, MD Anderson Cancer Center
    View Talk
  • Mark Hyman

    Author & Chairman of the Institute of Functional Medicine
    View Talk
  • Peggy Hamburg

    Commissioner, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
    View Talk
  • Reisa Sperling

    Director, The Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
    View Talk
  • Risa Lavizzo-Mourey

    President and CEO, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
    View Speaker Bio
  • Scott Jurek

    Author, Ultramarathon Champion
    View Talk
  • Jill Sobule

    Songstress
    View Speaker Bio
  • Steve Connell

    Internationally Acclaimed Spoken Word Artist, Playwright, Actor, Poet
    View Talk
  • Todd Park

    U.S. Chief Technology Officer | The White House
    View Talk
  • Step Afrika!

    Percussive dance group
    View Talk
  • Thomas Frieden

    Director, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
    View Talk
  • Teresa Monachino

    Author and Founder of Studio Monachino
    View Talk
  • Traces

    Urban Acrobats
    View Talk
  • VGo Robotic Telepresence System

    Telemedical Specialist
    View Speaker Bio
  • Virginia Breen and Elizabeth Bonker

    Author, Poet, Aspiring Doctor
    View Talk
  • Washington Performing Arts Society’s Children of the Gospel Choir

    Choir
    View Talk
  • Cookie Monster

    “Om nom nom nom”, Sesame Street
    View Talk
  • Gabby Reece

    Professional Volleyball Player & Women's Health Advocate
    View Talk
  • Ivan Oransky

    Executive Editor of Reuters Health
    View Talk
  • Jacob Scott

    Radiation Oncologist and Cancer Theoretician
    View Talk
  • Joel Salatin

    Beyond organic farmer and author
    View Talk
  • Jon Cohen

    Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer and Director of Hospital Services, Quest Diagnostics
    View Talk
  • John Hoffman

    Vice President, HBO Documentary Films | Executive Producer, The Weight of the Nation
    View Talk
  • John Qualter

    Cofounder, Director of Media, BioDigital Systems
    View Talk
  • Jonathan Eisen

    Full Professor at the University of California, Davis
    View Talk
  • Jonathan Glass

    Director of the Emory ALS Center, Department of Neurology, Emory University
    View Talk
  • Katie Couric

    Co-Founder, Stand Up To Cancer & Special Correspondent, ABC News
    View Talk
  • Laird Hamilton

    Professional Big-Wave Surfer
    View Talk
  • Lisa Nilsson

    Visual Artist
    View Talk
  • Marc Triola

    Associate Dean for Educational Informatics at NYU School of Medicine
    View Talk
  • Mary (Missy) Cummings

    Professor, Director of the MIT Humans and Automation Laboratory
    View Talk
  • Seth Cooper

    Assistant Professor, College of Computer and Information Science at Northeastern University
    View Talk
  • Jay Lombard

    Chief Scientific Officer, Genomind
    View Talk
  • Frances Arnold

    Dick and Barbara Dickinson Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biochemistry, California Institute of Technology
    View Talk

FEATURED 2011 ARTIST

Alexander Isley Inc.

Alex first gained recognition in the early 1980s as the senior designer at Tibor Kalman’s influential M&Co. He went on to serve as the first full-time art director of the funny and fearlessSpy magazine. In 1988 Alex founded Alexander Isley Inc. in New York City. In 1995 he relocated the firm to Connecticut in order to be closer to trees. The team at Alexander Isley has been an integral part of the creative efforts surrounding TEDMED by designing powerful extensions of our event experience like the Conference Program Guide, creating and curating the wondrous artwork that brings our speakers to life, and designing visual elements for our venu
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  • Quyen Nguyen

    Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, University of California San Diego
    View Talk
  • Charles Pell

    Co-Founder, Physcient
    View Talk
  • Aneesh Chopra

    Former United States Chief Technology Officer, Founder, Hunch Analytics
    View Talk
  • Ashley Dombkowski

    Managing Director with Bay City Capital
    View Talk
  • Peter Agre

    Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Director, Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute. Bloomberg School of Public Health
    View Talk
  • Gabor Forgacs

    Scientific Founder, Organovo, Inc., Modern Meadow
    View Talk
  • Yoav Medan

    Former Vice President and Chief Systems Architect, InSightec Ltd.
    View Talk
  • Cheryl Pegus

    Director of the Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Innovation at NYU
    View Talk
  • Catherine Mohr

    Director of Medical Research, Intuitive Surgical
    View Talk
  • A.J. Jacobs

    Author
    View Talk
  • Dean Kamen

    President, DEKA Research & Development
    View Speaker Bio
  • Andrew Dawson

    Performance Artist
    View Talk
  • Barton Kamen

    Clinical Research Professor, Metronomx
    View Talk
  • Bill Doyle

    Executive Chairman, Founder, NOVOCURE
    View Talk
  • Eric Mead

    Magician, Author, Bon Vivant
    View Speaker Bio
  • Michael Rosenblatt

    Chief Medical Officer, MERCK
    View Talk
  • Eythor Bender

    CEO, Ekso Bionics
    View Talk
  • David Kirchhoff

    Former President, Weight Watchers International
    View Talk
  • Freda Lewis-Hall

    Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Pfizer, Inc.
    View Talk
  • Ger Brophy

    Head of New Product Development, Medical Diagnostics, GE Healthcare
    View Talk
  • John Wynn

    Medical Director for Cancer Psychiatry at the Swedish Cancer Institute of Seattle
    View Talk
  • Joseph Desimone

    Chancellor's Eminent Professor of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    View Talk
  • Juan Enriquez

    Managing Director, Excel Venture Management
    View Talk
  • Lee Stein

    Managing Member of Prize Capital, LLC and Virtual Group, LLC
    View Talk
  • Nate Ball

    Mechanical Engineer
    View Talk
  • Paul Stamets

    Director of Research, Fungi Perfecti
    View Talk
  • Rick Smolan

    Co-founder, Against All Odds Productions, Photographer
    View Talk
  • Tim O'Reilly

    CEO & Founder, O'Reilly Media
    View Talk
  • Michael Graves

    Architect
    View Talk
  • Robert J. Hariri

    Founder & CEO, Celgene Cellular Therapeutics
    View Talk
  • Alexander Tsiaras

    Founder/CEO of TheVisualMD.com
    View Talk
  • Calvin Harley

    President & Chief Scientific Officer, Telomere Diagnostics
    View Talk
  • Charles Limb

    Associate Professor, Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, John's Hopkins. Faculty, Peabody Conservatory of Music
    View Talk
  • Chris Toumazou

    Director of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College of London
    View Talk
  • Dan Buettner

    Author, Explorer
    View Talk
  • Daniel Kraft

    Founder, Intellimedicine
    View Talk
  • Diana Nyad

    Author, Ultra-Marathon Swimmer
    View Talk
  • Loudon Wainwright III

    Singer-Songwriter, Actor
    View Talk
  • Eric Schadt

    Director, Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Mount Sinai Medical School
    View Talk
  • Mehmood Khan

    Chief Executive Officer, Global Nutrition Group and Chief Scientific Officer, PEPSICO
    View Talk
  • Peter Diamandis

    Chairman & Co-Founder, X-PRIZE Foundation
    View Talk
  • Elissa Epel

    Associate Professor at UCSF, Co-Founder Telomere Diagnostics
    View Talk
  • Farzad Mostashari

    Founder, Aledade, Former National Coordinator for Health IT, U.S. Dept of HHS
    View Talk

Watch a Video Trailer

FEATURED 2014 ARTIST
 

Imagine Science Films

In the spirit of Unlocking Imagination in Service of Health and Medicine, TEDMED is thrilled to announce an innovative collaboration with Imagine Science Films (ISF).

Now celebrating its seventh anniversary, ISF is a nonprofit organization created by geneticist and filmmaker Alexis Gambis. The organization is committed to promoting a high-level dialogue between scientists and filmmakers to increase public awareness of and appreciation for science. With sponsors including Google, Nature Publishing Group, and American Association for the Advancement of Science, ISF makes science more accessible and stimulating to a broader audience by emphasizing storytelling, narrative structure, and visual communication.

Together, TEDMED and ISF have challenged nine young, independent filmmakers to let their imaginations run wild as they created their own unique, artistic interpretations of the nine session themes for our 2014 stage program.

Each filmmaker was given creative and editorial freedom. We simply encouraged them to be imaginative! The result is a series of short, provocative and highly engaging films. Together, the full body of work offers exciting examples of how visual storytelling can engage the heart and the senses as a powerful way of engaging the mind.

The nine ISF-TEDMED films run four to seven minutes apiece. Each film offers a metaphorical or allegorical storyline -- or simply a montage of beautiful images -- to convey the filmmaker’s vision of what that particular session will be about. Each film also includes subtle nods to the speakers and the topics that will be featured on stage within that particular session.

Viewers who use their imaginations will find these avant-garde films a thought-provoking journey into a realm where art and science walk hand in hand. We look forward to inviting everyone in the TEDMED community to enjoy this artistic interpretation of our session themes through the work of an extraordinarily gifted group of young filmmakers.

Eliza McNitt
NYU Tisch School of the Arts
Session Film: Play Is Not a Waste of Time
Charlie Cole
The Pratt Institute
Session Film: Stealing Smart
Alexis Gambis
NYU Tisch School of Arts
Session Film: We Just Don’t Know
Matt Christensen
NYU Tisch School of the Arts
Session Film: Weird and Wonderful
Sarah-Rose Meredith
NYU Tisch School of the Arts
Session Film: Don’t You Dare Talk About This
Pedro Gomez Millan
NYU Tisch School of the Arts
Session Film: Flat Out Amazing
Nate Dorr
Middlebury College
Session Film: Turn It Upside Down
Ian Harnarine
NYU Tisch School of the Arts
Session Film: I Was Just Thinking Too Small
Raj Trivedi
Columbia University’s School of the Arts
Session Film: Human Nature Inside and Out