2025 Innovation Nexus Conference Speakers
Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong
Keynote Speaker
Executive Chairman & Global Chief Medical Officer
ImmunityBio, Inc.
Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong is a physician and entrepreneur, serving as the Executive Chairman and Global Chief Medical Officer of ImmunityBio, Inc. With over 30 years of experience, Dr. Soon-Shiong has dedicated his career to developing cancer treatments and advancing medical innovations.
Throughout Dr. Soon-Shiong's career, he has pioneered therapies for diabetes and cancer, published over 100 scientific papers, and has been granted over 675 patents worldwide for groundbreaking advancements spanning myriad fields of medicine, technology, and artificial intelligence. As an Assistant Professor at UCLA in 1993, Dr. Soon-Shiong performed UCLA’s first whole-organ pancreas transplant and the world's first encapsulated islet cell transplant in Type 1 diabetic patients. His groundbreaking work led to the invention of Abraxane, a revolutionary drug approved by the FDA for several types of cancer, which has generated annual sales of approximately $1.0 billion.
In 2011, Dr. Soon-Shiong founded NantWorks, LLC, a group of companies with the goal of creating a transformative global health information and next-generation pharmaceutical development network for the secure sharing of genetic and medical information, addressing climate change and transforming digital communication. Dr. Soon-Shiong is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NantWorks, LLC.
Emily Blum, MD
Director, GCMI
Dr. Emily Blum is practicing pediatric urologist with Georgia Urology and the Founder of BlumIM Medtech consulting. As a recognized leader in medical innovation, she serves on the executive board of the International Society of Pediatric Innovation, as well as multiple advisory boards. She was recently awarded the 2024 Georgia Bio Community Award for her significant contributions to the medical innovation ecosystem. Previously, she served as the Medical Director of the Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI), an affiliate of Georgia Institute of Technology.
Andrew Cleeland, BS
CEO, Fogarty Innovation
Andrew Cleeland is the CEO of Fogarty Innovation with 30+ years of experience including leadership roles at both large companies and start-ups. He has been instrumental in the growth and acquisition of companies like Ardian and Twelve and currently serves on the boards of several venture-funded companies while contributing to global medtech industry initiatives including the UCSF-Stanford Pediatric Device Consortium, the Medical Device Innovation Consortium, and the Singapore government’s Biomedical Research Council (BMRC).
Denise Demarais
Chief Operations Officer, Fogarty Innovation
Denise Demarais is the COO of Fogarty Innovation with nearly 30 years of experience developing medical devices from concept to commercialization and acquisition. She has co-founded two companies (Ardian and May Health) and is a prolific inventor with over 100 patents world-wide.
Michael Demurjian
Startup CEO, Aspargo Labs
Michael Demurjian serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aspargo Labs Inc. and is a member of the company’s board of directors. A pioneer in drug reformulation and precision medicine, Aspargo is committed to enhancing health and well-being for all while providing an exceptional user experience. Under Demurjian's guidance, the company develops drug delivery systems designed to improve adherence, empowering individuals to manage their own health while assisting healthcare providers in achieving therapeutic objectives and enhancing patient outcomes. Prior to establishing Aspargo, Demurjian held various high-level roles in both the investment and healthcare sectors. His inaugural successful IPO was Medifast (MED), which has been traded on the NYSE for over two decades.
Ryan Drant
Founder & Director, Questa Capital
Ryan Drant is the Founder and Managing Partner of Questa Capital, a healthcare-focused venture growth equity investment firm. From 1996 through 2015 Ryan was an investor at New Enterprise Associates, where he served as a general partner, Head of Healthcare Investing and a member of the NEA Management Committee. He represents Questa on the board of directors of ACTO, Aerin Medical, Avive, Calyxo, Cortica, Dispatch Health, Eko, Eximis Surgical, Intrinsic Therapeutics, Medrio, Ossio and PocketHealth. He has previously served on the boards of more than 30 private companies. Ryan also serves on the board of the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA) and is a four-time nominee to the Forbes Midas List of top venture capital investors. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Stanford University.
Daniel Gossett, PhD
Program Director, NIDDK
Danny Gossett, PhD, is a Program Director in the Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). His research programs include biomedical imaging and technology development in the areas of kidney, urologic, and hematologic diseases, including the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.
Duke Herrell, MD
Founder and CEO, Virtuoso Surgical
Duke Herrell, MD, is Professor of Urology at Vanderbilt University and has an extensive background in clinical minimally invasive surgery, surgical device creation and development, and entrepreneurship. Dr. Herrell is a founder and CEO of Virtuoso Surgical, a Nashville, TN-based startup developing unique tools and technology to advance and improve the performance of rigid endoscopic interventions starting in urology.
David Perry, PhD
CEO & Co-Founder, Carro
Over 30 years in the medical device industry, entirely in interventional cardiology and urology to include Boston Scientific and American Medical Systems (AMS). CEO of Urotronic, which developed two PMA FDA-approved products and exited to Laborie Medical in October of 2023.
Ganesh Raj, MD, PhD
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Ganesh V. Raj, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Urology and Pharmacology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He is a funded cancer investigator with an active clinical practice. He is an experienced and highly regarded robotic prostate cancer surgeon while his basic science research laboratory efforts are focused on translational strategies against molecular drivers of cancer. A biotech startup EtiraRx is based on the discoveries from his research laboratory and will be starting clinical trials this summer. Dr. Raj was inducted into the American Society of Clinical Investigators in 2018.
Susan Stimson, BS
Managing Director, KCK Medtech
Ms. Stimson is recognized as a visionary leader in the medical device industry, having spent over 25 years developing & commercializing new medical technologies. Her commitment to innovation spans executive, venture capital, and board director roles. She currently serves as Managing Director at KCK, a leading venture capital and growth equity investment firm and serves on the Board of Directors for Zenflow.
Jennie Xue, BS
Senior Managing Director, Guggenheim Securities, LLC
Jennie Xue is a Senior Managing Director at Guggenheim Securities, where she specializes in mergers and acquisition advisory for medical device companies on both the sell-side and buy-side. Over the last 15 years, she has also advised on IPOs, private financing and leveraged finance transactions at BofA Merrill and Merrill Lynch.
