BOSTON, MA – Massachusetts Gov. Charles Baker, CMS Administrator Seema Verma and NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton are among the world-class speakers taking the plenary stage at The Medtech Conference – the premier annual gathering of the medical technology industry – Sept. 23-25 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

This year The Medtech Conference will bring together more than 3,000 attendees from across the health care industry – including leading medtech executives, policymakers, VC investors and hospital administrators – to network, conduct business and share insights on the future of health care. In addition to four plenary sessions, the event includes more than 100 educational sessions featuring more than 350 speakers and a 150-company exhibit hall. 

“The theme of this year’s Conference is ‘Improving Health Care. Improving Lives.’ So we’re especially excited to be here in Boston to showcase the value of medical technology to our health care system,” said Scott Whitaker, president and CEO of AdvaMed. “The Boston area is home to incredible companies creating innovative solutions to our health care challenges. We appreciate the opportunity to be here with so many other tremendous companies and innovators from around the world who are dedicated to advancing medical technology on behalf of the patients we serve.”

The plenary sessions at The Medtech Conference this year feature a mix of insightful policy discussions, innovative technologies and inspiring patient stories: 

Monday, Sept. 23 – 3:30-5:00 pm 

• Scott Whitaker, President and CEO of AdvaMed, will provide an overview of the dynamic forces driving the ongoing evolution of the medical technology industry, the extraordinary value of medtech and its increasingly pivotal role in the lives of patients around the world. The discussion will include compelling examples from the patient perspective. 

• John Carlson, President, Health Solutions at Flex, will moderate a panel of research institute and hospital executives on the influence of the next wave of technology on medtech innovation. Panelists include C. Michael Gibson, MD, CEO, Baim Clinical Research Institute; Dr. Susan Hockfield, neuroscientist and former President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Dr. Jeffrey Karp; Eng. PhD, Professor of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; and J. Craig Venter, PhD, founder, chairman and CEO, J. Craig Venter Institute. 

Tuesday, Sept. 24 – 12:30-2:00 pm 

• Welcoming remarks from Massachusetts Governor Charles Baker, Jr. 

• AdvaMed Chairman Kevin Lobo, chairman and CEO of Stryker, and Omar Ishrak, chairman and CEO of Medtronic, will discuss trends driving the medtech innovation ecosystem in a session moderated by Scott Whitaker. 

• Mike Minogue, CEO, President and Chairman of Abiomed, will interview health care strategist and medtech investor Jessica Hopfield and Dorothy Puhy, former Executive Vice President, COO and Assistant Treasurer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, who will provide their perspectives on the current health care climate. 

Tuesday, Sept. 24 – 3:45-5:00 pm 

• Medtech Innovator Finals:  For the fifth consecutive year, five cutting-edge medtech companies – chosen from a pool of more than 700 applicants – will pitch their innovative technologies to a judges’ panel of industry executives for a chance to win $500,000 in prizes and the title of official Medtech Innovator 2019. Be part of the live audience that casts the votes for this year’s winner! 

Wednesday, Sept. 25 – 12:30-2:00 pm 

• 2019 AdvaMed Lifetime Achievement Award:  This year’s recipient is Catherine “Cathy” Burzik, an industry legend whose drive to improve patient care through technology has led her to leadership positions in companies that span the breadth of medtech. Among her many accomplishments, she served as CEO and president of Kodak Health Imaging; president of diagnostics at J&J’s Ortho Clinical Diagnostics; president of Applied Biosystems, a pioneer of DNA sequencing; and CEO of wound care and regenerative medicine company Kinetic Concepts, Inc. 

• Bill Walton, NBA hall of famer and broadcaster, will discuss how medical innovation has helped him recover from debilitating back pain to lead a full and active life. Joining Walton will be patent advocate Rolf Benirschke, chief patient officer, Legacy Health Strategies. 

• Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, will join Scott Whitaker for a fireside chat about the role of her agency in promoting innovation for improved patient outcomes and for increased value in the U.S. health care system. 

• Global Health Innovator Award:  For the third straight year, TEAMFund will award $50,000 to an early-stage medtech company that has developed a novel, appropriate and sustainable medical technology for the world’s low-resource and resource-constrained populations. 

Other highlights of The Medtech Conference include:  the CDRH Town Hall, featuring the latest inside information from the leadership of FDA’s device center; the CEOs Unplugged Stage; the Medtech Innovator Showcase; the Medtech Exec Talks Stage; Partnering Meetings, the Innovation Pavilion; and the Patient Pavilion.

To learn more about The Medtech Conference and to register for the event, visit www.themedtechconference.com. Once registered, full access registrants will be able to download Medtech Connect – a desktop portal and mobile networking platform for scheduling one-on-one meetings, searching for other attendees, requesting meetings based on mutually agreeable times and building a personalized conference schedule.