2019 Speakers

I am a clinical investigator at Brigham and Women’s Hospital where I began my career focused on therapeutic trials in COPD. The heterogeneity of disease and broad range of responses to pharmacologic and device based intervention I observed led me to build a lab dedicated to the objective characterization of medical images to stratify disease,…

Jennifer Mefford joined the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) in February 2013. As the Senior Director of Corporate Relations, Mefford oversees all corporate engagement at the Foundation. Identifying mutual areas of collaboration, she engages companies with the PFF’s core programs including the biennial PFF Summit, PFF Care Center Network and PFF Patient Registry. Mefford is also…

• Professor of Radiology, Medicine and Biomedical Physics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA • Executive Vice Chairman, Department of Radiological Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA • Co-Director, Computer Vision and Imaging Biomarker Group, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA •…

Dr. Levy is the Parker B. Francis Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Chief of the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Division at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Levy’s laboratory aims to identify new pathways to resolve pulmonary inflammation, infection or injury through the roles of naturally-derived, specialized pro-resolving mediators, and to translate…

Dr. Wood has 20+ years of experience championing clinical imaging-based AI and predictive analytic solutions from concept through market acceptance. Dr. Wood is president and CEO of VIDALung.ai, a clinical AI company with focus on intelligent management of patients with or at risk of pulmonary disease. VIDA’s LungPrint AI solution identifies a unique patient profile…

Tonya Winders. MBA is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of Allergy & Asthma Network, the leading patient advocacy organization dedicated to ending the needless death and suffering due to asthma, allergies and related conditions. Tonya has over 18 years experience in leadership roles within the allergy and asthma industry. From sales and marketing…

Donna Appell is Executive Director of the HPS Network. Appell is a member of the ATS Public Advisory Roundtable (PAR) and received The ATS Public Service Award. In 2007, she was appointed to a two-year term as the Chairperson of ATS PAR and upon completion; she received three awards including the “Presidential Commendation”. In 2015,…

Mike Pieck is the Small Business Coordinator at the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute where he serves as the primary contact for the small business program (SBIR/STTR) and provides oversight and management of the $100M/year portfolio. He is also involved in developing a suite of support activities for early translational research across NHLBI. Prior…

One of the founders of the chILD Foundation and served as its first chairman. He remains active on the board and also serves on the American Thoracic Society Public Advisory Roundtable. Greg and his wife helped start the chILD Foundation to seek answers and hope for their son, Alexander “Alex” Porta, who was diagnosed with…

As Executive Director of FSR since 2012, Ginger Spitzer leads the implementation of a new strategic plan to support the Foundation’s mission and to raise vital funds in a cost-effective and time-efficient manner. Building on the Foundation’s previous successes, Ginger directs a comprehensive plan that both highlights and unifies the FSR’s multiple research and education…