Transatlantic Innovation Forum: Healthcare & Life Sciences

Agenda  

10:00–10:15 | Welcome & Opening Remarks 

Representatives from Joachim Herz Foundation, DWIH SF/NY, and German Consulate General Atlanta 

Sabine Kunst, Chair of the Executive Board of the Joachim Herz Foundation 

Melanie Moltmann, Consul General of Germany in Atlanta 

10:15 | Introductions 

Zahar Barth-Manzoori, Director of the German Center for Research and Innovation San Francisco  

Jan Lüdert, Head of Programs, German Center for Research and Innovation New York 

10:30–11:15 | Opening Panel:  Health Innovation in an Age of Uncertainty: Transatlantic Perspectives 

Baha Zeidan, Founder and CEO of Azalea Health 

Julia Kubanek, Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research at Georgia Tech, Professor in the School of Biological Sciences and the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry.  

Moderators:  

Angela Gill Nelms, Founder & CEO of The AGN Group, Director of Biolocity 

Elizabeth Harrison, Managing Partner of Boling Harrison & Company, LLC  

11:15-11:30 | Break  

11:30–12:45 | Workshop Block I: Parallel Breakout Sessions  

A.) AI in Healthcare: From Hype to Implementation 

Bridging academic innovation and healthcare systems 

Focus on SMEs and public-private partnership potential 

Fiona Kolbinger, Research Assistant Professor, Purdue University, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering 

Aygün Sahin, NeuroHyperSensitivity™ Founder, CEO & Founder of Cancer Education and Research Institute® 

Moderator: Angela Gill Nelms 

B.) Precision Public Health: Scaling Population-Level Impact 

Leveraging big data while addressing ethical and regulatory challenges 

Juliane Boenecke, researcher at Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg 

Anette Wu, Associate professor in the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University 

Moderator: Elizabeth Harrison 

12:45–14:00 | Networking Lunch & Innovation Walkthrough 

Thematic lunch tables  

14:00–15:15 | Workshop Block II: Parallel Breakout Sessions  

A.) Strategic Risk-Taking in Health Innovation 

Navigating uncertainty in academic, commercial, and policy environments 

Tools for mentoring and capacity-building across borders 

Eric DeJesus, Founder and CEO of Annate Bitherapeutics, Inc. Adjunct Faculty; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cellular Biology at The University of Georgia. 

Elizabeth Jennings, Principal, Venture Atlas Labs 

Moderator: Angela Gill Nelms 

B.) Transatlantic Collaboration in Practice: What Works, What Doesn’t 

Interactive session with past and current project leaders  

Focus on what needs to change to enable more fluid cooperation 

Aygün Sahin, NeuroHyperSensitivity™ Founder, CEO & Founder of Cancer Education and Research Institute® 

Justine Lottermoser, Manager of Career and Professional Development, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University 

Moderator: Elizabeth Harrison 

15:15–15:45 | Coffee Break & Group Photo 

15:45–16:45 | Cross-Sector Roundtable: Translating Health Innovation Across Borders 

Summary of key insights from the workshops 

16:45–17:15 | Closing Session: Outcomes & Outlook 

Concrete ideas for follow-up formats and bilateral initiatives 

Vision for future forums and sustained engagement in the Southeast 

Moderators: 

Zahar Barth-Manzoori and Jan Lüdert 

17:30 | Evening Reception