David Eilers | Entrepreneurship & Innovation

David is an enterprise leader focused on the convergence of technology development, innovation process, strategic alliances and market adoption. His executive responsibilities cover corporate strategy, venture funding, technology transfer agreements and mergers and acquisitions totaling over $1 Billion.

Beginning his career in 1995 in Marketing & Advertising at Eric Mower & Associates, David led the agency team that launched the first video endoscope for Welch Allyn Medical, targeting Primary Care and Specialty Physicians to incentivize training and adoption of a new cancer diagnostic device. In 1998, as VP Of Marketing for B.G. Sulzle, he was responsible for diversifying revenue mix with Top 20 global customers by negotiating annual supply agreements and technology licensing, accelerating the growth of the family-owned and operated B2B medical device manufacturer.

David has held VP-level positions for InterV Medical Group, Angiotech Pharmaceuticals and Blue Highway, where he has been responsible for product development, revenue growth, new venture creation, opportunity assessment and research & development.

From 2013 to 2016, David served as Director Of Strategic Development for AARP/Life Reimagined Institute for Innovation, focused on improving health and wellness of 50 Million Americans through a continuum of digital and live event experiences. His responsibilities included strategic growth & innovation, new market success, new product development, commercial partnerships and thought leadership.

David is currently an Adjunct Professor at the Whitman School Of Management at Syracuse University, an Innovation Advisor to the American Hospital Association (AHA) and on the Board Of Directors, Lexington Wellness Holdings for CoachCare product platform. His focus is on corporate entrepreneurship and the adoption of novel therapies through an agile development process.

David holds a Bachelor Of Science from Syracuse University.

linkedin.com/in/davidjeilers/

Jim Laird | Life Sciences

Jim has devoted much of his career to the Life Sciences industry having served in leadership positions in pharmaceutical, medical device, information technology and talent acquisition companies. Initially in pharmaceutical sales at SmithKline (now GlaxoSmithKline plc) and later in 1995 founding Jekeme International, he specialized in identifying and executing business growth strategies for early-stage and middle-market Life Sciences organizations.

In September 2001, he co-founded ParagonRx, a marketing services business focused on the design and implementation of programs for complex drugs, eventually becoming the industry leader in the creation of FDA sanctioned REMS programs. In 2005 Jim joined the startup executive search firm Ashton Tweed, where he created and branded The Life Sciences Talent Bank, connecting executive level industry veterans with clients.

Jim created BioPortUSA in 2007 to assist foreign-based Life Sciences firms establish market entry into the USA. With the resurgence of the global economy in 2017, BioPortUSA identifies a new generation of innovative medical technologies around the world that can have a positive impact on the US healthcare system.

Jim holds a Masters Of Business Administration in International Marketing and a Bachelor Of Science degree in Pharmacology from the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada.

linkedin.com/in/jimlaird/

Karsten Risch | Chief Medical Officer

Karsten is the CMO at Evoke Group and a member of the Global Executive Leadership team where he manages a leading group of medical directors in New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and London. Prior to Evoke he was the Chief Medical Officer of Havas Health & You, a leading global healthcare communications group, where he implemented standard medical approaches across the organization and, over ten years, organically grew the department by more than 600%. 

As a scholar of the German National Merit Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes) he studied medicine and musicology in Germany and France (Göttingen, Heidelberg, and Paris) and holds an MD and a PhD (anthropology and human genetics) from Heidelberg University. After his medical and scientific training, Karsten joined Schering AG (now Bayer HealthCare) in Berlin and worked as global product manager in women's health.

For 25 years he has been working in New York City in management consulting, strategic planning, and medical direction in healthcare communications in groups like Greyhealth Group and Lowe Healthcare. His interest in healthcare policy and management brought him to the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, New York, where he completed his MPH. In 2018 and 2019, Karsten will be the chairman of the Coalition for Healthcare Communications, that represents organizations dedicated to protecting and promoting health information that is accurate, credible, and accessible to all.

He is a frequent guest lecturer at Columbia Business School, Columbia School of Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, and Farleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey.

Jack Rudnick | Law

Jack has spent his career practicing law in the Life Sciences and Technology sectors. Beginning in 1992, he served as VP General Counsel for 16 years at Welch Allyn. He then founded Blue Highway, a spin off of Welch Allyn in 2008 where he served as Senior VP, Government & Legal Affairs, managing all legal manners and IP strategy to obtain grants and financing for selected projects.

In October 2012, Jack became affiliated with Barclay Damon to offer broader assistance to new companies in the emerging technology space, addressing legal issues and considerations associated with commercializing technology.

Jack currently is a Professor of Practice, Director of NY Science & Technology Law Center, College of Law at Syracuse University, where he teaches the law and the process relating to the commercialization of technology. He guides students in the Technology Commercialization Law Program, taking on real clients with a product or service and conducts research to assist them with their business plans and go to market strategy.

Since January 2017, he has been the Principal of ICIP Consulting, a research services and consulting company that delivers efficient, timely and cost-effective analysis to help companies make winning decisions on commercialization strategy for early stage technologies. ICIP’s services include intellectual property research, patent landscapes, regulatory considerations, market assessments and competition reports.

Jack holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence in Law from Syracuse University College Of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science/History from Middlebury College.

linkedin.com/in/jack-rudnick-31505511/