Marianne van der Steen, Ph.D.

Founder & CEO · Hummingbird Biomedical, Mayo Clinic Campus

Dr. van der Steen is a transatlantic life sciences entrepreneur, venture builder, and professor who has raised and mobilized over €500 million across ventures, funds, and public-private initiatives. She is Professor of Entrepreneurship in Healthcare at Maastricht University, and Founder & CEO of Hummingbird Biomedical Venture Studio (2024) on the Mayo Clinic campus in Arizona.

Previously, she co-founded REGMED XB (2016–2023), raised €250M and built deep ties with Harvard HSCI, Landmark Bio, and CIRM. She also co-founded the €10M pre-seed fund FIRST and secured €56M through the Dutch National Growth Fund.

Yao-Chuan Chang, Ph.D.

Principal System Engineer · Synchron

Dr. Chang leads system architecture, integration, and verification of next-generation Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) medical devices at Synchron. With 15+ years across biomedical engineering, neurostimulation, and neuroscience, his expertise covers the central, peripheral, and retinal nervous systems.

Prior to Synchron, he was Senior Biomedical/Neural Engineer at Medtronic and Staff Scientist at The Feinstein Institutes. He holds a Ph.D. in Bioengineering from USC and received the Synchron Decoder Whisperer Award FY25 and Medtronic Technical Excellence Award FY24.

Sheng-Hsiou (Shawn) Hsu, Ph.D.

Chief Technology Officer · Kura Care Inc.

Shawn leads development of a generative AI and machine learning platform for personalized digital health at Kura Care. He began his career at Google X, was a founding member of neurotechnology startup NextSense, and later served as Director of Data Science at Arctop, advancing brain-computer interfaces and human-AI interaction.

He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from NTU and a Ph.D. in Bioengineering from UC San Diego. He is passionate about mentoring through career coaching and how humans and AI can collaborate more effectively.

Chien-Cheng (Mike) Shih, Ph.D.

Data Scientist · Novartis Biomedical Research

Mike applies AI and computer vision to drug discovery across data modalities from cellular to medical imaging at Novartis in San Diego. He works closely with biologists and chemists to translate experimental questions into machine learning workflows, with a focus on phenotypic screening and image-based assays.

Previously a research scientist in image informatics at Washington University’s Center for Cellular Imaging (WUCCI). His current work pairs image foundation model benchmarking with multi-agent generative AI workflows. He holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Georgetown University.

Yi-Hsiang Hsu, Ph.D.

VP, Computational Biology & Human Genetics · ProFound Therapeutics & Harvard Medical School

Dr. Hsu is VP and Head of Computational Biology and Human Genetics at ProFound Therapeutics (Flagship Pioneering), with academic affiliations at the Marcus Institute for Aging Research, Harvard Medical School, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

With 15+ years of experience, he applies AI and bioinformatics to drug target discovery, clinical trial design, and patient stratification across oncology, autoimmune diseases, and cardiometabolic disorders. He has contributed to 11 IND submissions and has 200+ publications in NEJM, Cell, Nature, JAMA, and The Lancet.

Hsiao-Ling Hung, Ph.D., RAC

President · Taiwanese American Association of Biotechnology (TAAB)

Special Guest · Lunch Roundtable

Dr. Hung is a pharmaceutical regulatory consultant with nearly three decades of experience in biotech and pharmaceutical R&D. She advises companies in the U.S. and Taiwan on regulatory development strategies, product development, and licensing.

She previously served as SVP of Regulatory Affairs at Ambrx Biopharma, and held key leadership roles at Bristol Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson. She received her B.S. from National Taiwan University and her Ph.D. in Pathology and Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Chris Yoo

General Partner · Xcellerant Ventures

Dr. Chris Yoo is a serial entrepreneur and visionary within the healthcare and life science startup ecosystem, with 25+ years building companies at the forefront of the bioscience revolution. He has co-founded Systems Imagination (AI for drug discovery) and Systems Oncology, and successfully exited ventures including MedTrust Online, TransMed Partners, and LabBook.

He holds a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology and teaches at Arizona State and Grand Canyon Universities. As CEO of Yoo & Co Accelerators, he actively invests in Arizona Tech Investors, Canyon Angels, and InvestU angel networks.

Christopher K. Lee, MPH

Venture Partner · GoAhead Ventures

Christopher Lee is a healthcare and technology strategist who has worked across the full public health ecosystem — from community clinics to academic medical centers, from digital health startups to large health insurers — specializing in launching new products and services.

He is a venture partner at GoAhead Ventures and teaches at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. He is the author of The Five Elements of Professional Networking and has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, and Forbes.

Debbie W. Lin, Ph.D.

Venture Partner · T.Rx Capital

Dr. Debbie Lin has 20+ years of life science business leadership. She is VP for Strategic Collaborations at Caris Life Sciences and a venture partner at T.Rx Capital, building and incubating new companies and leading venture fundraising.

She spent 15 years at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma, serving as Executive Director for Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund and Global Director of Corporate Development. She is Adjunct Faculty at UCLA Anderson and holds degrees from Pomona College, Stanford, UCLA, and a Ph.D. from UCSF.

Christopher Korban

Co-Founder & CEO · Revilico Inc.

Christopher Korban leads development of an AI and physics-driven operating system for small molecule drug discovery at Revilico. His work has achieved a 10x reduction in experimental waste and 20x increase in high-throughput screening hit rates across the pharmaceutical industry.

His expertise spans quantum chemistry, machine learning potentials, and multi-omic analytics. Trained at UCLA, he has led the direct advancement of 14 therapeutic pipelines across pancreatic cancer, TNBC, IPF/MASH, and lifespan extension from target identification through lead optimization.

Kaushal Solanki, Ph.D.

Founder & CEO · Solan Health

Kaushal has spent 15+ years translating AI algorithms into real-world clinical impact. As former founder and CEO of Eyenuk, he led the development and FDA clearance of EyeArt, an autonomous AI system for diabetic retinopathy detection, establishing novel reimbursement pathways in the U.S. and internationally.

He is now building Solan Health, focused on clinical-grade AI for cardiovascular and cardio-kidney-metabolic health. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from UC Santa Barbara, with 80+ publications and 2,500+ citations.

Lauren Supraner

President · CAL Learning

Lauren Supraner is president of CAL Learning, an intercultural communication coaching and training company. Since founding CAL Learning in 2004, she has helped thousands improve their culture and language skills for success in the US workplace and on global teams.

She is the author of Accent Reduction for Chinese Speakers and has published in HR Magazine and Multilingual Magazine. She has lived and worked in Thailand and Japan. Client list includes Regeneron, Pfizer, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Colgate-Palmolive, Disney, and META.