22nd Annual Columbia Business School
Healthcare Conference
Friday, February 6, 2026
David Geffen Hall
645 West 130th Street
New York, NY 10027
For the past 22 years, Columbia Business School has been committed to fostering a critical and transformative dialogue about the future of healthcare.
Join us this February to celebrate over two decades of engaging discussions with thought leaders at the cutting edge of healthcare.
Thank you to our sponsors:
2026 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
President and Chief Executive Officer, Dexcom
Moderator:
Chief Strategy Officer, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Moderator:
Cain Brothers and Company Professor of Healthcare Management; Faculty Director of HPM Program, Columbia Business School
Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, Pfizer
2026 PANELS
Rethinking Access: The Role of the Private Sector in the Future of the Global HIV Response
How public-private collaboration can shape the future of HIV care amid shifting global funding, bringing together voices from biopharma, policy, advocacy, and foundations to discuss sustaining innovation and access.
Featuring: Jared Baeten (Gilead Sciences) | Mitchell Warren (AVAC) | Charles Knirsch (Parasites Without Borders)
Moderated by: Waafa El-Sadr, MD, MPH, MPA (Columbia Mailman School of Public Health)
Consumer and Healthcare Convergence: The New Role of Wearables
How consumer wearables are moving into the clinical space, what’s driving that shift, and how it’s transforming both medicine and everyday health.
Featuring: Reha Jhunjhunwala (WHOOP) | Jason Oberfest (ŌURA) | Tess Finkel (CBS ‘20, EmblemHealth) | Izzati Zabidin (Kohler Ventures)
Moderated by: Eva Steinman (Andreessen Horowitz)
Data to Decisions: AI at the Core of Biotech and Pharma Commercialization
How AI is transforming the day-to-day tasks involved in Pharma Commercialization, what tools are currently being used, and where practitioners and technologists are noticing future trends.
Featuring: Daniyal Hussain (CBS ‘19, GSK) | Marina Orlova (CBS ‘15, Merck) | Sachin Nanavati (CBS ‘10, OpenEvidence) | Gaurav Kandhari (ValueDo Life Sciences Consulting)
Moderated by: Maqbul Jamil, PhD (Merck, Columbia Business School)
Headwinds in the Medicare Advantage Market: Managing Care and Costs
How stakeholders are navigating recent Medicare market and policy challenges to sustain access, quality, and affordability
Featuring: Brian Kane (Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe) | Renee Buckingham (CenterWell Senior Primary Care)
Moderated by: Ipsita Smolinski (CBS/Mailman ‘02, Capitol Street)
OTHER CONFERENCE EVENTS
Pre-Conference Reception
Join us for the Pre-Conference Networking Reception on Thursday, February 5, at 6:30pm at Versa Rooftop (218 W 35th St, New York, NY 10001).
Drinks and light bites provided.
Tickets not included with purchase of conference ticket. Purchase your ticket to the pre-conference reception here.
Post-Conference Reception
All conference attendees are invited to stay after the final keynote speaker for our Post-Conference Networking Reception at 5:30-6:30pm in David Geffen Hall.
Drinks and light bites provided.
Case Competition: Quantifying Impact in Health Equity
Sponsored by UnitedHealth Group (UHG).
Please join us on conference day, 1:15-2:30pm, to support MBA student teams in sharing their proposed approaches to quantity health equity impact.
Teams will offer competing frameworks for UHG to evaluate health equity investment opportunities, with a focus on return on investment (ROI).
Innovation Exposition + Book Signing
22+ early-stage companies will be on campus on conference day, 1:00-2:30pm, to network with fellow healthcare professionals, leaders, and students.
Halle Tecco will also be signing copies of her new book, Massively Better Healthcare.
Learn more about the Innovation Expo here.
Learn more about Halle’s book signing here.
We Look Forward To Meeting You!
Co-hosted by the Healthcare Industry Association (HCIA) and the Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Management Program, the annual Columbia Business School Healthcare Conference brings together students, faculty, and professionals to explore the ongoing opportunities and challenges facing the global healthcare industry. The conference attracts practitioners, faculty, and students from Columbia and other top-tier professional schools. We’re thrilled to have industry leaders discuss the most salient issues and trends in healthcare as well as network with conference attendees.
