BMES2025 Featured Events

Mice, or Microfluidics? Humanizing Biomedical Research with “NAMs”

Research and development in chronic inflammatory diseases – which often skew female – is hindered by the use of poorly representative animal models for disease mechanisms and therapeutic validation. The animal-human gaps, especially in immunology, have spurred two concurrent technological developments that are now merging: systems biology/immunology analysis of patients, and microphysiological systems (aka “organs on chips”, or living patient avatars). The NIH, which now refers to these approaches as “Novel Approach Methods” (NAMs) has launched  the “Complement-ARIE” (Complement Animal Research In Experimentation) program to bolster technology development and deployment in this merger. Gynecology presents fascinating opportunities for setting the performance bar for new technologies that will have broad applicability in all of biomedical research, as illustrated the case study in drug development for endometriosis, where control of steroid hormones is essential for physiology.

Katie Orenstein, CEO of the OpEd Project
“Write to Change the World” from 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Ms. Orenstein, the founder and CEO of the OpEd project is a successful author and dynamic communicator, who will explore with the group what it means to be an expert. Participants will have time to explore ideas about credibility, authority, and knowledge. “Write To Change the World” is a discovery-based interrogation of authority and knowledge. It walks participants through a method for changing hearts and minds. The world becomes more intelligent when we access all our intelligence. The OpEd Project believes that the best ideas, no matter where they come from, should have a chance to be heard and to change the world. 

Dr. Tepring Piquado, CEO of the National Science Policy Network
“Beyond the Paper: Science Communication as a Tool for Making an Impact” from 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM

Dr. Tepring Piquado will teach participants how to best target their outreach and science communication for maximum impact. Scientists produce knowledge that can transform communities, economies, and the environment—yet too often that knowledge stays within academic circles. This session explores how to go beyond publishing papers and effectively communicate science to influence policy. We’ll discuss strategies for tailoring your message to policymakers and the public; building trust and credibility; and framing complex findings in ways that drive real-world decisions. Whether you’re new to science communication or looking to refine your approach, you’ll leave with practical tools and inspiring examples to help your research shape policies that matter.
Dr. Piquado is a seasoned policy researcher, government relations expert, and science advisor whose work bridges the worlds of science, technology, and public policy. She currently serves as CEO of the National Science Policy Network, where she leads efforts to connect STEM researchers with opportunities to inform evidence-based policymaking. She has served as a consultant, lobbyist, and government relations specialist, working with local, state, and federal officials and nonprofit leaders to translate research into actionable policy. At RAND Corporation, she led research projects supporting evidence-based decisions at every level of government and taught ethics and policy design at the RAND Graduate School of Public Policy. Dr. Piquado holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in neuroscience from Brandeis University and a B.S. in computer science from Georgetown University. 

Taya Cassens is a Senior Principal Systems Technology Engineer at Medtronic, where she develops next-generation technologies for cardiac implantable devices, focusing on novel strategies for diagnosing, pacing, and protecting patients with arrhythmias. She has contributed across the medical device lifecycle, including 6 years at Medtronic working on deep brain stimulation, heart valves, defibrillation, and diagnostic devices, and earlier in her career supported military power generation systems with Cummins and structural heart innovation at Boston Scientific.

Taya holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri, Kansas City and dual M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Systems Engineering from the University of St. Thomas. She is also a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Minnesota.

Taya is also a leader with the Society of Women in Engineering and has been deeply involved with outreach to University partners in the United States and beyond. Taya is connected with other thought leaders at Medtronic who interact with overseas entities that link government-universities and for-profits like Medtronic.

Ishita Das, PhD, is a director on the Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC) team at Milken Institute Strategic Philanthropy, where she leads cross-disciplinary projects. Her expertise lies in biomedical research, science policy, stakeholder engagement, workforce diversity, strategic planning, and project management. At the Milken Institute, she applies this knowledge to guide philanthropic investments to have a meaningful impact on science and health. Das advises philanthropists and foundations and implements strategies to deploy philanthropic capital to advance health research priorities. Previously, Das was at a management consulting firm, where she led cross-functional teams to implement science and health initiatives for federal agencies, nonprofits, and public-private partnerships, including the National Institutes of Health, the Office for Human Research Protections, the National Human Genome Research Institute, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Das received her bachelor's degree in biology from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and her doctorate in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Dr. Daniel Kraft is a Stanford and Harvard-trained physician-scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, and innovator. With over 25 years of experience in clinical practice, biomedical research and healthcare innovation, Kraft has served as faculty chair for Medicine at Singularity University since its inception in 2008, and in 2011 founded NextMed Health (previously called Exponential Medicine) a program and community that explores convergent, rapidly developing technologies and their potential in biomedicine and healthcare. He serves as Chair of the XPRIZE Pandemic & Health Alliance.

Following undergraduate degrees from Brown University and medical school at Stanford, Daniel was Board Certified in both Internal Medicine & Pediatrics after completing a Harvard residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital & Boston Children's Hospital, and fellowships in hematology, oncology, and bone marrow transplantation at Stanford.

Daniel is a member of the Inaugural class of the Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellowship and is member of the Kauffman Fellows Society. He is a managing partner with Continuum Health Ventures which is focused on funding early stage health tech companies enabling the democratization of health and improved healthspan for all.

He is often called upon to speak to the future of health, medicine and technology and has given four TED and two TEDMED Talks and has delivered keynotes to a diverse array of organizations.

He has multiple scientific publications (including in Nature and Science) and medical device, immunology, and stem cell-related patents through NIH-funded faculty positions with Stanford University School of Medicine and as clinical faculty for the pediatric bone marrow transplantation service at the University of California San Francisco.

Daniel's academic research has focused on: stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, stem cell-derived immunotherapies for cancer, bioengineering human T-cell differentiation, and humanized animal models. His research has been published in journals that include Nature and Science. His clinical work has focused on: bone marrow & hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for malignant and non-malignant diseases in adults and children, medical devices to enable stem cell based regenerative medicine.

He is heavily involved in digital health, founded Digital.Health, is on the board of Healthy.io and advises several Fortune-50 and digital health-related startups. Daniel recently founded IntelliMedicine, focused on personalized, data-driven, precision medicine. He is also the inventor of the MarrowMiner, an FDA-approved device for the minimally invasive harvest of bone marrow, and founded RegenMed Systems, a company developing technologies to enable adult stem cell-based regenerative therapies.

Daniel is an avid pilot and has served in the Massachusetts and California Air National Guard as an officer and flight surgeon with F-15 & F-16 fighter Squadrons. He has conducted research on aerospace medicine that was published with NASA, with whom he was a finalist for astronaut selection.

During an interactive session, participants will explore the following topics:

• Introduction to tools used for AI-based data processing

• Detection of seizure in EEG using a time-frequency-based convolutional neural network

• Classification of brain MRI using deep learning

• Optimization of signal source separation algorithm using a convolutional neural network

Reza Fazel-Rezai, Ph.D., Senior Science and Education Application Engineer, MathWorks

Dr. Reza Fazel-Rezai, with a Ph.D. and MS in Biomedical Engineering and a BS in Electrical Engineering, brings over two decades of experience in both industry and academia. As a senior research scientist, research team manager, and the founding Director and tenured full Professor of Biomedical Engineering, he has extensive expertise and background in the field.  Dr. Fazel-Rezai has authored more than 200 scientific publications, edited and published seven books, and pursued diverse research interests in biomedical signal and image processing, particularly through machine learning and deep learning methods. Passionate about leveraging and sharing his skills to help others achieve their goals, he currently serves as an ABET PEV for Biomedical Engineering, works part-time as an instructor at UC San Diego, and is a full-time Senior Science and Education Application Engineer at MathWorks.