Speakers (2024)

ALS Nexus features leading experts in the ALS community, including researchers, healthcare providers, advocates, and people living with ALS. Each brings unique perspectives and invaluable expertise to our discussions. Join us in 2025 as we share insights, ignite hope, and change the future of ALS. 

View 2024 Agenda

 
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Calaneet Balas
Calaneet Balas

President & CEO of the ALS Association

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Kwame
Kwame Adjepong, MD

Assistant Professor, Neurology & Palliative Medicine, University of California, San Francisco

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Arshia
Arshia Ahmad MD, MSc, MRCP, PhDc

Director, Medical Affairs at uniQure

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Dennis Akkaya
Dennis Akkaya

Chief Commercial Officer, MyTomorrows

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Eric Anderson
Eric Anderson, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, FAAN

VP of Clinical Operations and Care Delivery, Synapticure

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Stanley Appel, MD
Stanley Appel, M.D.

Director of the Ann Kimball & John W. Johnson Center for Cellular Therapeutics at Houston Methodist Center
and Director, Houston Methodist, ALS Association Certified Treatment Center of Excellence

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Suma Babu, M.P.H., M.B.B.S
Suma Babu, M.D., M.P.H., MBBS

Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School

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Alan Balch
Alan Balch, Ph.D.

CEO of Patient Advocate Foundation and National Patient Advocate Foundation

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Michael Benatar
Michael Benatar, MBChB, M.S., DPhil

Executive Director of The ALS Center at the University of Miami, ALS Association Certified Treatment Center of Excellence

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frank bennett
C. Frank Bennett, Ph.D.

Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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Megan Blackwell
Megan Blackwell, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator, Pison Technology Inc.

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Allison Bulat
Allison Bulat 

Strategic Advisor, Community Engagement at Northeast ALS Consortium

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Chelsey Carter
Chelsey Carter, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Assistant Professor of Public Health at Yale School of Public Health

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Don Cleveland
Don Cleveland, Ph.D.

Distinguished Professor and Chair at the University of California at San Diego

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John Costello MA, CCC-SLP
John Costello, M.A., CCC-SLP

Director, Jay S. Fishman ALS Augmentative Communication Program at Boston Children's Hospital

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Merit Cudkowicz
Merit Cudkowicz, M.D., MSc.

Chair of Neurology, Massachusetts General Brigham

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David Darragh
David Darragh

Managing Director, Team Gleason

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Kuldip Dave
Kuldip Dave, Ph.D.

Senior Vice President, Research at the ALS Association

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Trinity
Trinity Deibert, MS, CCC-SLP

SLP, AAC Specialist, Bridging Voice

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Brooke Eby
Brooke Eby

Person Living with ALS

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Larry Falivena
Larry Falivena

ALS Association Board of Trustees, Person Living with ALS

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Dean Feener
Dean Feener

Chief Information Officer, ALS Association

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Michelle Fredrick
Michelle Fredrick, PT, ATP

Manager, Equipment Assistive Technology, ALS Association

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Erin Fleming
Erin Fleming

Vice President, Research and Development at ProJenX

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Chris Gibbons
Chris Gibbons, Ph.D.

Senior Vice President at Smartbox Assistive Technology Ltd

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Andrea
Andrea Goodman

CEO, I AM ALS

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Kelly G Gwathmey, MD
Kelly G. Gwathmey, M.D.

Associate Professor of Neurology, Virginia Commonwealth University

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Elizabeth Harrington
Elizabeth Harrington, M.S.

Certified Genetic Counselor, Columbia University Neurological Institute

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Terry Heiman-Patterson
Terry Heiman-Patterson, M.D.

Director, Temple MDA/ALS Center of Hope and Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases at Temple University School of Medicine

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julie henry
Julie Henry

Caregiver

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mike henry
Mike Henry

Person Living with ALS

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Sharon Hesterlee
Sharon Hesterlee, Ph.D.

Chief Research Officer at Muscular Dystrophy Association

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Brenton Hill
Brenton W. Hill, JD, M.H.A

Head of Operations and General Counsel-Coalition, Health AI 

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Sandra Hinckley, Ph.D
Sandy Hinckley, Ph.D.

VP, Head of Discovery at QurAlis

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Kara Nett Hinkley
Kara Nett Hinkley, MPP

Vice President, State Policy, ALS Association

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Jennifer
Jennifer Hjelle

Chief Community Engagement Officer, ALS Association

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Leigh Hochberg, MD, PhD
Leigh Hochberg, M.D., Ph.D.

Director, Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery at Massachusets General Hospital

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Kim Holland
Kim Holland

Former Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner and ALS Advocacy Committee Member

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Kathleen Holt
Kathleen Holt, MBA, JD

Associate Director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy

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Ileana Howard
Ileana Howard, M.D.

Associate Director of Neurology for ALS, Veterans Health Administration

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Mike Ibarra
Mike Ibarra, M.D.

Person Living with ALS

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Justin Ichida
Justin Ichida, Ph.D.

VP, Head of Neuroscience Research at the University of Southern California

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Scott Kauffman
Scott Kauffman

Chair, ALS Association Board of Trustees

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Shelby Kinsey
Shelby Kinsey

Advocate and Person Living with ALS

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Stacey Kinsey
Stacey Kinsey

Advocate and Caregiver

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Melanie Lendnal
Melanie Lendnal, Esq.

Senior Vice President, Policy & Advocacy, ALS Association

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Alan
Dr. Alan Leshner

CEO, Emeritus of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

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leavitt
Nadejda Leavitt

Senior Director, AI for Healthcare & MedTech at IQVIA

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Eduardo Locatelli, MD, MPH
Eduardo Locatelli, M.D., M.P.H.

Medical Director, David and Cathy Husman Neuroscience Institute, NSU Health, ALS Association Certified Treatment Center of Excellence

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Claire MacAdam
Claire MacAdam, PT, NCS

Physical Therapist at Massachusetts General Hospital

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Chris
Chris McFarland ATP, CAPS

Director, Livable Homes, Lowe's Companies, Inc. 

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Laurie McFarren
Laurie McFarren

Manager, Education & Competencies at ALS Association

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Ambereen Kurwa Mehta, M.D., M.P.H
Ambereen Mehta, M.D., M.P.H., FAAHPM

Associate Professor, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

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Cory Mosley
Cory Mosley

- Veteran and Person Living with ALS

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Jennifer Myhre
Jennifer Myhre, MSSW, LICSW

Care Services Manager, the ALS Association

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Raul Nogueira
Raul G. Nogueira, MD

Endowed Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery Division Chief, Cerebrovascular Medicine Director at UPMC Stroke Institute

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John Novak
John Novak, M.D., MS

Neurologist and ALS Clinic Medical Director at OhioHealth

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Manish Raisinghani
Manish Raisinghani, M.B.B.S., Ph.D.

CEO of Target ALS

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Laura Ranum
Laura Ranum, Ph.D.

Kitzman Family Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at the University of Florida

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Jill Recker
Jill Recker, LMSW

Executive Director of Ascend Health

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Jeffrey Rothstein
Jeffrey Rothstein, M.D., Ph.D.

Director, Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins

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Tracy Sandy-Ali
Tracy Sandy-Ali, MPH, CRN, LPN

Vice President, Clinic Centers Program and Outreach, the ALS Association

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James Schorey
James Schorey

Chief Technology Officer of Control Bionics Inc.

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Jean Swidler
Jean Swidler

Executive Director of End the Legacy

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David Taylor
David Taylor, Ph.D.

Vice President, Research and Strategic Partnerships at ALS Society of Canada

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Jennifer
Jennifer Thompson

Executive Director, Hope Loves Company

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Christine Vande Velde
Christine Vande Velde, Ph.D.

Professor at the Université de Montréal

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Ashkan Vaziri
Ashkan Vaziri, Ph.D.

Founder and CEO of BioSensics

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Lauren Webb
Lauren Webb, LCSW

 Chief Advocacy and Outreach Officer, Les Turner Foundation

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Bernie Zipprich
Bernie Zipprich

Founder, Zipprich Ventures LLC, and ALS Association Board of Trustees Member

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