GovCon Wire
Your Direct Source for Government Contracting News
Recorded on Wednesday, May 17, 2023 9:00am-11:00am EST Virtual, ON24
The healthcare sector has been dramatically and permanently transformed since the 2020 onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The critically important lessons we’ve learned over the past few years are now guiding technology investments, accelerating modernization, informing the policy landscape and ultimately shaping the future of healthcare.
Today’s healthcare organizations are updating their legacy systems and modernizing their enterprise IT infrastructure to keep pace with new and ever-changing needs as global health continues its tumultuous evolution. AI/ML, robotics and other emerging technologies are opening up new possibilities for propelling the healthcare system into a digitally-driven and technologically-enabled era of progress.
GovCon Wire’s Healthcare IT Forum brings together the country’s foremost healthcare experts, government officials and industry leaders in dynamic discussions about the progress made, the remaining hurdles and the opportunities on the horizon for American healthcare technology and IT.
With more than 25 years in the technology and health informatics fields, Jason Bonander has been serving as CDC’s Deputy Chief Information Officer since 2019. In this capacity he directs global IT and cyber operations across OCIO in support of CDC’s mission. Prior to becoming Deputy CIO, Jason led public health informatics for CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Promotion. In this role he optimized the center’s technology portfolio, establishing modern and innovative platforms in support of all aspects of public health practice. Notable was the early adoption of a SaaS platform for grantee post-award engagement and a standards-based national population health informatics framework. Prior to coming to CDC in the fall of 2001, Jason worked in technology consulting and public health education. As a senior information architect, he designed a wide variety of customer-centered interactive solutions across retail, biotech, automotive, and financial industries. At Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, he designed and supported an early version of the distance learning platform for the school’s online Career Masters in Public Health. Jason has an unconventional educational background for a senior executive technologist. Before finding his career in technology and public service, Jason studied to become a cultural anthropologist. He received a BA in Anthropology from California State University and an MA in Medical Anthropology from Brown University with fieldwork experience in Northern California with migrant populations and Central American with Belizean health professionals.
Vid Desai is a seasoned technology leader with more than 30 years of experience in the information technology (IT) field, and healthcare and life sciences industries. He has previous experience working for large pharmaceutical and medical device companies, and clinical research organizations (CRO). As the FDA’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) in the newly-established Office of Digital Transformation (ODT), Mr. Desai sets and leads the agency’s IT strategy, as well as the agency’s enterprise IT, data management, and cybersecurity. The ODT team oversees the overall FDA IT spend of more than $750M and a staff of around 2,500 employees and contractors. Prior to being named CIO, Mr. Desai served as the FDA’s Chief Technology Officer, overseeing day-to-day technology operations as the leader of the Office of Information Management and Information Technology. Prior to joining the FDA, Mr. Desai held the CIO roles at Vyaire Medical, a respiratory medical device company formed from a divestiture from Becton Dickinson. He was CIO at Endochoice, a GI device and services provider, and Lake Region Medical, which was acquired by Greatbach to form Integer, a medical device, outsource manufacturer. His previous experience includes IT leadership roles with large CRO and pharmaceuticals, including Quintiles Transnational, where he served as executive director, Global IT Infrastructure. Prior to Quintiles, Mr. Desai held several leadership positions of increasing responsibility with GlaxoSmithKline. He started his career in IT as a software engineer at Digital Equipment Corporation in Reading, U.K. Mr. Desai holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (first class with honors) from Royal Holloway College, University of London.
Dr. Susan Coller Monarez is a globally recognized leader with more than 20 years of experience in health innovation. Throughout her career, Monarez has focused on understanding the critical challenges within the health ecosystem and the greatest opportunities for innovation to meet these challenges. Prior to serving as ARPA-H deputy director, Monarez led innovation at the Health Resources and Services Administration, focused on ethical use of AI/ML to support improved health outcomes, novel approaches to addressing social determinants of health, expanding access to behavioral health, ending the opioid epidemic, addressing health equity gaps in maternal and infant mortality, and improving the country’s organ donation and transplantation programs. Monarez has also served at the White House as the assistant director for National Health Security and International Affairs in the Office of Science and Technology Policy and as the director of Medical Preparedness Policy on the National Security Council. In both White House roles, she led efforts to enhance the nation’s biomedical innovation capabilities including combating antibiotic resistant bacteria and MDR/XDR TB, expanding telehealth and remote patient monitoring, establishing safeguards to ensure personal health data privacy, and improving pandemic preparedness. Monarez led the development of several Presidential-level national strategies, action plans, and policy directives related to domestic and global health. Monarez also served in leadership positions at the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency within the Department of Homeland Security and the Biomedical Advanced Research Projects Agency within HHS. In addition to leadership roles within the federal government, Monarez has served on numerous advisory panels, including for the National Academies of Science, the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Monarez has also served as the U.S. representative on several international cooperative initiatives including with the European Union, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom in bilateral and multilateral engagements. Monarez was a Science and Technology Policy fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Prior to government service, Monarez was a postdoctoral fellow and graduate student, respectively, at Stanford University and the University of Wisconsin, where she focused on technology development to prevent, diagnose, and treat infectious diseases with a focus on people living in low- and middle-income countries.
Colonel Bobby Saxon, USA Retired, is the Deputy Director for the CMS Office of Information Technology. Previously, he served as the CMS Acting Director for CMS Enterprise Preparedness & Response Operations and as the Chief Technology Officer for Healthcare.gov. Colonel Saxons education includes a MS in Government Information Leadership, w/CIO concentration; and a BBA in Management. Additionally, Bobby was the AFCEA Distinguished Graduate from the National Defense University CIO Leadership Development Program. Colonel Saxon is the recipient of the 2019 FCW Fed 100 award, FedScoop 50 Federal Leadership Award, and the CIO Magazine “Ones to Watch” Award. His military recognition includes the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Combat Action Badge, and Airborne and Air Assault wings.
Prior to Core4ce, Jack served as the Deputy Chief Information Officer for Cybersecurity and the Chief Information Security Officer for the Department of Defense (DoD), where he was the senior official responsible for the cybersecurity of the Department of Defense. Prior to this role, Jack was detailed to the White House, and served as the Principal Assistant Director for National Security and International Affairs within the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP) where he led a team of experts to define whole-of-government policy on a wide range of national security topics, including the Nation’s nuclear weapons posture, infectious diseases, bio/chem threats and security, quantum information sciences, artificial intelligence, and National Security/Emergency Preparedness communications infrastructure. Jack also served in the White House, the Department of Homeland Security, and the DoD in various other executive leadership roles. These roles include serving as the Vice Director for the 1200+ person, $1B+ organization responsible for development, acquisition, and evolution of all new capabilities provided by Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and running the 275+ person, $600M+ organization responsible for DISA’s cyber defense capabilities. Before serving in the Federal Government, Jack served 10+ years in the industry in various software engineering, program management, and executive leadership roles, culminating with his role as a Vice President at FGM, Inc., where he ran all aspects of FGM’s DoD work. Jack graduated with honors from Princeton University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree in Computer Science. Jack received the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service in 2016 and serves on the Executive Advisory Council for the Washington, DC chapter of the Armed Forces and Communications Electronics Association (AFCEA).
9:00am - 9:05am EST
Welcome and Introductions
9:05am - 9:45am EST
Keynote: Vidyut Desai
Keynote Introducer: Bobby Saxon
9:45am - 10:45am EST
Beyond Modernization, Whats Next for Innovation? Panel: Jason Bonander, Dr. Susan Monarez, Bobby Saxon (Moderator) and Jack Wilmer
10:45am - 11:00am EST
Closing Comments
