Boston, MA - June 21 to 23, 2023

Boston, MA - June 21 to 23, 2023

21Jul

Kevin Babington

Kevin Babington

Irish Olympic Equestrian
Spinal Injury Survivor

Irish Olympian Kevin Babington is well known for his results and talent in the show jumping ring, but Kevin is much more than just a competition rider; he’s a dedicated coach to his students and never stops seeking to improve his own depth of knowledge. Kevin is very good at sharing his expertise with his students, picking up on the finest details and effectively explaining his theories and mastery of the sport. In his latest endeavors Kevin has expanded his teaching from in person lessons to also teaching virtually, using different forms of live videoing.

His teaching schedule keeps him very busy, but he also is still very involved in the sales industry. Kevin has a keen eye for horse and rider matches, and has paired many successful partnerships over the years. He has contacts all over the world, making him a valuable asset when horse shopping.

To round out his many skills and duties, Kevin is honored to be a selector on the High Performance Committee for Team Ireland’s show jumping teams.

Thomas H. Marshburn, M.D.

Thomas H. Marshburn, M.D.Emergency Room Physician, NASA Astronaut, and AquanautDr. Marshburn was selected by NASA in 2004. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Davidson College, North Carolina; a Masters in Engineering Physics from the University of Virginia; a Doctorate of Medicine from Wake Forest University; and a Masters in Medical Science from the University of Texas Medical Branch. The North Carolina native is a veteran of two spaceflights, STS-127 and Expedition 34/35.Before […]

Sameer Nagda, M.D., M.B.A.

Sameer Nagda, M.D., M.B.A.2021 and 2016, United States Olympic Women’s Soccer Team – Team Physician2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion, Team USA – Team PhysicianFellowship Trained Sports Medicine Surgeon – Knee, Shoulder, ElbowDr. Sameer Nagda is a Sports Medicine and shoulder specialist at the Anderson Clinic, and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery at Georgetown University School of Medicine. He evaluates and surgically treats problems of the knee, shoulder, and elbow. He has particular […]

Richard Sacra, M.D.

Richard Sacra, M.D.Humanitarian Physician and Ebola SurvivorDr. Sacra has served as a medical missionary in Liberia, West Africa, since 1995. His many contributions include caring for patients; training nurses, medical students and interns; leadership development; and helping to increase the hospital’s response to HIV and AIDS, including starting a counselling program for patients living with the virus. He is also helping to develop a Christian Family Practice Residency training program for Liberian doctors. Despite his […]

Pardis Sabeti, M.D., Ph.D.

Pardis Sabeti, M.D., Ph.D.Associate Professor, Harvard School of Public Health InstituteMember of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MITDr. Sabeti is a computational geneticist who has created some of the most widely used algorithms to mine genomes for instances of human adaptation and created powerful molecular tools to clarify their biology. In 2014, she was named a TIME magazine “Person of the Year” as an Ebola fighter and in 2015 was one of TIME’s 100 […]

21Jul

Emily Gavigan

Emily Gavigan

Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis Survivor

Emily Gavigan was diagnosed with Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis in 2010 during her junior year at the University of Scranton, after over a year of misdiagnoses. She went on to graduate with a double major in English literature and business management in December 2012. She holds a master’s degree in publishing from Rosemont College and works as a technical writer at Sanofi Pasteur. Ms. Gavigan is passionate about spreading awareness of autoimmune encephalitis so that no one else has to go undiagnosed for as long as she did.

Richard Sacra, M.D.

Richard Sacra, M.D.Humanitarian Physician and Ebola SurvivorDr. Sacra has served…

21Jul

Florent Groberg, U.S. Army Captain (Ret.)

Florent Groberg, U.S. Army Captain (Ret.)

Recipient, 2015 Congressional Medal of Honor

U.S. Army Captain Florent Groberg (ret.), recipient of the Medal of Honor, the nation’s top award for valor in combat is the 10th living American to receive the Medal of Honor for actions since the attacks on September 11, 2001. Captain Groberg joined the Army in 2008 and was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado, as a platoon leader. In 2009, he deployed to Afghanistan as part of Task Force Lethal. Returning home in 2010, he continued to serve as a platoon leader. In 2012, he was deployed again with Task Force Mountain Warrior as captain and was selected to serve as the personal security detail detachment commander for his colonel, now-Brig. Gen. James Mingus.

In a 2012 heroic mission to stop a suicide bomber, Captain Groberg sustained the loss of 45% to 50% of his left calf muscle with significant nerve damage, a blown eardrum, and a mild traumatic brain injury. He spent nearly three years recovering and was medically retired as a captain in 2015.

Richard Sacra, M.D.

Richard Sacra, M.D.Humanitarian Physician and Ebola SurvivorDr. Sacra has served…

21Jul

Nicole Hall, R.N.

Nicole Hall, R.N.

Maternal Mortality Survivor

Nicole Hall, R.N., is a small town Texas girl born and raised in the panhandle. In 2007, Nicole met her husband at West Texas A&M University, where she studied Nursing, and they became college sweethearts. Since marrying in 2014, they now have three beautiful children; Harper (9), Hadley (4), and Haxton (2). She has been a registered nurse for 8 years working in pediatric ICU and post anesthesia care. Since surviving an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) with her last child, she started a program called “Before You Push” where she has worked with a dozen women educating them on their pregnancy and delivery.

Richard Sacra, M.D.

Richard Sacra, M.D.Humanitarian Physician and Ebola SurvivorDr. Sacra has served…

21Jul

Doug Lindsay

Doug Lindsay

“The Man Who Invented a Surgery to Cure Himself”
Founder, Doug Says

Doug Lindsay got sick at age 21 with a rare autonomic-adrenal condition. He spent the next 11 years home- and bed-bound until he figured out what was wrong, developed novel treatments to keep his condition at bay, and eventually developed the innovative surgery used to fix him. During his 14-year medical journey, he worked with 35 senior faculty at 28 institutions, developed new uses for five existing prescription drugs, won a first national court case protecting patients’ rights, and developed the concept for the two successful, innovative adrenal surgeries used to treat his case. Once he recovered his health, Mr. Lindsay returned to Rockhurst University and finished his biology degree. Now, Mr. Lindsay is a nationally recognized speaker on the role of hope and character in innovation and life. Mr. Lindsay also provides in-depth personal medical consulting services to a small number of rare disease and complex condition patients who’ve found themselves trapped in the medical system.

Richard Sacra, M.D.

Richard Sacra, M.D.Humanitarian Physician and Ebola SurvivorDr. Sacra has served…

21Jul

Larry Hester

Larry Hester

Recipient of the Argus II Bionic Eye

Larry Hester was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa when he was in his early 30s. The degenerative disease blinds patients, and at the time of his diagnosis, there were no known treatments. Mr. Hester is one of several people in the United States to have a bionic eye – an Argus II Retinal Prosthesis Device. The implanted device sends light signals to his brain, allowing him to see for the first time in 33 years. Mr. Hester is eager to provide researchers with information they can use to further enhance the technology so that future generations of patients will benefit from his pioneering effort.

Richard Sacra, M.D.

Richard Sacra, M.D.Humanitarian Physician and Ebola SurvivorDr. Sacra has served…

21Jul

Carmen Blandin Tarleton

Carmen Blandin Tarleton

Recipient of one of the world’s first full-face transplants

On June 10, 2007, Carmen Blandin Tarleton’s estranged husband broke into her rural Vermont home, beat her with a baseball bat, and doused her with industrial-strength lye. Doctors called it “the most horrific injury a human being could suffer.”

Tarleton spent the next three and a half months in a medically induced coma, and when she awoke, it was to an unimaginable reality: she was blind and permanently disfigured, with burns covering more than eighty percent of her body. Her recovery would include weeks of painful rehab, dozens of surgeries, and total dependence on family, friends, and strangers for physical and financial care.

With so much taken away, no one could have anticipated what Tarleton would gain from her experience: an awakening. A purpose. Joy. By sharing her struggles and ultimate victory over a catastrophic loss, Tarleton proves that life is a choice—and, in the process, offers a rare glimpse into the best and worst corners of the human heart.

Richard Sacra, M.D.

Richard Sacra, M.D.Humanitarian Physician and Ebola SurvivorDr. Sacra has served…

21Jul

Rebecca Rosenberg

Rebecca Rosenberg

2020 Graduate, Bucknell University
Abell Fellow at the Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design

Rebecca Rosenberg first attended the Congress in 2015 with dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon. Instead, she discovered a new passion for biomedical engineering. In 2019, Rebecca founded ReBokeh, a medical technology startup working to develop assistive technologies for people with low vision. As a person with albinism, Rebecca has struggled with her vision throughout her life. ReBokeh’s products provide individuals with technology that is more personalized, more integrated, and an order of magnitude less expensive than other devices. Rebecca earned her Master’s degree and is now an Abell Fellow at the Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design.

Richard Sacra, M.D.

Richard Sacra, M.D.Humanitarian Physician and Ebola SurvivorDr. Sacra has served…

21Jul

Ruchit Patel

Ruchit Patel

2019 Graduate, The Johns Hopkins University
M.D. Candidate at Harvard Medical School

Ruchit Patel is a third-year medical student at Harvard Medical School. He completed his Bachelor’s in Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University in 2019. His work has crossed translational and clinical research domains, as he led projects evaluating nanotherapeutics for pediatric brain injury and strategies to enhance recovery following critical illness. He has presented at national and international meetings to push the conversation on critical care rehabilitation. Ruchit further was the curator of TEDxJHU, where he built close ties with communities in Baltimore City while creating a platform that elevated stories and empowered individuals. The intersection of clinical care, academic research, and medical communications continues to motivate him to think about health care interventions that are both impactful and equitable.

Richard Sacra, M.D.

Richard Sacra, M.D.Humanitarian Physician and Ebola SurvivorDr. Sacra has served…

21Jul

Lewis Hall

Lewis Hall

Final Year Medical School Student

Lewis is a Final Year medical student in the UK, with aspirations of becoming a hepatopancreaticobiliary (HPB) and transplant surgeon. Alongside his medical degree Lewis has research interests in pancreatic cancer and other pancreatic diseases, presenting work nationally and internationally, and publishing in surgical journals. Before starting his journey through medical school and delving into the world of research, Lewis attended the Congress of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists. Lewis's talk will explore his journey after the Congress to where he is today.

Richard Sacra, M.D.

Richard Sacra, M.D.Humanitarian Physician and Ebola SurvivorDr. Sacra has served…