Kenya McGuire Johnson, PT, MA, CHC is an Assistant Professor and Manager for Student Personal & Professional Development for Undergraduate Studies, as well as Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the College of Health Sciences at RUSH University. Her professional background is in higher education, specifically within health professions education, as faculty, and within counseling/student development; she has also practiced as a licensed physical therapist. McGuire Johnson received her degree in physical therapy from Howard University and her master’s degree in counseling/student development in higher education from Trinity Washington University. Prior to joining Rush, she was the director of educational counseling in the College of Health Sciences at Chicago State University, the academic coordinator for clinical education for the physical therapist assistant program at Morton College, and the assistant academic coordinator for clinical education for the doctoral program in physical therapy at Governors State University. McGuire Johnson’s professional experiences within student development include advisement, career counseling, mentoring, and personal & academic coaching for both non-traditional and traditional students. Finally, Kenya McGuire Johnson is a certified holistic wellness coach where she provides personal life coaching to diverse populations outside of RUSH University in her health & wellness practice, Finding Your Voice Health & Wellness.

Steve is a "startup midwife" who has spent the last decade helping inventors turn their discoveries into businesses, whether in a startup, a university, or even a refugee camp. In his current role, he leads the venture team at Portal Innovations, where he and his team invest in and support biotech breakthroughs. As part of this work, he invented and leads Stargaze™, Portal’s proprietary platform for mapping, sourcing, and predicting biotech innovation.

Before Portal, Steve led the George Shultz Innovation Fund at UChicago, where he launched and invested in university spinouts. Prior to UChicago he was an Associate for Ocean Tomo's Innovation Management practice, where he advised companies on how to acquire, develop, and commercialize intellectual property.

Dr. Lerret is an Associate Professor and Program Director in the Department of Medical Laboratory Science at RUSH University. She has been an educator in allied health for the last 10 years and stepped into the role of Program
Director in 2020. Her position as a passionate educator and director in the underrepresented field of medical
laboratory science enables her to spread enthusiasm and knowledge while serving as a mentor for the next generation. Through her transformative teaching methods, which include case-based learning and
globally-centered topics, Dr. Lerret creates an immersive learning experience that fosters deep engagement and cultivates the critical thinking skills necessary for success in allied health. Her students do not just emerge as graduates who can pass their board exam, but as leaders in the field.

Dr. Abdoulie Nije is an empathetic, patient-centered and technology-savvy physician with extensive experience in concurrently running various categories of Emergency Departments (LeveI Trauma Center, Basic Emergency
Department, Critical Access Hospital ED, and Standby ED). He leads teams to deliver quality patient care to diverse demographics and is well-versed in digital and information technologies and efficiently utilizes them to leverage
clinical care for optimized patient outcomes. He specializes in cybersecurity and strives to champion equity and inclusion in the digital health space. Dr. Abdoulie
Nije is an alumnus of Rush Medical College and completed his residency program at Stroger Hospital of Cook County in Emergency Medicine. He also studied Leading Digital Transformation in Healthcare at Harvard Medical School, Digital Transformation at MIT Professional Education, and completed his MS in MIS; cybersecurity Focus at Governors State University.

Dr. Tom Webb is the co-founder and managing partner of CareKate, LLC, a firm focused on

empowering aging loved ones to share health information with their caring support network. Tom's extensive background in healthcare, engineering, and business informs his unique perspective on the future of AI in healthcare. At CareKate, he primarily performs the operational, growth, and marketing functions.

In addition to his work with CareKate, Tom serves as Adjunct Faculty at Rush University and

National Louis University, teaching courses on data management, statistics for business data analytics, and healthcare quality. His academic research focuses on healthcare quality measurement and price transparency.

Prior to CareKate, Tom held various roles at Rush University Medical Center, including AVP -

Quality Analytics, Manager – Clinical Resource Management, and Performance Improvement Consultant. His experience spans over a decade in the chemical and food industries, where he focused on engineering products and processes, including automotive paints, biocide plastic additives, and liquid sweeteners.

Tom's diverse expertise positions him to offer valuable insights into the intersection of

technology and healthcare. He holds a DBA with a focus in Data Analytics from Grand Canyon University, an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.