Aspen Ideas: Health 2026 Releases Agenda Featuring Visionary Leaders AdvancingBold Approaches to Better Health for All
This June 22-25, 160 speakers will explore new innovations, dive into the patient experience, and tackle the issues shaping the future of health, medicine, and science.
Speakers include Priscilla Chan, Kate McKinnon, Francis Collins, Alicia Jackson, Ashish Jha, Elias Zerhouni, Daphne Koller, Judy Faulkner, Tig Nataro, and four CMS Deputy Administrators
Aspen, CO, June 9, 2026 – Today, Aspen Ideas: Health, the Aspen Institute’s annual premiere health gathering, launched its agenda and full speaker lineup. During the 13th annual event, which takes place June 22-25 on the Aspen Institute’s Colorado campus, attendees will hear from health policy leaders both past and present, health system and biotech CEOs, scientists, patients, artists, advocates, and a comedian with a penchant for regenerative farming.
Click to see the full agenda and the full speaker list for Aspen Ideas: Health 2026.
The Epic Story of Data Pioneer Judy Faulkner (June 23)
Speakers: Judy Faulkner, Founder and CEO, Epic; Interviewer: Jon LaPook, CBS News
Epic, the electronic health record company hatched in a Wisconsin basement in 1979, is now the dominant industry behemoth, with $5.7 billion in annual revenue. Founder and CEO Judy Faulkner’s remarkable backstory is matched only by her transformative vision. Faulkner hews to her golden rule of keeping the company independent and plans to give virtually all her wealth to charitable organizations. Meanwhile, Epic is rolling out new AI technology and rapidly expanding its capacity to synthesize patient medical histories, ease physician burdens, and streamline coding and billing.
Revolutionizing Drug Discovery (June 23)
Speakers: David Fajgenbaum, President and Co-Founder, Every Cure; Daphne Koller, CEO and Founder, insitro; Moderator: Alice Park, TIME
We may soon be able to cure illnesses once thought incurable, prevent or treat rare diseases long overlooked by pharmaceutical companies, and develop therapies to defeat bacteria that outmaneuver every known antibiotic. Drawing on AI’s extraordinary capacity to analyze massive amounts of data, researchers are screening molecular structures to identify promising chemical compounds and repurposing already approved drugs for entirely new uses. By slashing the cost and time involved in the search, AI is accelerating discovery and rekindling hope.
MD to VC: Physicians Turned Investors (June 23)
Speakers: Vineeta Agarwala, General Partner, a16z; Nworah Ayogu, Partner, Thrive Capital; Ben Robbins, General Partner, GV; Moderator: Meg Tirrell, CNN
Breakthroughs in health depend in good measure on investors willing to gamble on the future. Some of today’s pioneering venture capitalists are also physicians who bring a unique blend of clinical training and hands-on patient experience to their decision-making. They have an inside track on how best to navigate risk, separate hype from vision, and lift up the ideas most likely to improve health outcomes. AI is at the forefront as they weigh projects intended to personalize medicine, deliver patient care in novel ways, bring groundbreaking therapeutics to market, and build high-quality solutions that scale.
Moonshots to Rewrite Aging (June 24)
Speakers: Alicia Jackson, Director, ARPA-H; Jamie Justice, EVP of the Health Domain, XPRIZE Foundation; Moderator: Latif Nasser, “Radiolab”
Bold investments in longevity science are redefining how we approach aging and what it will take to extend our “healthspan,” the years of life spent in good health. Researchers are seeking out early markers of disease and disability and testing interventions to slow the physiological processes that drive decline. The most promising discoveries will likely target the biology of aging, applying integrated personalized strategies to restore or preserve muscle, cognitive and immune functions. Two visionaries describe the high-stakes bets they’re making and the possible payoffs.
Does a Therapist Have to Be Human? (June 24)
Speakers: Jo Aggarwal, CEO, Wysa; Jessica Jackson, Founder, Therapy Is for Everyone; Christine Moutier, Chief Medical Officer, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention; Moderator: Kate Snow, NBC News
AI is rapidly embedding into mental healthcare but there is no consensus on its appropriate role. As a safe space for 24/7 support, a companion for isolated seniors, and a tool to streamline intake and notetaking, it expands access to care at a time of workforce shortages. But AI therapists have also been known to trigger psychotic delusions or respond inappropriately to thoughts of suicide. The FDA is considering what guardrails to impose and one state has banned AI therapy altogether. A vigorous debate on how best to use AI in mental health treatment is underway.
Preparing for the Next Pandemic (June 24)
Speakers: Ashish Jha, Former White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator; John Nkengasong, Founding Director, African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention; Jessica Malaty Rivera, Infectious Disease Epidemiologist; Moderator: Céline Gounder, KFF Health News and CBS News
Hantavirus on a cruise ship, Ebola outbreaks in Africa, and the ongoing possibility of a perilous avian flu mutation are reminders that another pandemic will surely come. Under the long shadow of Covid, we still need to consider the structural, scientific, and policy shifts that will equip us for the next deadly virus. In an historic first, WHO members are negotiating a legally binding agreement to improve global preparedness and ensure equitable access to response measures. But experts say we aren’t yet ready to meet the next fast-moving infectious threat.
Talking Health with the Feds (June 24)
Speakers: CMS Deputy Administrators Dan Brillman, John Brooks, Stephanie Carlton, and Chris Klomp; Moderator: Bertha Coombs, Healthcare Reporter
The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) oversees almost one-quarter of the entire US budget, paying out $1.7 trillion annually for a broad range of healthcare services. Its reimbursement policies and drug coverage decisions affect virtually all Americans, even those with private health insurance. Four top CMS leaders outline their ambitious agenda: cutting costs, upgrading technology, encouraging data sharing, speeding the adoption of AI, combating waste and fraud, strengthening primary care, and lowering drug prices.
Aspen Ideas: Health Closing Session (June 25)
The Closing Session of Aspen Ideas: Health 2026 will feature three conversations with inspiring changemakers who are driving us toward a healthier tomorrow through innovation and optimism. Priscilla Chan, pediatrician and Co-Founder of Biohub, will sit down with CNBC’s Becky Quick to discuss how advances in AI, biomedical research, and cutting-edge technology can build a future without disease for patients, including those with rare diseases. Comedian and farming enthusiast Kate McKinnon joins regenerative agriculture pioneer Tim LaSalle to dig into the science-based changes we can make to protect our food system, restore our land, and feed the planet. And journalist Katie Couric, Executive Producer of the new documentary “Hormonal!”, and OB/GYN Sharon Malone, will shine a light on the science, policy, and cultural shifts driving progress in women’s health.
Additional speakers include: Alex Azar, Monica Bertagnolli, Ami Bhatt, Uché Blackstock, Juliet Charron, Francis Collins, Nakela Cook, Victor Dzau, Zeke Emanuel, Mary Claire Haver, Michael Howell, Sharmila Makhija, Dariush Mozaffarian, Tig Notaro, Trisha Pasricha, Meena Seshamani, Noor Siddiqui, Darnell Lamont Walker, Elias Zerhouni, and so many more!
Aspen Ideas: Health opens the Aspen Ideas Festival, the Aspen Institute’s annual nonpartisan flagship event which gathers leaders and thinkers from around the globe to discuss the ideas that will shape tomorrow and help us understand today.
Premier underwriters for Aspen Ideas: Health are Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and Company, and Takeda. Presenting underwriters are AARP, AstraZeneca, Guardant Health, Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc., and Mount Sinai Health System. Supporting and contributing underwriters are Wellstar Health System, Baxter Foundation, Biohub, City of Hope, Dexcom, Noom, and USAFacts. The continuing education partner is Annenberg Center for Health Sciences at Eisenhower.
FOR MEDIA: Journalists interested in attending Aspen Ideas: Health are invited to apply for press credentials here. Questions regarding video and audio recordings, photographs, attribution, and transcript requests should be directed to Senior Media Relations Manager Eric Baker at [email protected].
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The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.
Contact: Eric Baker
Senior Media Relations Manager
[email protected]
