Warfighter Strong: Medical & Human Performance Needs of the Fighting Force. The face of conflict is changing. Technological advances have introduced levels of battlefield complexity that would have been unimaginable even a few years ago. America's Warfighter faces not only physical challenges, but also increasing cognitive demands driven by data and information overload. Our military readiness paradigm must evolve from emphasizing strength and speed to one focused on preparedness, agility, information management, and endurance. During conflicts, we must also emphasize rest, recovery, and rehabilitation to reduce the strain of prolonged stress and minimize wear and tear on the Warfighter.

• Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) Stephen M. DeLellis MPAS, PA-C, USA, Senior Director, Military Health, Loyal Source Government Services
• Rear Admiral Anthony L. LaCourse, PA-C, Director, Medical Services Corps, US Navy Reserve
• Brigadier General (Ret) Robert S. Cooley, Jr., Former Chief of Staff, US Army Reserve Command, Fort Bragg, NC, CEO/Co-Founder, Nuream
• Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas R. Koreerat, Commander, 261st Multifunctional Medical Battalion, 44th Medical Brigade
• Other speakers to be announced.

From Requirement to Reality: Industry on the Front Lines. This panel brings together leaders from North Carolina medical companies to examine how emerging requirements become fielded capabilities. Panelists will discuss the realities of responding to operational needs, navigating federal procurement pathways, aligning innovation with mission priorities, and overcoming the common barriers that slow transition from prototype to deployment.

• Dr. Sean Siler, CEO, VIGILINT
• Jason Cook, MD, Co-Founder & CMO, Olfax Medical
• Galen Robertson, CEO, VQ Biomedical
• Byron Carroll, President, Carroll Woods, Inc. DBA Carroll International
• Joy Parr Drach, MBA, President & CEO, Ad Astra Diagnostics, Inc.
• Kevin Gehsmann, Co-Founder/CEO, Protect3D

Senior Executive Leadership Panel: Medical Acquisition Priorities and Opportunities Across DHA, DoW and VA. The evolving national security environment, increasing healthcare demands, and rapid pace of technological innovation are transforming how the Defense Health Agency (DHA), Department of War (DoW) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) acquire, field, and sustain medical capabilities. This executive-level panel brings together senior acquisition leaders from DHA, DoW and VA to discuss the strategic priorities shaping the future of military and veteran healthcare acquisition.

Panelists will provide insights into current and emerging requirements, acquisition strategies, supply chain resilience, medical logistics modernization, sustainment challenges, and the integration of innovative medical, biomedical, and biodefense technologies into federal healthcare systems. Attendees will gain a better understanding of how these organizations are adapting acquisition processes to improve readiness, enhance healthcare delivery, strengthen operational medical support, and accelerate the transition of innovative solutions from concept to deployment.

The discussion will explore opportunities for collaboration among government, industry, academia, and research institutions while highlighting key capability gaps, procurement trends, and future investment priorities across military health, veteran healthcare, and medical logistics enterprise programs. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how acquisition leadership is driving modernization efforts to support America's warfighters, veterans, and healthcare professionals in an increasingly complex operational environment.

• Ronald Miller, D.M., Chief Officer of Support Operations, Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs
• Colonel Deon D. Maxwell, Commander, Army Medical Logistics Command
• TBA, Defense Health Agency

Business Opportunities with the Department of War, Defense Health Agency & Defense Logistics Agency. Panel presenters will identify requirements Department of War, Defense Health Agency and Defense Logistics Agency for medical products and services, devices, pharmaceuticals, training, IT and staffing needs.  They will also outline the processes they utilize to acquire these products and services, including prime vendors, GSA schedules, Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs) and commercial contracts.  Business forecasts will also be shared. Prospective primes, subcontractors and suppliers, including small businesses, should attend this session.

• Commander Kibwe Hampden, N4 Support and Logistics, Deputy Chief of Staff, Naval Medical Forces Atlantic
• Commander Joshua Swift, PhD, Expeditionary Medical Products Director, Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) for Maritime, Naval Sea Systems Command’s (NAVSEA) - PMS 408, Expeditionary Missions Program Office
• TBA, Department of War
• TBA, Defense Logistics Agency, Medical

Business Opportunities in Operational & Medical Logistics with Military Service Medical Commands. Military service medical commands and the broader military health enterprise provide business opportunities for companies specializing in operational logistics, medical supply chains, healthcare technology, and readiness support.  This session’s experts will discuss: medical supply chain & distribution, healthcare IT & medical logistics systems, medical equipment lifecycle management, operational & expeditionary medicine support and business forecasts.  This session is for companies that have demonstrative capabilities in: medical readiness, supply chain resilience, healthcare IT modernization and expeditionary medical support.

• TBA, Defense Logistics Agency, Medical
• Commander Kibwe Hampden, N4 Support and Logistics, Deputy Chief of Staff, Naval Medical Forces Atlantic
• Jorge Magana, Medical Maintenance Management Director, Army Medical Logistics Command
• TBA, Womack Army Medical Center
• TBA, Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune

Business Opportunities with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Panel presenters will identify requirements of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers and clinics in the region for medical products and services, including research and development, supplies, equipment, devices, pharmaceuticals, training, IT and staff augmentation.  They will also outline the processes they utilize to acquire these products and services, including use of prime vendors, GSA schedules, Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs) and commercial contracts.  Businesses and researchers with the capacity to support VA medical centers and clinics, vendors or other business with medical products or services should participate in this session.

• TBA, Department of Veterans Affairs, OSDBU
• TBA, Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN6
• Dwight D. Fields, Associate Director of Operations, VA Fayetteville Coastal Health Care System
• TBA, Western North Carolina VA Health Care Center
• TBA, Durham VA Health Care System

AI Enabled Healthcare: "Doc in a Box." This panel will highlight how AI-powered “Doc in a Box” technologies can improve medical support for the warfighter across a range of operational environments. Featuring experts from government, academia, and industry, the discussion will explore emerging innovations that accelerate triage, strengthen clinical decision-making, and support medical care in austere environments where traditional medical infrastructure may not be available. Topics of discussion will include remote diagnostics, AI-enabled triage and decision support, wearable and sensor-enabled monitoring, point-of-care data collection, and tools that support care delivery where physicians, specialists, connectivity, or traditional medical infrastructure may not be available.

• Moderator: Jen Greenstein, P.S.M., PhD., Senior Director, Evaluation, Focused Initiatives Team, North Carolina Biotechnology Center
• Colonel (Ret) Jeremy Pamplin, MD, US Army, Program Manager, Biological Technologies Office, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
• Oakkar Oakkar, MSIS, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Keona Health
• Amay Bandodkar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering and ASSIST Center Principal Investigator, North Carolina State University
• Joy Parr Drach, MBA, President & CEO, Ad Astra Diagnostics, Inc.

Innovation Opportunities in Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear Defense. Coming soon.

• Sara Holditch, Director, Industry & Innovation Outreach (I&IO), Capability Program Executive for CBRN Defense (CPE CBRND)

Medical Innovation Opportunities with Consortia and Federal Agencies.  The session will discuss the opportunities available for research and development, prototyping, and production through Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs) of the Federal Government. OTAs represent a growing sector of government acquisition with many potential advantages for non-traditional entities over FAR-based contracts. OTAs are used by Capability Program Executive for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (CPE CBRND), the Defense Health Agency (DHA), and other federal agencies.

• Moderator: TJ Gilroy, Director of Defense Technologies, NC Military Business Center
• Dr. Ron Hann, Executive Committee, Medical CBRN Defense Consortium (MCDC)
• Dennis McGurk, Director, North Carolina Center for Optimizing Military Performance (NC-COMP)
• Gloria Elliott, Program Manager, Scalable Solutions, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)
• Adam Sorkin, Small Business Policy Manager for the National Institutes of Health, Small Business Education and Entrepreneurial Development (SEED) Office
• Saafan Malik, M.D., MBA., CTO, Chief Research Support & Innovation, DAD Science & Technology, AD- RDA, Defense Health Agency, Defense Health Agency

Department of Veterans Affairs One-On-One Meetings. The Department of Veterans Affairs will host one-on-one meetings with industry. This forum provides a unique opportunity for dialogue with key decision makers from multiple Veterans Affairs offices.  Participants should bring capabilities statements and prepare a concise “elevator pitch” to communicate a compelling business case for the Veterans Affairs to procure their goods and/or services.

• Chanel Bankston-Carter, Executive Director, Department of Veterans Affairs, OSDBU
• Wendy Bray, Program Specialist, Department of Veterans Affairs, OSDBU
• TBA, Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN6
• Dwight D. Fields, Associate Director of Operations, VA Fayetteville Coastal Health Care System
• TBA, Western North Carolina VA Health Care Center
• TBA, Durham VA Health Care System