Organizers

Leigh R. Hochberg, MD, PhD, is the L. Herbert Ballou University Professor of Engineering and Professor of Brain Science at Brown University; a Neurointensivist and Vascular Neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Senior Lecturer on Neurology at Harvard Medical School; and Associate Director, VA RR&D Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology in Providence. He also directs the MGH Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, and is the IDE Sponsor-Investigator and PI of the BrainGate clinical trials, conducted by a consortium of scientists and clinicians at Brown, Emory, MGH, VAProvidence, Stanford, and UC-Davis.

Jennifer French, MBA, is the Founder and Executive Director of Neurotech Network, a nonprofit organization that focuses on education and advocacy of neurotechnologies. Jennifer has been featured in several media outlets and is an accomplished writer and speaker, addressing organizations such as the National Academy of Sciences, the World Science Festival, and TEDx Talks. Jennifer has helped launch successful divisions in organizations such as Bombardier Capital and Connection, as well as community/patient engagement programs in the neurotechnology field. As a result of a snowboarding accident, Jennifer lives with tetraplegia due to a spinal cord injury. She is an early user of an experimental implanted neural prosthesis for paralysis and is the Past-President and Founding member of the North American SCI Consortium. She is the author of On My Feet Again (Neurotech Press, 2013) and is co-author of Bionic Pioneers (Neurotech Press, 2014).

Jennifer is also an avid sailor. She is a silver medallist from the 2012 Paralympic Games and is the 2012 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year; the first woman with a disability to receive this distinction.

Jessica Kelemen, MBA, is the Program Manager of the iBCI-CC, overseeing the coordination of over 260 stakeholders across seven Workgroups. With a background in neuroscience and, most recently, an MBA from MIT Sloan, Jessica is skilled in facilitating innovation through structured collaboration and engaging diverse stakeholders. Early on in her career, Jessica was a clinical iBCI researcher with BrainGate, where her close interactions with individuals using the technology inspired her passion for advancing these life-changing innovations. Drawing on her experience in managing clinical neuroscience research and leading strategic initiatives, she is dedicated to guiding collaborative efforts that accelerate the development and accessibility of iBCIs.

Joe Lennerz, MD, PhD is the Chief Scientific Officer at BostonGene. Dr. Lennerz oversees the comprehensive product lifecycle management, data utilization and regulatory science for BostonGene, a leading provider of AI-driven molecular-genetic and immune profiling solutions.

Before BostonGene, Dr. Lennerz served as the Associate Chief of Pathology and the Medical Director of the Center for Integrated Diagnostics at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School. His leadership focused on overseeing all aspects of personalized diagnostics, ensuring the rapid clinical integration of innovative technologies.

Dr. Lennerz's expertise includes regulatory science, molecular-genetic biomarkers, and financial sustainability of high-complexity devices. He served as the principal investigator in the first FDA instrument precision study for a whole slide scanning system. He is a founder of the Pathology Innovation Collaborative Community, a regulatory science initiative with FDA participation. He is the Chair of the Task Group Integrated Diagnostics with the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM).  He is the acting president of the Association of Directors of Anatomic and Surgical Pathology. Dr. Lennerz is the Co-Chair of the Advisory Panel Members on Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Tests for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.