DIA 2026 Global Annual Meeting: Full Schedule

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8:00am EDT

#600: From Breakthrough to Life: Engineered T-Cells, Patients, and the Future of Biotech

Wednesday June 17, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am EDT

Component Type: Session
Level: Intermediate

Following a keynote presentation by Bruce Levine on the future of genetically engineered T-cells for human therapeutics, sit down with Bruce and Brad Watts for a fireside chat. Through scientific, policy, and patient lenses, the session will examine what it takes to translate high-risk science into sustainable therapies, and what that implies for regulators, payers, sponsors, and technology partners.

Learning Objectives

Describe how advances in engineered T-cells, including CAR-T, are reshaping expectations for cancer treatment and the broader pipeline; Identify scientific, regulatory, and system conditions needed to translate high-risk engineered innovations into equitable, scalable patient benefit; Discuss how real patient and family experiences inform future strategies for regulators, payers, sponsors, researchers, and technology partners developing next-generation cell therapies.

Chair

Katie Truong

Speaker

Panelist
Bradley Watts

Plenary Presenter
Bruce Levine

Speakers

Bruce Levine

Barabara and Edward Netter Professor in Cancer Gene Therapy, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, United States

Katie Truong

SVP & Managing Director, DIA Americas and Global Head of Business Operations, DIA, United States

Katie Truong is the Senior Vice President & Managing Director of DIA Americas and the Global Head of Business Operations. In her role, Katie focuses on driving growth, optimizing operations, and enhancing business performance. With experience spanning various industries, including... Read More →

Bradley Watts

Patient/Industry Advocate and Vice President, Business Development Executive, Emily Whitehead Foundation and Conner Strong & Buckelew, United States

Brad Watts is a cancer survivor and CAR-T therapy recipient, Brad is an active advocate with The Emily Whitehead Foundation and Blood Cancer United, and is a member of Act for Hope, which is working to expand patient access by collaborating across the healthcare ecosystem. Drawing... Read More →

Wednesday June 17, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am EDT
114 The Pennsylvania Convention Center 1101 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 USA

05: PersonalizedMed-ComboProd-Diagnostics, Session | 08: RegPolicy-Strategy-GlobalCollaboration, Session | 00: Plenary, Session | 18: Lift-Series, Session

Audience Intermediate
Area Biotech-ClinTech-Pathway, Therapeutic Pathways, Student and Early Career Pathway
Level Intermediate
format csv
Interest Area Clinical Development & Operations,Rare Disease & Special Populations
Feature Topics Biotech-ClinTech-Pathway,Therapeutic Pathways,Student and Early Career Pathway
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10:15am EDT

#613: FDA Rare Disease Town Hall

Wednesday June 17, 2026 10:15am - 11:30am EDT

201AB

Component Type: Session
Level: Intermediate
CE: ACPE 1.25 Knowledge UAN: 0286-0000-26-609-L04-P; CME 1.25; RN 1.25

Senior FDA leaders will discuss evolving regulatory trends in rare disease development, including accelerated approval, innovative trial designs, patient engagement, and real-world evidence, followed by open Q&A with attendees.

Learning Objectives

Identify current FDA regulatory trends and scientific approaches shaping rare disease drug development; Apply FDA expectations around accelerated approval, surrogate endpoints, and innovative trial designs; Integrate patient voice and real-world evidence into development strategies to support benefit-risk assessment.

Chair

James Valentine, JD, MHS

Speakers

Vijay Kumar

Acting Director OTP/CBER, FDA, United States

James Valentine

Director, Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, PC, United States

James Valentine advises medical product companies and patient advocacy organizations on regulatory strategy for the development and approval of drugs and biologics, with a focus on rare diseases. He has helped secure FDA approvals, and often works in areas without well-defined regulatory... Read More →

Wednesday June 17, 2026 10:15am - 11:30am EDT
201AB The Pennsylvania Convention Center 1101 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 USA

08: RegPolicy-Strategy-GlobalCollaboration, Session | 02: ClinicalTrialOps-Innovation, Session

Audience Intermediate
Area Therapeutic Pathways, Student and Early Career Pathway
Level Intermediate
format csv
Credit Type ACPE, CME, RN
Interest Area Regulatory
Feature Topics Therapeutic Pathways,Student and Early Career Pathway
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1:45pm EDT

#629: Inside the Biotech Breakthroughs: How Investors and Founders Build Winning Companies

Wednesday June 17, 2026 1:45pm - 2:45pm EDT

103A

Component Type: Session
Level: Intermediate

This candid panel looks inside notable biotech breakthroughs to explore what “success” really takes beyond the headlines. Through case studies from leading venture groups and founders, speakers will unpack key decisions, near misses, pivots, and partnership strategies, translating them into practical lessons for emerging companies and their partners.

Learning Objectives

Describe the strategic and operational decisions that shape successful biotech trajectories from idea to inflection point; Analyze real-world case studies to identify patterns in pivots, near misses, financing, and partnership strategies; Translate investor and founder perspectives into practical lessons for emerging companies and their partners.

Chair

Robert Tepper

Speaker

Panelist
Abbie Celniker, PHD

Panelist
Gabriela Apiou, PHD

Speakers

Gabriela Apiou

Investigator, Assitant Professor (M), Massachusetts General Hospital, United States

Gabriela Apiou, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School, the inaugural Endowed MGH Research Institute Chair in Translational Sciences, and Director of the MGH Wellman Center for Photomedicine’s Translational... Read More →

Abbie Celniker

Partner, Third Rock Ventures, United States

Robert Tepper

Co-founder and Partner, Third Rock Ventures, United States

Bob Tepper is a co-founder and Partner of Third Rock Ventures and a distinguished physician-scientist with more than 30 years of experience building and operating leading research and development organizations in the biotech industry. Bob focuses on the formation, development, and... Read More →

Wednesday June 17, 2026 1:45pm - 2:45pm EDT
103A The Pennsylvania Convention Center 1101 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 USA

05: PersonalizedMed-ComboProd-Diagnostics, Session | 18: Lift-Series, Session

Audience Intermediate
Area Biotech-ClinTech-Pathway, Student and Early Career Pathway
Level Intermediate
format csv
Interest Area Biotechnology & Investors
Feature Topics Biotech-ClinTech-Pathway,Student and Early Career Pathway
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4:00pm EDT

#648: Medical Affairs: Drivers of Scientific Impact and Strategic Value in Healthcare

Wednesday June 17, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT

105AB

Component Type: Session
Level: Intermediate
CE: ACPE 1.00 Knowledge UAN: 0286-0000-26-634-L04-P; CME 1.00; RN 1.00

Discover how Medical Affairs drives strategic value across the drug lifecycle through scientific leadership, data-driven insights, and digital fluency to improve patient outcomes.

Learning Objectives

Discuss Medical Affairs’ evolving role in driving scientific credibility and impact; Describe how digital fluency, data analytics, and AI transform it into a tech-enabled function; Identify best practices and leadership insights for advancing capabilities in a patient-centric, data-driven ecosystem.

Chair

Ranjini Prithviraj, PMP

Speaker

Panelist
Donna A. Holder, PHARMD

Panelist
Alexander Condoleon

Panelist
Sarah Jarvis, MBA

Speakers

Alexander Condoleon

Chief Medical Affairs Officer, Medical Engagements & Impact, Pfizer, United States

Donna Holder

Principal, HDMA Advisory, United States

Donna Holder has over 30+ yrs experience in the pharma. She now serves as an advisor to Medical Affairs organizations within the pharmaceutical industry. She was recently the Executive Director & Head of Digital Strategy and Innovation in Global Oncology Medical Affairs at Daiichi... Read More →

Sarah Jarvis

Global Medical & Evidence Lead, ZS Associates, United States

Sarah Jarvis leads our Global Medical & Evidence consulting space at ZS. Based now in San Francisco, California, Sarah has worked in the lifesciences industry for over 25 years and has focused exclusively on working with medical affairs clients for the past 20+ years at ZS. ZS has... Read More →

Ranjini Prithviraj

Director, Global Medical Affairs, Publication Management, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, United States

Wednesday June 17, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
105AB The Pennsylvania Convention Center 1101 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 USA

04: MedAffairs-SciComm, Session

Audience Intermediate
Area Student and Early Career Pathway
Level Intermediate
format csv
Credit Type ACPE, CME, RN
Interest Area Medical Affairs & Scientific Communication
Feature Topics Student and Early Career Pathway
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4:00pm EDT

#654: India Town Hall: India’s Evolving Regulatory Landscape - Policy Reforms and Digital Systems Accelerating Innovation

Wednesday June 17, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT

116

Component Type: Forum
Level: Intermediate
CE: ACPE 1.00 Knowledge UAN: 0286-0000-26-639-L04-P; CME 1.00; RN 1.00

India’s recent regulatory, policy, and digital reforms are accelerating innovation, quality, and global collaboration. This town hall will highlight key updates shaping clinical research, medtech growth, and patient safety, and India’s rising global role.

Learning Objectives

Identify key regulatory, policy, and digital reforms transforming India’s healthcare and innovation ecosystem; Evaluate how updates in clinical trial rules, medical device policy, GMP standards, and data privacy impact global development; Identify opportunities for global collaboration and regulatory convergence enabled by India’s evolving frameworks.

Chair

Vivek Ahuja, MD

Speaker

Panelist
Marc Franklin

Panelist
Shahin Fesharaki

Panelist
Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi

Speakers

Shahin Fesharaki

Chief Scientific Officer, Lupin, United States

Marc Franklin

CEO - North America, Cipla, United States

Vivek Ahuja, MD

Program Chair, Executive Vice President, Pharmacovigilance, EVERSANA, India

Dr. Vivek Ahuja is a physician-turned pharmaceutical leader with 25 years of experience across pharmacovigilance, clinical research, public health, and technology. In 2005 he pioneered pharmacovigilance in India by establishing the first global PV unit at Ranbaxy. He is Executive... Read More →

Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi

Drug Controller General, Central Drugs Standard Control Organization, India

Wednesday June 17, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
116 The Pennsylvania Convention Center 1101 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 USA

08: RegPolicy-Strategy-GlobalCollaboration, Forum | 02: ClinicalTrialOps-Innovation, Forum | 07: RegCMC-Product Quality, Forum

Audience Intermediate
Area Global Alignment in Practice, Student and Early Career Pathway
Level Intermediate
format csv
Credit Type ACPE, CME, RN
Interest Area Regulatory,Clinical Development & Operations
Feature Topics Global Alignment in Practice,Student and Early Career Pathway
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DIA 2026 Global Annual Meeting

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DIA 2026 Global Annual Meeting

8:00am EDT

Bruce Levine

Katie Truong

Bradley Watts

10:15am EDT

Vijay Kumar

James Valentine

1:45pm EDT

Gabriela Apiou

Abbie Celniker

Robert Tepper

4:00pm EDT

Alexander Condoleon

Donna Holder

Sarah Jarvis

Ranjini Prithviraj

4:00pm EDT

Shahin Fesharaki

Marc Franklin

Vivek Ahuja, MD

Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi

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