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#563: Oncology Pathways Under Pressure: From CAR-T Access Today to Longevity-Driven Care Tomorrow
Tuesday June 16, 2026 4:15pm - 5:15pm EDT
107AB
Component Type: Session
Level: Intermediate
CE: ACPE 1.00 Application UAN: 0286-0000-26-655-L04-P; CME 1.00; RN 1.00

By placing CAR-T within a broader trajectory—from breakthrough therapies today to longevity-driven oncology tomorrow—this session challenges stakeholders to rethink how access, value, and sustainability must evolve to keep pace with scientific progress.

Learning Objectives

Assess how CAR-T experience has revealed gaps in health technology assessment and reimbursement in the US and Europe; Examine how durable benefit, earlier intervention, and longer oncology horizons challenge current value, outcomes, and sustainability models; Apply multi-stakeholder and patient insights to inform evolving reimbursement and access approaches for potentially curative therapies.

Chair

Bradley Watts

Speaker

Panelist
Tom Whitehead

Panelist
Ronald DePinho, MD

Panelist
Laura Okpala, MPH


Speakers
RD

Ronald DePinho

Professor, Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, United States
avatar for Laura Okpala

Laura Okpala

Executive Director, Head of US Reimbursement Policy, Gilead Sciences, United States
At Gilead Sciences, Laura leads the US reimbursement policy team focused on driving access to innovative medicines across Gilead’s oncology and virology portfolio, including reimbursement strategies for Kite Pharma, a leader in the development of novel CAR T therapies. Laura joined... Read More →
avatar for Bradley Watts

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 →
avatar for Tom Whitehead

Tom Whitehead

Co-Founder and President, Emily Whitehead Foundation, United States
Tom Whitehead President & Co-founder, Emily Whitehead Foundation Tom Whitehead is a keynote speaker, author, and journeyman lineman for an energy company. He is also the proud father of Emily and the co-founder of the Emily Whitehead Foundation, which is dedicated to raising awareness... Read More →
Tuesday June 16, 2026 4:15pm - 5:15pm EDT
107AB The Pennsylvania Convention Center 1101 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 USA
  05: PersonalizedMed-ComboProd-Diagnostics, Session

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