AI SUMMIT

AI Summit Speakers

Joe Friedrichsen

Managing Director, Blue Cross Blue Shield RI

Joe Friedrichsen is a visionary leader who seamlessly integrates technology into business processes to enhance customer experiences. As a senior executive, he champions organizational transformation by emphasizing cultural shifts essential for sustained value creation. His insatiable curiosity fuels continuous learning, drawing from seasoned experts and hands-on experiences. Joe is adept in DevOps, Lean, FinOps, Product Management, and Agile methodologies along with a growing interest in GenAI.

Linn Freedman

Chair, Data Privacy & Cybersecurity, Robinson + Cole, Adjunct Professor, Roger Williams University

As chair of Robinson+Cole’s Data Privacy + Cybersecurity Team, Linn Freedman focuses her practice on compliance with state and federal data privacy and security laws and regulations, emergency data breach response, mitigation, and litigation. She counsels clients on state and federal investigations and enforcement actions. She has a particular focus on health information technology and has assisted clients with navigating laws governing the access, use, and disclosure of protected health information and substance use disorder information and HIPAA compliance. Ms. Freedman is an Adjunct Professor at Roger Williams University School of Law teaching Privacy Law and a former Adjunct Professor in Brown University’s Executive Masters of Cybersecurity Program. She has been globally (since 2019) and nationally (since 2012) ranked in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in the area of Privacy Law, was named among Becker’s Healthcare’s Women in Health IT to Know in 2020, 2022, and 2023, selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America©, has been recognized by the National Law Review as a “Go-To Thought Leader” and by Lexology as a “Legal Influencer,” named a Top Author and the #1 author in Cybersecurity in JD Supra’s Reader’s Choice awards since its launch in 2016 to 2023, was named Health Data Management’s “Top 50 Healthcare IT Professionals in the US,” and is frequently interviewed and quoted in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, Modern Healthcare, Reuters, and Bloomberg Law.

Kristin Greenwood

Program Director, Physical Therapy | New England Institute of Technology

Dr. Kristin Curry Greenwood is a physical therapist with over 25 years of experience, having served in various leadership roles in higher education and clinical practice. Currently, she holds the position of Professor and Program Director of the developing Doctorate of Physical Therapy Bridge Program for physical therapy assistants at New England Institute of Technology. Dr. Greenwood’s research is focused on preparing students for acute care interprofessional physical therapist practice, competency-based education, and simulation education. She has received several awards for her contributions to science and health science education and is recognized for her interprofessional research and educational collaborations as a Distinguished Fellow of National Academies of Practice. Dr. Greenwood leads and educates from a mission-driven, student-centered approach to academic excellence, addressing critical concerns faced by health science stakeholders, including student diversity, equity, & inclusion, education cost, research advancement, and sustainability.

Angelita Hensman, PhD, RNC-NIC

Registered Nurse | Nurse Scientist | Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholar

Angelita Hensman, PhD, RNC-NIC, is a registered nurse certified in Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing, a nurse scientist, and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholar. She has served as an Adjunct Nursing Faculty member at Rhode Island (RI) College School of Nursing, the University of RI, College of Nursing, and as a former Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Research) at Brown University, The Warren Alpert Medical School/Women and Infants Hospital in Providence, RI. Angelita is a Nursing Education Partner in the Department of Nursing Excellence at Rhode Island Hospital, representing the Rhode Island State Nurses Association. She brings a passion for problem-solving and unique perspectives framed on personal experience and trends in nursing practice, education, and policy related to AI.

Wesley Lopez

Dynamic Entrepreneur and Technologist

Wesley Lopez is a dynamic entrepreneur and technologist from Gainesville, Florida. With an extensive background in technology and as a former IT Director, he’s known for implementing robust systems to enhance security and efficiency. Wesley’s entrepreneurial drive led him to establish Southern Touch Cyber Services, LLC, an information technology and cybersecurity consulting company, while pursuing a cybersecurity management graduate degree at the University of West Florida. Beyond his professional pursuits, he actively engages with his community through mentoring and volunteering, including his dedicated service to the Society for Advancement of Management.

Amer Malik

A Gastroenterologist with a Focus on Interventional Endoscopy

Amer Malik is a Gastroenterologist in Providence, Rhode Island. He is an interventional endoscopist, specializing in using the latest technological innovations for Barrett’s esophagus, pancreatico-biliary diseases, and colorectal cancer. Amer has a rich background, having formerly served as President of University Medical Group, a 50-physician academic multidisciplinary group practice. Presently at University Gastroenterology, he is joining Brown University Medicine with a research focus in Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare.

Irena Pereira

Versatile Professional with Expertise in Design and Creative Direction

Irena Pereira has a diverse and accomplished work experience spanning multiple industries. Irena has held leadership positions such as CEO and Founder at Unleashed Games, showcasing their entrepreneurial skills. In their role as UX Director at UX is Fine!,

Irena played a vital role in scaling the company, developing repeatable UX design processes, and mentoring the UX department. At Scopely, they served as the Lead User Experience Designer and focused on team cohesion, culture development, and improving UX processes.

Griffin Smith

Teacher and Digital Artist Using Generative AI

Griffin Smith is a teacher and digital artist using generative AI. He designed and taught the first AI studio courses at The Rhode Island School of Design and Brown University, and has collaborated with researchers, authors, and artists to build custom neural networks and VR installations. His classes at RISD include Art and Artificial Intelligence, Digital Culture, and Text Transformed: Writing in the Age of AI.

Jackson Steinkamp, MD

Primary Care Physician & Healthcare Informaticist, Brown Medicine

Jackson Steinkamp, MD is a primary care physician, software developer, and machine learning enthusiast. He has an undergraduate degree in computer science from Harvard College, a medical degree from Boston University, and completed his internal medicine residency and informatics fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. He currently works at Brown Medicine as a primary care physician and healthcare informaticist. He has authored ~10 peer-reviewed papers on machine learning/natural language processing/AI in medicine and is the chief technology officer for River Records, a medical documentation startup. He sees great potential for AI to improve broken workflows and reduce burnout in medicine but has complicated feelings about the technology industry, the medical industry, and the societal consequences of developing increasingly capable AI systems.

Ken Tubman

Head of Patient Digital Solutions & SaMD Service Line | Takeda

Ken Tubman is Head of Patient Digital Solutions & SaMD Service Line at Takeda and leads the development of innovative technologies at the Global Data, Digital, and Technology within Takeda. Ken is a seasoned product leader with a passion for enhancing the interface between healthcare and technology. With extensive experience building well-designed, user-focused applications, he specializes in the development of solutions that address complex business and clinical problems with simplicity and efficiency; focusing on internal and industry standards, automation, and reusable technology.

Drew Zhang

Professor & Chair, Artificial Intelligence & Business Analytics, University of Rhode Island

Professor Drew Zhang holds the esteemed Alfred J. Verrecchia Endowed Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Business Analytics at the University of Rhode Island. He is a passionate researcher, teacher, and practitioner in artificial intelligence, particularly natural language processing and machine learning. His intellectual aspiration is to computationally discover valuable knowledge and intelligence from massive amounts of data available in various structures, genres, and streams. He is keen on building AI-powered solutions to practical problems in a wide range of domains. Drew received his Ph.D. in information and computer science from the University of Michigan. His industry experience spans IBM, Microsoft, Google, and Allianz, etc. He enjoys bringing real-life richness and relevance into his classroom.