Dr. Howard A. Zucker, M.D., J.D.
Commissioner of Health, New York State
Dr. Howard A. Zucker is Commissioner of Health for New York State. As the state's chief physician, Dr. Zucker leads initiatives to combat the opioids crisis, strengthen environmental health and end the AIDS epidemic in New York. Since his arrival at the helm of the NYS Department of Health, he has established a network of hospitals equipped to treat Ebola, implemented programs to address the threat of Zika and spearheaded efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance.
Dr. Zucker oversaw the launch of the state's medical marijuana program and continues to update the program to accommodate evolving needs. He also developed numerous campaigns to address major public health issues, including lead contamination, legionella and breast cancer screenings. His extensive review of scientific literature led the state to reject hydrofracking in its borders.
As Commissioner, Dr. Zucker presides over the state's Medicaid program, the New York State Public Health and Health Planning Council, and the Wadsworth Center, New York's premier public health lab. He also oversees the entire health care workforce, as well as health care facilities, including hospitals, long-term care and nursing homes.
In his previous role as first deputy commissioner, Dr. Zucker worked on the state Department of Health's preparedness and response initiatives in natural disasters and emergencies. He collaborated closely with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and other health-related entities in the city.
A native of the Bronx, Dr. Zucker earned his M.D. from George Washington University School of Medicine at age 22, becoming one of America's youngest doctors. He is board-certified in six specialties/subspecialties and trained in pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Hospital, anesthesiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, pediatric critical care medicine/pediatric anesthesiology at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and pediatric cardiology at Children's Hospital Boston/Harvard Medical School.
Before joining the state Department of Health in September 2013, Dr. Zucker was a professor of clinical anesthesiology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. He was an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law School, where he taught biosecurity law.
His vast experience in public policy began as a White House Fellow under then-Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. Subsequently he became the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Health where he developed the nation's Medical Reserve Corps, which today is run by the U.S. Surgeon General and includes more than 200,000 volunteers across nearly 1000 programs. He also worked on the development of the initial SARS preparedness plan, the anthrax crisis, and the National Institutes of Health autism summit, and led a multidisciplinary team on the issue of tissue engineering/regenerative medicine. Dr. Zucker advanced his public policy experience while serving as an Institute of Politics Resident Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School and later as a Presidential Leadership Scholar.
Dr. Zucker is recognized internationally for his work to advance global health. As senior advisor in the Division of Global Health and Human Rights at Massachusetts General Hospital, he leads a team of experts in developing a community peace index, a research initiative aimed at identifying the effectiveness of peace intervention programs in countries impacted by war, political strife and economic instability.
Previously, he served as Assistant Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) in charge of the Health Technology & Pharmaceuticals cluster. In this capacity, Dr. Zucker was the highest ranked American at the WHO and spearheaded efforts to globally combat counterfeit medicines as well as address the interface between intellectual property rights, innovation and public health. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Council for Emerging National Security Affairs, and was a "high-level expert" on public health for NATO.
While working on a public-private partnership with an educational technology company, he developed The Afghan Family Health Book, a health literacy project that has educated millions of women in Afghanistan. Dr. Zucker has traveled to China and Haiti on medical missions and spoken extensively throughout the United States on national health policy issues as well as internationally on global health challenges.
Dr. Zucker served as associate professor of clinical pediatrics and anesthesiology at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons and pediatric director of the ICU at New York Presbyterian Hospital, where he launched the restructuring of the critical care complex both from a clinical care delivery standpoint as well as the physical environment. He has held academic appointments at Yale University School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, and as a research affiliate in the Center for Space Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dr. Zucker received his B.S. degree from McGill University. As a student at McGill, he helped design zero-gravity medical experiments that ultimately were conducted aboard several Space Shuttle missions. Today, he serves on the Board of Directors of the nongovernmental organization that oversees the U.S. National Lab on the International Space Station.
Dr. Zucker holds a J.D. from Fordham University Law School, a LL.M. from Columbia Law School and a postgraduate diploma from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He holds an honorary Doctor of Science from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. A former ABC World News' Person of the Week and Columbia University Pediatrics Teacher of the Year, Dr. Zucker has been listed in Best Doctors in America as well as Who's Who in the World. He is a member of the medical honor society, Alpha Omega Alpha, and the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson
The State University of New York
Dr. Kristina M. Johnson joined The State University of New York as its 13th chancellor in September 2017. Immediately prior to joining SUNY, Dr. Johnson was co-founder and CEO of Cube Hydro Partners, LLC, a clean-energy infrastructure company focused on building and operating hydropower plants in North America. She also previously served as Under Secretary of Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy.
Dr. Johnson served as provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs at Johns Hopkins University from 2007 to 2009, and as dean of the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University from 1999 to 2007.
Dr. Johnson’s academic awards include the Dennis Gabor Prize for creativity and innovation in modern optics (1993) and the John Fritz Medal (2008), widely considered the highest award in engineering. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Inventors, and was inducted into the Women in Technology Hall of Fame (2003) and the National Inventors Hall of Fame (2015). She holds 118 U.S. and International patents, has published 149 referenced papers and proceedings, and has been awarded five honorary degrees.
A fellow of the Optical Society of America, the International Electronics and Electrical Engineering (UEEEE), the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Dr. Johnson holds the distinction of having been named an NSF Presidential Young Investigator in 1985 and a Fulbright Faculty Scholar in 1991.
In 2010 she received the Milton Steward Award from the Small Business Technology Council (SBTC) and co-founded Color Link, Inc., which was later sold to RealD, and is responsible for 3D effects in films such as Avatar, Gravity, among hundreds of others.
Dr. Johnson received her BS with distinction, MS, and PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford University. After a NATO post-doctoral fellowship at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, she joined the University of Colorado-Boulder’s faculty in 1985 as an assistant professor and, later, full professor. From 1994 to 1998, Dr. Johnson directed the NSF/ERC for Optoelectronics Computing Systems Center at the University of Colorado and Colorado State University.
Laurie M. Orlov
Founder, Aging in Place Technology Watch
Laurie M. Orlov, a tech industry veteran, writer, speaker and elder care advocate, is the founder of Aging in Place Technology Watch -- market research, trends, blogs and reports that provide thought leadership, analysis and guidance about technologies and services that enable boomers and seniors to remain longer in their home of choice. In her previous career, Laurie spent many years in the technology industry, including 9 years at analyst firm Forrester Research. She has spoken regularly and delivered keynote speeches at forums, industry consortia, conferences, and symposia, most recently on the business of technology for boomers and seniors. She advises large organizations as well as non-profits and entrepreneurs about trends and opportunities in the age-related technology market. Her segmentation of this emerging technology market and trends commentary have been presented in the Journal of Geriatric Care Management. Her perspectives have been quoted in Business Week, CNBC, Forbes, Kiplinger, NPR, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times, where she was profiled as well. She has a graduate certification in Geriatric Care Management from the University of Florida and a BA in Music from the University of Rochester. Laurie has provided testimony about technology at a 2015 Senate Aging Committee hearing, consulted frequently to AARP, and served on the Think Tank for The Philips Center for Health and Well-Being. Advisory clients have included AARP, Microsoft, Novartis, J&J, United Healthcare, CDW, Bose, Cox Communications, Yahoo, and Philips. She was one of the judges for the Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit in 2016 and a 2016 Stanford Longevity design challenge. She has published research sponsored by the California HealthCare Foundation and AARP, among others. Her latest reports include the Future of Voice First Technology and Older Adults, and an updated Market Overview of Technology for Aging in Place, both published in 2018. The site was selected as one of CDW's Top 50 Health IT Blogs in 2016 and in September, 2017, she was named one of the Top 50 Influencers in Aging by Next Avenue.
Christian Cotichini
CEO and Co-founder, HeroX
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With over 20 years of experience leading startup and high growth technology companies, Christian Cotichini is an active angel investor and mentor to startup entrepreneurs. In the mid-1990s, Christian founded Absolute Software, a leader in computer security and asset management. After going public, Absolute continues to grow and has diversified into a solution for organizations to manage the massive proliferation of Internet devices.
Christian then went on to found MAKE Technologies, a platform for the transformation and modernization of its clients' legacy and mission-critical software systems. While remaining on the Board of MAKE, Christian left day-to-day activities to join co-founder Shannon Susko on a new startup, Subserveo. A SaaS company, Subserveo targeted the post-2008 compliance and regulatory challenges faced by the banking sector. Subserveo was acquired by DST Systems in 2011. MAKE was then also sold to Dell Computers in 2012.
In 2013, Christian joined HeroX as co-founder and CEO. He is also focused on angel/seed financing, hands-on entrepreneurship, mentoring, M&A, and anti-consulting to startups and emerging disruptive companies.
Greg Olsen
Acting Director, New York State Office for the Aging
Greg Olsen is the acting director of the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA), where he oversees the agency’s day-to-day operations and the administration of federal and state-funded programs designed to assist the more than 3.7 million older adult residents in the state, as well as programs that assist family members and others involved with helping older adults needing greater levels of assistance. NYSOFA assists older New Yorkers to be as independent as possible, for as long as possible, through advocacy and the development and delivery of programs and services that support and empower older New Yorkers and their families, in partnership with the network of public and private organizations that serve them. Greg has served in a variety of executive management positions within the agency.
Prior to joining NYSOFA, he served as chief of staff and legislative and policy director for Assemblyman Steve Englebright, former chair of the Assembly Standing Committee on Aging.
Greg Olsen was executive director of the New York State Alliance for Retired Americans, a union supported organization representing hundreds of thousands of union retirees. He also served as executive director of the New York State Coalition for the Aging, a nonprofit membership organization representing over 200 community-based organizations providing non-medical long-term care to the state’s older adult population.
He received his master’s degree in social work with a specialty in gerontology from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School.
