Program

2026 Featured Speakers

Five leaders. Five distinct perspectives on the forces shaping healthcare today. Meet the 2026 Consortium speakers who will be sharing what is top of mind for them in todays healthcare ecosystem.

Consortium Moderator

Hailey Hildahl, MBA, is a Principal Product Manager at Mayo Clinic Platform, where she leads the development and dissemination of AI-enablement tooling. Her portfolio spans model development, validation, federated learning and analytics, silent model deployment, and portfolio strategy.

Consortium Host

Professor Pinar Karaca-Mandic, the Founding Director of the Business Advancement Center for Health (BACH), is a healthcare economist who teaches business of healthcare markets and medical technology innovations at Minnesota Carlson. She is a University of Minnesota Distinguished McKnight University Professor and the C. Arthur Williams Jr. Professor in Healthcare Risk Management.

Program Schedule

3:30 p.m.

Check in Begins

4:00 p.m.

Welcome Address

4:05 p.m.

Why Is Healthcare So Expensive?
Mark Steffen, MD, MPH - Senior Vice President, Health Services and Chief Medical Officer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota

Healthcare costs continue to rise, placing growing pressure on patients, employers, health plans, and providers. Dr. Mark Steffen will examine the forces driving this trend and explore opportunities for the healthcare ecosystem to work together to improve affordability.

4:25 p.m.

From Autonomy to Alignment: The Evolution of Medical Leadership and the Economics of Physician Engagement
Jaya Kumar, MD, MBA - Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Fairview Health Services

Physician shortages, burnout, rising costs, and growing consumer expectations are reshaping medical leadership and the relationship between professional autonomy and organizational accountability. Dr. Jaya Kumar will explore physicians’ evolving role as enterprise leaders and why physician engagement and alignment are essential to improving quality, lowering costs, and delivering sustainable value.

4:45 p.m.

Break

4:55 p.m.

Building Medtech in a Tighter World: What 85+ Start-ups Are Teaching Us
Morgan Evans, MBA - Founder & CEO, Agitated Solutions & Avio MedTech Consulting

Thinning early-stage funding and less predictable FDA review are changing the path from medical device idea to patient. Drawing on Avio MedTech Consulting’s work with more than 85 start-ups, Morgan Evans will explore how founders are adapting by building leaner, sequencing development more strategically, and finding new ways to bridge the gap between innovation and patient care.

5:15 p.m.

AI at ABOUT Healthcare
Jonathan Shoemaker - CEO, ABOUT Healthcare

Becoming an AI-centric company has required ABOUT Healthcare to rethink its strategic priorities and how the organization operates. Jonathan Shoemaker will explore why the shift was needed, what it has taken to build an agentic operating model, and the questions and lessons emerging from that journey for ABOUT and other healthcare organizations.

5:35 p.m.

Earning Trust in a Complicated Health System
Andrew Marshall - Regional Market President, Medica

Healthcare innovation can improve people’s lives only if they trust the system delivering it. Andrew Marshall will explore why healthcare’s future depends on earning trust and what leaders can do to build it within a complicated health system.

5:55 p.m.

Closing Remarks

6:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Networking Reception