Featured Speakers of the 2026 Ascension Summit
Our panelists and moderators represent a diverse group of leaders across science, policy, media, and culture, united by a shared commitment to bringing longevity science into the broader policy and cultural conversation.
Featured Speakers of the 2026 Ascension Summit
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Featured Speakers of the 2026 Ascension Summit —
Kristin Rae Cecchi
Moderator
Ascension Founder & CEO of The Third Line Project
Kristin Rae Cecchi is a philanthropist, brain health advocate, City Tavern co-owner, and founder of the Ascension Mind-Body Summit. Personally affected by dementia within her own family, she is a dedicated advocate for brain health and serves on the Board of Overseers for the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF).
Through Ascension and The Third Line, Kristin curates transformative experiences that bring together colleagues, friends, change-makers, and leaders across science, innovation, and wellness—cutting through the noise to explore what it truly means to create lasting health of mind, body, and spirit.
For more than a decade, Kathryn Burgum has worked with policymakers, healthcare leaders, tribal communities, and families to transform how America understands and responds to addiction. Her work is grounded in lived experience—both personal and professional—and shaped by engagement at the state and national level.
As First Lady of North Dakota, she led Recovery Reinvented, a groundbreaking initiative that used storytelling to reduce stigma and inspire recovery, contributing to a measurable 20% decrease in stigma statewide.
Kathryn advocates for treating addiction as a chronic, treatable brain disease, emphasizing continuity of care and long-term recovery. Her work is deeply personal, informed by her own journey with addiction and recovery.
She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Great American Recovery initiative and as White House Senior Advisor for Addiction Recovery, helping lead a national effort to transform prevention, treatment, and recovery systems.
Senior White House Advisor for Addiction Recovery,
Co-Chair of the Great American Recovery,
Former First Lady of North Dakota
Kathryn Burgum
Panelist
Diane Ty
Moderator
Managing Director, Future of Aging
Milken Institute Health
Diane Ty is Managing Director of the Milken Institute’s Future of Aging, where she leads the strategic direction of a life course approach to healthy longevity and financial well-being. Her work spans brain health and the Alliance to Improve Dementia Care, healthspan, home and community, caregiving, and financial longevity—advancing cross-sector solutions that shape how we age.
She is also a senior advisor at Georgetown University’s Business for Impact, where she previously led health and financial services initiatives and founded the Portion Balance Coalition, a multisector effort addressing the obesity crisis. Diane has held executive roles at AARP, Save the Children, and American Express, and serves on the board of Capital Caring Health and the Maryland State Commission on Aging.
Dr. Mark Lachs, MD, MPH
Panelist
Weill Cornell University
Director of Geriatric Medicine New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System
Mark Steven Lachs is an American physician, scientist, and popular author specializing in the field of aging. He is the Irene and Roy Psaty Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York City, and Director of Geriatric Medicine for the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System. He has published over 200 scientific articles on topics related to aging and longevity.
His service to community and country includes membership on an Institute of Medicine Committee to address the training needs of health professionals gerontology, participation in two White House Conferences on Aging, and testimony before the Senate Committee on Aging on multiple occasions. He also sits on the Board of the American Federation for Aging Research and has serves as its immediate past president and has served as an advisor to the World Health Organization.
Dr. Lachs is also a popular author in the field of aging. His book “Treat Me, Not My Age” (Viking Penguin) was named among the best consumer health books of 2010, and he has served as a commentator on NPR’s morning edition, appeared on Good Morning America, and written pieces on Aging for the Wall Street Journal and other lay publications. He is currently working on a book about the important scientific, aesthetic, and societal relationship between obesity and aging.
Dr. Rafid Fadul, MD
Panelist
Deputy Director & Chief Medical Officer, The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)
Dr. Rafid Fadul joined ARPA-H in January 2026 and brings a unique combination of clinical expertise and healthcare innovation leadership to his role as the inaugural Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for ARPA-H. In this capacity, he reports to the agency’s Director.
After transitioning from bedside practice to healthcare technology entrepreneurship, Fadul has spent the past decade building and scaling companies at the intersection of clinical care delivery and digital health solutions. He joins ARPA-H from Zivian Health, a company he co-founded and led in developing comprehensive healthcare software platforms serving medical providers nationwide, addressing challenges in regulatory compliance, clinical workflow optimization, and data interoperability. Concurrently, Fadul served as Chief Medical Advisor at Cenegenics, where he oversaw clinical programs in longevity medicine and emerging therapeutics, maintaining direct connection to evolving patient care needs and clinical practice realities.
Fadul is board-certified in internal medicine, pulmonary disease, and critical care medicine and holds an M.D. from the George Washington University, as well as an MBA from Johns Hopkins University.
Jerry McLaughlin
Panelist
CEO & Board Member of Life Biosciences, Inc.
Jerry McLaughlin is CEO and a board member of Life Biosciences, with more than 30 years of experience across the biopharmaceutical industry. His work has spanned the full lifecycle of drug development—from early discovery through clinical advancement to global commercialization—contributing to more than a dozen FDA-approved therapies.
Previously, Jerry served as CEO of Neos Therapeutics and AgeneBio, and held senior commercial leadership roles at NuPathe and Merck, where he was involved in multiple major product launches.
At Ascension Summit, Jerry brings a pragmatic, inside view of how innovation actually moves forward in biopharma—offering perspective on the realities, challenges, and opportunities shaping the future of human health.
Dr. Dawn Mussallem, DO, DipABLM
Moderator
Chief Medical Officer, Fountain Life, Stage IV Cancer Survivor &
Heart Transplant Recipient
Dr. Dawn Mussallem is a globally recognized leader in lifestyle medicine, integrative oncology, and preventive health. As Global Chief Medical Officer of Fountain Life and a longtime physician at Mayo Clinic, she has helped advance a next-generation model of care that integrates advanced diagnostics, personalized data, and lifestyle-based medicine to extend both healthspan and human flourishing. With over 25 years of clinical experience and double board certification in Lifestyle Medicine, her work focuses on cancer survivorship, nutrition, and innovative approaches to whole-person healing.
Her perspective is deeply shaped by lived experience—diagnosed with stage IV cancer during medical school and later becoming a heart transplant recipient in 2021. In 2022, she became the first person to run a full marathon just one year after a heart transplant. Dr. Mussallem brings a rare blend of clinical excellence and personal resilience, translating evidence-based medicine into accessible, hope-restoring strategies that empower individuals to thrive in the face of adversity.
Dr. Maria Sophocles, MD
Panelist
Author, OB-GYN & nationally recognized thought leader in menopause and female sexual function
Maria Sophocles is a gynecologist, author, and public advocate for women's health. Her mission to close the gendered healthcare gap inspired her viral TED talk and book, The Bedroom Gap, about what happens to sex in midlife. Her efforts to provide access to contraception in New Jersey changed the state’s constitution. Her virtual clinic serves women in eleven US states and internationally. She is currently working on a documentary about sex and menopause. She is married with four grown children.
Dr. Stacy Sims, MSc, PhD
Panelist
Author, Researcher, Exercise Physiologist & Nutrition Scientist
Dr. Stacy Sims, PhD, is an internationally recognized exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist specializing in female physiology and performance. A pioneer in sex-based research, her work challenges conventional, male-centric approaches to training and health through her widely known philosophy, “Women Are Not Small Men.”
Dr. Sims has worked with elite athletes, military personnel, and high-performance organizations globally, and has published over 70 peer-reviewed papers advancing understanding of how hormonal cycles, metabolism, and environmental stressors uniquely impact women. A bestselling author of ROAR and Next Level, she is known for translating complex science into practical, actionable strategies that optimize women’s health and performance across the lifespan.
Dr. Laura Nisenbaum, PhD
Panelist
Laura Nisenbaum, PhD, is Executive Director of Drug Development at the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF), where she leads efforts to transform the future of how Alzheimer’s and other dementias are diagnosed, treated, and prevented. She oversees programs spanning therapeutics, biomarkers, and prevention, and directs the Diagnostics Accelerator in partnership with Gates Ventures to advance innovative tools for earlier detection and better care. Under her leadership, ADDF leverages venture philanthropy, global collaboration, and rigorous science to drive breakthroughs and accelerate precision medicine for dementia. With over 30 years of experience across biotech, pharma, and academia—including leadership roles at Biogen and Eli Lilly—she has helped advance more than 15 therapies into clinical development, including three FDA-approved drugs.
Executive Director, Drug Development Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation
Carolyn Murphy
Moderator
Supermodel & Advocate for conscious living and longevity
Estée Lauder Global Ambassador
Carolyn is an enduring force in fashion, with a 30-year career spanning iconic covers campaigns for Calvin Klein, Prada, and Estée Lauder, where she holds the brand’s longest-running beauty contract. Beyond modeling, she’s evolved into a thoughtful voice for sustainability, wellness, and conscious living, advocating through her board work including Edible Schoolyard and Surfrider.
Dr. Saranya Wyles, M.D., PhD
Panelist
Dr. Saranya Wyles, MD, PhD is a board-certified dermatologist and physician–scientist at Mayo Clinic with expertise in regenerative medicine. She serves as Medical Director of the Center for Aesthetic Medicine and Surgery and directs the Regenerative Dermatology and Skin Longevity Laboratory.
Dr. Wyles’ work focuses on defining and extending skin healthspan (the structural and functional longevity of skin) through cellular senescence research, regenerative technologies, and advanced 3D bioprinting platforms. Her laboratory studies the biology of aging skin, the skin exposome, and translational strategies to improve resilience, repair, and long-term function.
She is a nationally recognized thought leader in longevity science and regenerative aesthetics, frequently featured in major media including NBC’s Today Show, and is passionate about democratizing evidence-based skin longevity.
Medical Director, Mayo Clinic Center for Aesthetic Medicine & Surgery
Dr. Daisy Robinton, PhD
Panelist
Molecular Biologist Founder, Oviva Therapeutics
Dr. Daisy Robinton is a molecular biologist, entrepreneur, and public intellectual at the forefront of longevity science and women's health. Driven by historic gender disparities in biomedical research, she founded and successfully exited Oviva Therapeutics — a biotechnology company built on the vision of extending female healthspan through therapeutics that support ovarian function.
A Harvard-trained scientist and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Dr. Robinton has delivered a widely watched TEDx Talk, keynoted international stages, and published in outlets spanning Nature, Vanity Fair, Fast Company and Oprah Daily. She brings a rare cross-disciplinary lens — spanning molecular biology, consumer health, and science communication — to the urgent conversation about how we live well and age well.
Jennifer Palmer
Panelist
Senior Vice President, Global Innovation Development & Science Leadership, Estée Lauder
Jennifer has been with the Estée Lauder Companies for 25 years and leads Global Innovation Development for the Estée Lauder brand. Jennifer also spearheads Estée Lauder’s Science Leadership and Credentialing, positioning the brand as a leader in science-backed skincare, and is responsible for accelerating the brand’s scientific innovation pipeline to create breakthrough product innovation. Jennifer’s leadership blends science, consumer insight and brand storytelling to create innovations that resonate with consumers around the globe.