Ilya is a serial entrepreneur creating transformative products and businesses at the intersections of health, human genome and software. He believes that combining smart technology with real-world data, DNA information and community-derived insights can improve the lives of patients and help to develop novel, personalized therapies. He co-founded NextBio – a biotech company focused on applying large-scale patient and genomic data for therapeutic and clinical discoveries. NextBio was acquired by sequencing pioneer Illumina, where Ilya subsequently led the company’s software products and informatics strategy. Before that, Ilya was in charge of industry partnerships at a genomic software startup that helped scientists understand data coming out of the Human Genome Project (later acquired by Agilent). Ilya did his undergraduate work at UC San Diego and graduate work in large-scale genome applications at the Science for Life Labs/Karolinska Institute, Stockholm. He currently serves on the board of several biotech companies. In his free time, Ilya loves to kitesurf and attend theater and music performances.

Having first-hand experience with chronic conditions and a deep understanding of the challenges they entail, Anatoly is pursuing a lifelong mission of building products that improve the quality of life for those who need it the most. Throughout his career Anatoly has been developing platforms that connect people to information, services and each other, from apps that facilitate online dating and finding optimal transportation to online classrooms where people from around the world can interact and learn. For more than 10 years, Anatoly has focused on bringing practical applications with simple and intuitive interfaces to users by trying to truly understand their needs. He relies on exceptional leadership, analytical and organizational skills to turn ideas into successful products. In his spare time, Anatoly rides his bike or cooks dinner for his friends.

With degrees in medicine and biomedical engineering, David has devoted his professional career to delivering compassionate care as a primary care physician as well as developing new medical technologies that improve the health of patients everywhere. Starting with co-inventing many of the early innovations in pulse oximetry and then later in remote disease management and now in digital health, David has been fortunate throughout his career to have positively impacted many people around the world. He holds a B.A.S. in applied science and bioengineering and a M.S.E. in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania. David also received an M.D. cum laude from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard-M.I.T. Division of Health Sciences and Technology. David completed his internship at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in the Department of Medicine. He holds 18 issued and four pending U.S. patents and maintains clinical practices in California and Hawaii.

Anna began her career in journalism writing and editing for Russia Profile Magazine in Moscow, following internships at Newsweek and Radio Liberty she pursued as an undergrad at UC Berkeley and a stint in a user support role at Google. Having worked her way up to Executive Editor at Russia Profile, she took a leading editorial position on the English news desk of Russia’s then-most prominent news agency RIA Novosti, where she developed an interest in the business side of content that lead her to pursue a master’s degree in digital publishing from New York University. She went on to help Foreign Policy and the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative shape their storytelling efforts, build new, engaged audiences and establish thought leadership. Anna is a published political columnist, lifestyle blogger and former radio talk show host. She enjoys travel, learning foreign languages and dancing around with her toddler.

Kayla is a licensed clinical psychologist, whose extensive experience providing psychological support to people with chronic medical conditions, combined with her personal experience living with IBD, make for a unique perspective on the immense burden of chronic illness. Kayla leverages this expertise to develop targeted interventions that empower people to live their best lives possible. Kayla received her doctorate from Loma Linda University, where she researched and designed integrative, interdisciplinary patient-centered behavioral health programs. Over the last 10 years she has also had the privilege of working closely with the IBD community in a variety of roles, including as education coordinator for the Northern California (NCA) chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. Kayla is enthusiastic about innovation in healthcare and is particularly interested in how medical, psychological, and digital health landscapes overlap in patient-driven care models.

For a long time, Arielle has focused her research on ways the body and brain are interconnected, especially within the context of immune-mediated chronic diseases. Through her long-term relationships with IBD patients enrolled in the longitudinal microbiome studies she coordinated as a clinical research coordinator within the Division of Gastroenterology at NYU’s School of Medicine, Arielle gained an appreciation for their clinical and psychological needs, inspiring her to pursue an academic career in Health Psychology. She earned her BA in Psychology from Columbia University and is now working on a Ph.D. at UCLA, where she researchers mind-body interactions in inflammatory chronic diseases. A gut-brain enthusiast, she loves trying all things probiotic as well as learning about how the microbiome modulates the effects of the immune system on the brain.

Inna is an engineer, yoga teacher and physical therapist with a wide range of experiences and interests in health, wellness and medicine. Inna began her professional life at UC Berkeley engineering, which equipped her to create solutions in the semiconductor, fuel cell and solar industries. Her family’s history of chronic illness led her to develop an interest in the workings of the human body and in accomplishing the balance that is needed for physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. She taught yoga for a decade, studied qi gong and meditation, practiced acupressure based on the principles of traditional Chinese medicine and went on to receive a clinical doctorate degree in physical therapy from UC San Francisco.

While Meredith didn’t expect her life to be what it is, she now can’t imagine it any other way. She majored in Arabic as an undergrad at Georgetown University hoping to pursue a career in intercultural relations or national security, and would later be admitted to Georgetown Law School. However, her immune system had other plans: in late February 2011, she was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease wherein the immune system attacks the large intestine. After spending over four months combined at the Georgetown Hospital’s Pediatric Ward, she returned to volunteer with the Child Life Program to help pediatric patients. Ever since, Meredith’s heart has been bound to healthcare. She has worked in primary care, personal fitness, advocacy groups and hospital settings. She is now most excited to be able to express her creativity to support her tribe of #ibdwarriors via both her patient advocacy and chronic illness awareness Instagram account @blondebowelbattlingbadass and her work with Gali Health. Meredith’s black lab/pittie mix Josie is her main source of giggles and snuggles throughout the day.