Program Chair
Scot Morris, OD, CEO
Augmented Medical Intelligence
Scot Morris, OD, has practiced for 25 years in various clinical settings and served as a technology author, magazine chief optometric editor, corporate advisor, practice consultant, and prominent educator. He started or cofounded multiple companies within the eye care industry and participated in multiple clinical trials. Among the challenges he consistently hears about in the health care industry for providers, patients, companies, and the health system are inefficient care delivery, clinical decision-making errors, rising costs, access issues, and failure to provide connected care.
Through his various roles, Dr. Morris has focused on how to improve system efficiencies, market, and teach peers how to improve care delivery. His peers voted him as one of the 50 most influential people in eye care and one of the top 250 innovators in the industry. Driven to always find a better way and share that knowledge to make people and processes better, Dr. Morris spent his entire career thinking about health care challenges, how to solve them, and educating others to do the same. As a result, he spent the last few years focusing on these issues and codeveloping a knowledge platform called the AMI Knowledge System, (AMIKnowS), to share and evolve knowledge in hopes that we can solve many health care issues and enable the delivery of accessible and unbiased health care regardless of income, education, or geography.
Masoud Nafey, OD, MBA, FAAO
Board Member, MENT and Bl:nk Elite Management System
Masoud Nafey, OD, MBA, FAAO, Board Member, MENT and Bl:nk Elite Event Management System, is a 3x A.I. Tech Founder, a Senior Consultant to a Global Wealth Fund, and holds several board positions in innovative tech companies. Masoud Nafey, OD, MBA, FAAO, is a 3x A.I. Tech Founder, a Senior Consultant to a Global Wealth Fund, and holds several board positions in innovative tech companies.
Dr. Nafey helped build the Stanford University Vision Performance Center at the Human-Centered A.I. Institute. He was the Founder of Vizzario, Monokül, and MENT—deep tech, A.I., and Web3 companies focused on human-computer interfaces and network intelligence. Prior to that, he served in executive roles in technology verticals within VSP Global and EssilorLuxottica building EHRs, telehealth solutions, and medical device image management solutions. He has a proven track record in innovating, productizing, commercializing, and scaling tech businesses.
Dena Weitzman, OD, FAAO
Director of Medical Affairs
Digital Diagnostics
Dena Weitzman, OD, FAAO, serves as the Director of Medical Affairs at Digital Diagnostics, the first company to receive FDA clearance for an autonomous A.I. diagnostic platform. With more than 15 years of experience in health care, she is dedicated to advancing the integration of A.I. in the field. Dr. Weitzman began her career as Vice President of Optometry at the Infant Welfare Society in Chicago, followed by a transition to academia at Midwestern University, Downers Grove, Illinois, where she served as the Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs. She graduated from the Indiana University School of Optometry in 2010 and completed a residency at the Illinois College of Optometry. Dr. Weitzman is an active member of numerous professional society A.I. health committees and task forces. A passionate advocate for the safe, ethical, and effective use of A.I., she frequently engages with diverse health care disciplines through speaking engagements and publications, educating providers on optimal A.I. utilization.
Rehan Ahmed, MD,
Board-certified Ophthalmologist, Greater Houston Eye Consultants, Chief Medical Officer, Blink by Globe Biomedical
Rehan Ahmed, MD is a board-certified ophthalmologist passionate about improving eye care. He has extensive experience in the wide spectrum of eye care – from direct medical and surgical patient care to managing medical optometry and ophthalmology practice environments to innovating in drug and device development.
Dr. Ahmed is a practicing ophthalmologist and Chief Medical Officer at Blink, a start-up in remote ocular health care. He also works with pharmaceutical companies in the clinical design, both early and late stage studies in multiple eye indications. Dr. Ahmed received his MD degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He completed his internship at the University of Texas, residency in ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine, and MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management.
Easy Anyama
Chief Information Officer, FluoreSCENE Media; Founder, ODX Health
Easy Anyama, Chief Information Officer, FluoreSCENE Media; Founder, ODX Health integrates A.I. within the eye care industry. As the Chief Information Officer at FluoreSCENE Media and founder of ODX Health, Easy is at the forefront of deploying artificial intelligence to enhance clinical care and business operations in eye care. His ventures, such as the development of the Irvin A.I. clinical assistant and Maxwell, a retinal clinical decision support tool, exemplify his dedication to the practical application of A.I. in improving clinical workflow and patient outcomes.
Easy has served in many leadership roles, including Past President of the American Optometric Student Association, and he is a contributor for several publications in the industry. Additionally, his past experience includes clinical research, digital marketing, software development, and the invention of low vision devices, among other accomplishments.
Howard Purcell, OD, FAAO
Diplomate and FNAP, President and CEO of the New England College of Optometry (NECO)
Howard Purcell, OD, FAAO, Diplomate and FNAP, has been President and CEO of the New England College of Optometry (NECO) since July 2018. Before assuming his leadership role at NECO, he served as Senior Vice President at Essilor of America and Senior Director at Johnson & Johnson Vision Care. A second-generation graduate of NECO, Dr. Purcell also participated in a group optometric practice for 11 years with his father in Miami Beach, Fla.
Beginning in June 1991, Dr. Purcell joined the faculty of Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry. During his career at the college, he was a principle in the development of the Department of Cornea and Contact Lenses. Reaching the rank of Associate Professor, Dr. Purcell was responsible for both the didactic and clinical components of the program, serving as the Deputy Dean of the college.
Dr. Purcell is a Diplomate in the Cornea, Contact Lenses and Refractive Technologies Section of the American Academy of Optometry His energetic and enthusiastic style has made Dr. Purcell a popular lecturer internationally. His unique philosophies and practices have often attracted the media to focus attention on current optometric issues and research in the industry.
Sunny Virmani
Group Product Manager at Google, leading the Health A.I. Product team. During his time at Google and Verily LifeSciences
Sunny Virmani is a Group Product Manager at Google, leading the Health A.I. Product team. During his time at Google and Verily LifeSciences, he has focused on translating A.I. research into real clinical applications, working globally with key opinion leaders and partners. His team’s pioneering research in the field of diabetic retinopathy screening using machine learning has helped significantly advance the technology in this field. Previously, he held Product Management positions at Carl Zeiss Meditec, leading teams that built cutting-edge retinal imaging and diagnostic products. Prior to that, he worked at Philips Healthcare in the field of Radiology, leading teams that built computer-aided detection algorithms and focused on key advancements in the field of colorectal cancer screening using CT colonoscopy. By education, he is an engineer with a Masters degree in Biomedical Engineering.