Cassie Kozyrkov, Senior Product Designer, Zendesk, Montreal, Canada
''There is no distinction between a decision made by a machine and a decision made by a human.”
As Chief Decision Scientist at Google Cloud, Cassie Kozyrkov advises leadership teams on decision process, AI strategy, and building data-driven organizations. She works to democratize statistical thinking and machine learning so that everyone - Google, its customers, the world! - can harness the beauty and power of data. She is the force behind bringing the practice of Decision Intelligence to Google and she has personally trained over 15,000 Googlers in machine learning, statistics, and data-driven decision-making. Before her current role, she served in Google's Office of the CTO as Chief Data Scientist. Prior to joining Google, Cassie worked as a data scientist and consultant. She holds degrees in mathematical statistics, economics, psychology, and cognitive neuroscience.
Becky Tucker, PhD, Senior Data Scientist, Spotify, CA, USA
Dr. Rebecca (Becky) Tucker is a Senior Data Scientist at Netflix, where she works for the Studio Science and Analytics team in the Los Angeles office. Previously, she worked for the Content Demand Modeling team, where she built predictive models for use in the acquisition and creation of films and TV shows. Prior to working Netflix, Becky completed her PhD in Physics at the California Institute of Technology. There, she studied the cosmic microwave background and the earliest moments of the universe. Her undergraduate degree, also in physics, was from the Georgia Institute of Technology. In addition to data science, feel free to talk to Becky about hiking, running, attempting to write a novel, and any book you’ve recently read and enjoyed.
Maryam Fazel-Zarandi, PhD, Machine Learning Scientist, Amazon (Alexa), MA, USA
Maryam Fazel-Zarandi is currently a Machine Learning Scientist at Amazon working on conversational AI for Alexa. Before joining Amazon, she was a Senior Research Scientist at Nuance Communications. Maryam received her Ph.D. in Computer Science from University of Toronto in 2013. Her research interests are in the areas of knowledge representation and reasoning and machine learning with a focus on natural language understanding and dialogue management.
Laura Chaibi , Head of Market Intelligence and Syndicate Digital Data, MBA Group, UAE
Laura has 20 years of digital media experience across marketing, research, audience 
development, media measurement and advertising effectiveness, with domain expertise in media delivered digitally. She has helped numerous companies build up their digital transformation and capabilities through commercial/consumer, data and market insights; her passion has always been in understanding audiences, helping brands and evaluating communication and content effectiveness. From her pre 2000 Olympics days with Australia.com through to some of the biggest global media publishers in the world including AOL, BBC, Yahoo and now MBC in the Middle East, Laura continues to bring light into the dark corners of understanding digitally delivered media, audiences and advertising. Laura is on the advisory board of Women in Research (WIRe) and works at an advisory level for media measurement regulations. She has been judging media, research and data creativity awards for over 10 years having read 1000s of papers. She has won over a dozen media and insights awards across her career including ‘woman of tomorrow’ as one to watch in the media industry. With a keen eye on strategy, creativity, and future gazing, she is dedicated to helping young, up and coming talent become the achievers of tomorrow.
Dana Sarkis, Head of Marketing Science & Growth Strategies, Hearts & Science MENA With a degree in computer and communications engineering, Dana is a senior marketing science and analytics professional with 12+ years of experience in managing initiatives pertaining to performance driven media and media analytics within an agency environment, deploying data science. She is a passionate advocate of building media for the future through digital transformation and synergy. Working across several disciplines has made Dana adept at using business & consumer insights to consult client’s growth strategies and ROI extraction to fuel better business decisions. As Head of Marketing Science & Growth Strategies, Dana strives to elevate the data and analytics conversations in the region by holding the industry accountable to ensure data safety and security. She is also responsible for expanding the Hearts footprint in the region.
Leela Vaughn, Sales/Product manager, Epic, WI, USA
Leela Vaughn is Director of Accounts Middle East at Epic since 2010. She builds relationships with healthcare leaders in the Middle East market to drive growth and foster sales & community-building. Defines and executes the strategy for building Epic’s presence in the Middle East. Monitors Epic deployments in the region, keeps regular contact with executives, and is accountable for the long-term success of those Epic community members and works closely with Research & Development staff to prioritize development initiatives to enhance Epic’s ability to support needs specific to the region. Ms. Vaughn also acts as Account Executive for the US and elsewhere in the world, she fosters EHR sales to academic, children’s, and community-based medical centers in the United States. Keeps in close contact with executives to support Epic community member long-term success and growth. Works closely with Epic’s Public Relations team to manage Epic’s media presence worldwide. Moreover, drives ongoing improvement in Epic’s implementation planning for new community members.
Maria Gabrani, Research Staff Member, IBM, Zurich, Switzerland
Maria Gabrani manages the Cognitive Healthcare and Lifesciences group, at IBM Research Zurich, that develops technologies for analyzing textual, imaging and molecular data for building health knowledge and disease understanding.
Jutta Williams, Senior Program Manager, Google AI, CA, USA
Jutta Williams is that engineer that applies laws, regulations, standards, policies, best practices, logic, reasoning and ethics to really big design questions. She loves healthcare because it is hard - and humbling. Ms. Williams works in Artificial Intelligence because it will transform an industry she care deeply about. She also is the US Chair for AI standards to the international standards organization.
Kate believes that digital technology, new technology policies and updated
business model practices are required to make transformative change in the lives of the under-served and decrease the growing digital divide. Kate joined DIAL in February 2016 as its CEO to fulfill this vision. She has committed the past 26 years to bringing diverse stakeholders together to find common ground in business, technology, and policy, holding leadership roles in both the corporate and non-profit sector in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Prior to DIAL, Kate co-founded and led the Digital Health Solutions Group at PATH, the Seattle-based international health organization driving transformative innovation to save lives. During her eight years at PATH, Kate designed and led several global projects, working in both Africa and Asia, most notably those including the use of digital technology to improve the delivery of immunization services and health information systems for universal health coverage. Prior to PATH, Kate held diverse senior roles in the commercial software sector and international trade. At Microsoft, Intel, and General Electric, Kate held roles in ICT product development and launch, strategic planning, and business development, including launching Xbox Live in Europe and leading deal negotiations with telecom providers in 25 markets worldwide. In the non-profit sector, Kate led policy efforts as the President of the Washington Council on International Trade and the Director for Indonesia Affairs at the U.S. ASEAN Council. At both organizations, she partnered closely with U.S. corporations and government partners to strike mutually beneficial international trade agreements and expand market access for small and medium size enterprises.
Kate holds an M.B.A. and an M.A. in Southeast Asian studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a B.A. in International Relations from the College of William and Mary.
Samia Khoury, MD, Director, Abu Haidar Neuroscience Institute
Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Research
Director, Nehme and Therese Tohme Multiple Sclerosis Center
Professor of Neurology, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Dr. Samia Khoury is currently the Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Research at the American University of Beirut. Since October 2011, she has served as the Director of the Abu Haidar Neuroscience Institute, Director of Nehme and Therese Tohme Multiple Sclerosis Center at AUBMC, the first MS (Multiple Sclerosis) center in the region, and Director of the research lab specialized in MS and immunology. She is a professor of neurology at the American University of Beirut. From 2009-2013 she was the Jack, Sadie, and David Breakstone professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and served as the co-Director of the Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Boston since 2001. In 2007, Dr. Khoury was awarded the prestigious Kuwait Prize for Sciences by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences for her work in immunology. In 2017, she received the CNRS Research Excellence award. Dr. Khoury received her Medical Diploma from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, in 1984 having been elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society in 1983. She completed her neurology residency at the Case Western Reserve University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio and her fellowship at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Center for Neurologic Diseases. Dr. Khoury is recognized as a world leader in MS, she has trained tens of investigators who are now active leaders in MS and Immunology research. She has published over 200 scholarly articles, reviews, and book chapters.
- Lina Daouk-Öyry, PhD Asst. Professor in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management Director of Evidence-based Healthcare Management Unit (EHMU)| AUB OSB Beirut, Lebanon
Lina Daouk-Öyry is an Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management at the Olayan School of Business (OSB) at the American University of Beirut (AUB), specializing in employee assessment, development, and retention particularly in the healthcare sector. Lina is interested in exploring personality, competencies, and other individual differences among healthcare professionals (physicians, nurses, and hospital middle managers) and how they influence job related variables relevant to today’s business context. Lina is also the Founding Director of the Evidence-based Healthcare Management Unit (EHMU), a cross-disciplinary unit based at AUBMC, which promotes the use of data and evidence for improving decision-making and consequently employee experience and service delivery in hospital settings.
Jumana Antoun, MD, Associate Professor of Family Medicine, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Associate Professor Of Family Medicine. Passionate about teaching. Lifelong learner. Interested in communication in healthcare. Enthusiastic about bringing technology to the fields of medical education and clinical care.