This year's Keynote Speaker is Marvin J. Slepian, M.D.,J.D., a Regents’ Professor at the University of Arizona; with Professorships in Medicine, Medical Imaging, Surgery, Chemistry, BioMedical Engineering (Associate Dept. Head), Materials Sciences and Engineering, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, as well as being a McGuire Scholar in the Eller College of Management. Dr. Slepian is the founder and Director of ACABI - the Arizona Center for Accelerated Biomedical Innovation – an across the university “creativity engine,” to drive innovation, novel solution development and real-world translation. In parallel with his clinical career Dr. Slepian has had an extensive research career leading to the development of innovative diagnostics and therapeutics for cardiovascular diseases.

His work has focused on the development and use of novel biomaterials for tissue engineering, drug delivery and medical device development. His lab has developed many novel diagnostics and therapeutics which have found their way into clinical use today including: drug-eluting stent technologies, stent coatings, “polymer paving,” surgical anti-adhesive barriers, stretchable and biodegradable electronics, “wearables,” synthetic tissue sealants, myocardial revascularization and cell delivery methods and cardiovascular prosthetic devices - including the only FDA approved total artificial heart. He is the author or co-author of more than 300 articles, textbook chapters and abstracts, published in journals such as Science, Nature Materials, PNAS, PlosOne, Circulation, and the New England Journal of Medicine. He also serves on multiple editorial review boards. He is a prolific inventor with more than 120 issued and filed patents and has been the founder of numerous medical device companies including FOCAL (NASDAQ), Endotex, Angiotrax, Hansen Medical (NASDAQ), Arsenal, 480 BioMedical, MC10 and SynCardia, and has been involved in bringing many new devices through the FDA regulatory process into clinical use, including most notably the total artificial heart.

He has received multiple awards for his academic and translational research activities including: the American Heart Association award for the most significant advance in cardiovascular medicine, the AZBio Pioneer Award (2017) for Lifetime Achievement in Biomedical Science Innovation, and in 2019 was named daVinci Fellow – the highest recognition of the University of Arizona College of Engineering; and received the Daniel Drake Medal – the highest distinction of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine for outstanding innovative medical research. In 2020 Dr. Slepian was selected as Founders’ Lecturer – the highest honor of the U Arizona College of Medicine. Dr. Slepian is an elected fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), a fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) and is an elected member of BEMA – the Biomaterials Engineering Materials and Applications (BEMA) Roundtable of the National Research Council of the National Academies. Recently Dr. Slepian was appointed as a member of PPAC – the Patent Public Advisory Committee of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) of the Dept of Commerce. He is Past-President of the International Society for Mechanical Circulatory Support (ISMCS); and Past President of the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs (ASAIO).