Call for Startups Pitch Competition:
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We are inviting XR healthcare startups to apply for a special pitch competition during the conference. Selected participants will receive free registration for the conference as well as a table to demonstrate/discuss their product throughout the conference.
Prize – One team will receive the following:
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A) Complimentary Exhibition Space and (2) Passes for UnitedXR, December 7-9, 2026 in Brussels, Belgium
B) Complimentary Exhibition Space and (2) Passes for the 11th Annual VR and Healthcare Global Symposium, February 2027, Tampa Bay, Florida
C) Complimentary Exhibition Space and (2) Passes for Augmented World Expo, June 2027, Long Beach, California
Portsmouth Regional Hospital
Rafael is a full-time Surgeon, Educator, Speaker, Patient Advocate, & Healthcare Futurist; an Immigrant- originally from Caracas, Venezuela. After doing his surgery residency in Ann Arbor, MI, USA, he developed as a General, Trauma, Advanced Laparoscopic and Robotic surgeon and now practices in the USA. After performing the first ever live surgery with Google Glass in 2013, becoming a 6X TEDx speaker, an advisor and consultant to multiple entities, he’s become a global advocate for the use of exponential technologies, especially XR & AI to augment the human clinician, and bring humanity back to healthcare. His passion focuses on the intersection of innovation technology and healthcare. Throughout his career, he has focused on tapping the paradoxical power of technology to coexist with better, more humane medical care. As a healthcare futurist, being a full-time practicing surgeon, gives him the rare skills, qualities and advantages that clinicians have but most technology innovators lack. That duality of expertise makes him a voice that definitely should be heard. A voice that impacts and addresses both ends of the spectrum, diversifying the target audience, feeding multiple interests and curiosities.
University of Latvia
Tatjana Pladere is the Head of the Department of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Latvia. The department focuses on bridging fundamental science with applied research to deliver high-quality, evidence-based, user-centred solutions that promote visual health, inform the development of innovative technologies, and improve quality of life. In close collaboration with industry partners and other stakeholders, her research group translates expertise in vision science and clinical optometry into next-generation vision technologies that are more inclusive and better tailored to individual user needs.
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Erin Blanchard, PhD, MSN, RN, CHSE, CMQ
Assistant Professor
Department of Health Services Administration
Simulation Educator
Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Erin Blanchard, PhD, MSN, RN, CHSE, CMQ is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Services Administration, as well as a Simulation Educator with the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Erin teaches in the Simulation and Healthcare Quality and Safety graduate programs. She is a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator, as well as a TeamSTEPPS master trainer. Erin’s interests in research focus largely on healthcare simulation including design, execution, and debriefing; in situ and in simulation lab; immersive and procedural modalities; process and space planning; formative objective structured clinical examinations; communication; teamwork; cognitive aid use; and operative and perioperative emergencies. She has additional research interests in the area of telehealth, patient safety, and health disparities, particularly related to transgender patients.
Adnan Menderes University
With over 30 years of professional experience, Prof. Atiker has served as a creative director on numerous international projects and has received multiple awards. His areas of expertise include Motion Graphics, Extended Reality, and Artificial Intelligence in Design. He has conducted workshops, seminars, and exhibitions at various international events. Prof. Atiker is currently a full-time Professor in the Department of Visual Communication Design at Adnan Menderes University and serves as the founding director of COPROS, Türkiye’s first Artificial Intelligence Design Platform.
VITAL Sports International
Sonya Seddarasan is an XR UI/UX Designer focused on building experiences and frameworks that translate human goals into meaningful XR einteractions. She believes designers play a critical role in shaping where this medium goes next, she stays close to the industry through hands-on projects, product testing, xr design consultancy, and writing about spatial UI UX. She is currently in collaboration with XR studios and startups to design immersive applications across AR, VR, and MR.
Badalona Serveis Assistencials
José Ferrer Costa is a medical doctor, XR developer, and researcher at Badalona Serveis Assistencials (BSA), specializing in the design, implementation, and evaluation of immersive technologies in healthcare. His work focuses on VR-based solutions for pain management, cognitive rehabilitation, and mental health, among other applications.
With a background in family medicine, integrative medicine, and medical research, he began exploring metaverse environments for education and well-being before applying XR technology to real-world clinical settings. As a PhD candidate, his research investigates the barriers and facilitators of XR adoption in healthcare, contributing to evidence-based digital health interventions.
A strong advocate for human-centered XR, Ferrer Costa promotes best practices and scalable innovation to create clinically validated digital health solutions.
MagikaVRx
Teri Yarbrow, MS, MFA is the President of MagikaVRx, an immersive media company and founder of “Creating AWE”. She is a Founding Member of AMXRA, an XR Health Strategist, Author, Educator and VR Evangelist, passionate about XR healthcare and Immersive VR Therapy.
An Emmy, Ars Electronica, BDA, Promax award winning producer and creative director in LA, she created Magika, a successful digital media company known for using advanced technology. Recruited by SCAD, a leading creative university, she initiated
the award-winning “VR for Good” program, creating therapeutic VR experiences for patients at Hospice Savannah and Steward Center for Palliative Care at Candler Hospital.
Excited about the amazing results of VR therapy for relieving pain, anxiety, depression and enhancing quality of life for the seriously ill, MagikaVRx was born. Yarbrow is now working with her healthcare partners to expand and distribute “Creating AWE”, an innovative and interactive VR therapy program for use in healthcare facilities.
Yarbrow is a leading voice in VR therapy, a co-author of a new book, “Virtual Reality for Serious Illness”, a featured speaker at vMed in LA 2022, 23, 25, and Immersive Tech Week in Rotterdam 2023. Nominated for the prestigious VR Award for Social Impact 2023 and winner of the Telly Award for Social Impact, she spoke at AWE 2024. As an Adjunct Professor at Mercer University School of Medicine, she consulted and lectured about Medical Extended Reality and Trends in Immersive Medicine.
Aalto University
Marjaana Siivola is a usability engineer (Master and Licentiate of Science (Tech)), a teacher, an elearning specialist, and a childbirth professional. She is an Advanced Certified Birth Doula (DONA) and Lamaze-certified childbirth educator who transformed childbirth education by combining her passion for good usability, online learning and family wellbeing into online childbirth education well before COVID-19. In her latest PhD research, she developed a VR childbirth education program to add experiential learning to childbirth education. Users were an integral part of her research, and parents and midwives provided valuable insights into the program's design.
XR4EUROPE
As Managing Director of XR4Europe, Michael Barngrover leads a pan-European industry association to support and advance XR innovation in Europe. In addition to its matchmaking, research, and thought leadership activities, XR4Europe participates in several EU-funded projects: XR4HUMAN, OPENVERSE, and VR HEALTH CHAMPIONS, through which XR4Europe plays an active role engaging European stakeholders in the EU's strategic initiative for Virtual Worlds and Web 4.0.
The VR Health Champions project is a three-year initiative co-funded by the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) instrument under the European Regional Development Fund. Its primary goal is to reduce market barriers for healthcare Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) applications in less developed European regions. By strengthening the value chains of five flagship SMEs—Lightspace, MEEVA, MedApp, Metaskills, and Virtuleap—the project aims to advance their Technology Readiness Levels from TRL 6 to TRL 9, facilitating market readiness. XR4Europe plays an important role in the project's cascade funding mechanism to support SMEs in the healthcare XR sector, providing financial resources to advance the development and market readiness of innovative VR and AR applications.
Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences
Dr. Linda Lancere
Researcher
Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences
Healthcare Track Co-Coordinator for Google Impact Challenge Program
Riga TechGirls
Baltic American Freedom Fundation Research Scholar Alumni
Baltic-American Freedom Foundation
Co-Founder, Rehabilitation, Research & Development
Digital Health Cluster Latvia
Linda Lancere obtained Ph.D. in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics in 2017 in Riga Technical University. Linda continued to complement her interests in modern technologies and physical movements by working in virtual reality project management and obtaining B.Sc. in Physical Therapy in 2021 in Latvian Academy of Sport Education. The previous experience accumulated and led to the interdisciplinary post-doctoral research in Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, beginning January, 2019 with a title “Design research for user-friendly guidance of complex whole-body rehabilitation for lower extremity amputees by means of extended reality and advanced wearables data processing”. Part of the project was performed at the University of Iowa (2020) with support of the Baltic American Freedom Foundation and the Council on International Educational Exchange. At the present moment Linda is continuing research at VUAS and European University Alliance (E³UDRES²) in the area of wireless sensor/mixed reality/physical therapy field.
Stanford University
Conference Co-Chair
Behavioral Neuroscientist
Stanford University
Walter Greenleaf is a neuroscientist and a medical technology developer working at Stanford University. With over three decades of research and development experience, Walter is considered a leading authority in the field of digital medicine and medical virtual reality technology.
Research Focus:
Walter’s current research focus is on developing computer supported clinical products, with a specific emphasis on applying virtual reality and digital health technology to address difficult problems in behavioral and physical medicine such as Post-traumatic Stress, Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Traumatic Brain Injury and Stroke, Addictions, and Autism Spectrum Disorder.
His early research was on age-related changes in the neuroendocrine system and the effects on human behavior.
Academic Positions:
Walter is currently a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Stanford University’s MediaX Program, a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, and the Director of Technology Strategy at the University of Colorado National Mental Health Innovation Center. He previously served as the Director of the Mind Division, Stanford Center on Longevity, where his focus was on age-related changes in cognition.
Medical Product Development:
Walter has designed and developed numerous clinical systems over the last thirty-five years, including products in the fields of: surgical simulation, 3D medical visualization, telerehabilitation, clinical informatics, clinical decision support, point-of-care clinical data collection, ergonomic evaluation technology, automatic sleep-staging systems, psychophysiological assessment, and simulation-assisted rehabilitation technologies, as well as digital eHealth products for behavioral medicine.
Academic Leadership:
Walter is the Co-founder and Board Chair for the International Virtual Reality Health Association (IVRHA).
He helped establish the California State University Center for Disability Solutions and the International Society of Virtual Rehabilitation (ISVR). Walter is a scientific advisor and grant reviewer for the U.S. Public Health Service, National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), NASA, and the U.S. Department of Education (DoED). He has served as the Principal Investigator for research projects funded by the NIH and by NASA.
Corporate Management:
Walter founded and served as CEO for Greenleaf Medical Systems, a medical product development company; InWorld Solutions, a company specializing in the therapeutic use of virtual worlds for behavioral health care; and Virtually Better, a company that develops virtual environments for the treatment of phobias, anxiety disorders, and PTSD. Walter was the founding Chief Science Officer for Pear Therapeutics.
Academic Journals:
Walter is an Associate Editor for three academic journals: JMIR Mental Health, the Journal of Virtual Reality in Medicine, and Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.
Current Board Positions:
Walter serves on the Board of Directors for Brainstorm: The Stanford Laboratory for Brain Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship; for Cognitive Leap, a company that develops mental health solutions for children; and for Sine Wave, the developer of Sine Space, a multi-user online Unity 3D-based virtual world platform. He is currently the technology and neuroscience advisor to several early-stage medical product companies.
Walter earned a Doctorate in Neuro and Bio-Behavioral Sciences from the Stanford University School of Medicine, where he was awarded a NIMH Graduate Fellowship.
IVRHA
Executive Director and Founder
IVRHA
Robert is the Executive Director and Founder of IVRHA (International Virtual Reality and Healthcare Association).
In 2009, Robert started Cool Blue Media by organizing the first social media conference on the east coast of the United States, leading to the publication of the text book, "The Big Book of Social Media Case Studies, Stories and Perspectives" and shortly thereafter the only printed magazine covering social media, The Social Media Monthly. In May 2016, he launched VRVoice.co, a content vertical exploring virtual reality in the enterprise. In 2017, Robert started the largest annual conference on virtual reality and healthcare with events taking place both in the US and Europe.
Prior to 2009, Robert was the Senior Director of Global Strategy and Development of IT at Conservation International (CI). Robert joined CI in 2000 to take responsibility for connecting all of CI’s forty field offices to the Internet with broadband connectivity. During his 10 year tenure, he built an international staff of 25 IT professionals.
Robert has over ten years of additional work experience as a systems and sales engineer with various companies including CMGI, Hughes Network Systems, ioWave and Raytheon. Robert has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Villanova University, a master’s degree in environmental science and public policy from Johns Hopkins University, and is ABD at George Mason University.
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