December 9, 2022 - Symposium 2022 Videos Now Available

This October, the Foundation hosted the 8th International Symposium on Focused Ultrasound...                   December 9, 2022 This October, the Foundation hosted the 8th International Symposium on Focused Ultrasound. For many, this was one of the first chances to interact with colleagues from around the world in-person since the COVID-19 pandemic began. It was certainly a pleasure to convene again as a community. The Symposium showcased the tremendous progress in the field. Before the meeting began, more than 200 prerecorded scientific presentations were made available to all attendees. In total, over 600 participants from 23 countries joined us in-person or virtually for four days of panel discussions, keynote speakers, and special lectures. This year’s meeting also included an increased spotlight on many commercialization topics, because the field is rapidly moving from laboratory research to standard of care. All presentation videos are now permanently available on the Symposium YouTube channel.   Scientific Presentation Videos Now Available on YouTube Channel All prerecorded scientific presentations and live content – including panels, Q&A sessions, and keynote addresses – are now available on our Symposium YouTube channel. The videos are organized by topic and day. Watch Now >  Keynote and Special Lecture Spotlight Thank you to our many keynotes and special lecturers who gave inspiring talks on focused ultrasound research and medical innovation. Geoff Martha, Medtronic  How Technology is Redefining the Way We Diagnose, Treat, and Improve Patient Outcomes    Bob Smith, Pfizer, Inc.  Focused Ultrasound for Gene Therapy   Freda Lewis-Hall, MD, DFAPA, MFPM, Pfizer, Inc.  The Importance of Reducing Disparities in Clinical Trials    Danielle Carnival, PhD, White House Cancer Moonshot  The Moonshot’s Goals to End Cancer and Focused Ultrasound’s Potential Role  Special Scientific Lectures Addressed Diabetes and Thyroid Disease Brian Hung-Hin Lang, MS, MBBS, FACS, University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital  Focused Ultrasound for the Treatment of Thyroid Diseases    Chris Puleo, PhD, GE Research  Focused Ultrasound for the Treatment of Diabetes Commercialization Sessions Targeted Growing Industry Regulatory and Reimbursement Thomas Scully, Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe  Reimbursement Through the Eyes of CMS    Jill Hagenkord, MD, Optum Genomics  Reimbursement Criteria from a Private Insurer’s Perspective    FDA Town Hall Q&A on the Agency’s Pathways, Programs, and Processes   Laurie Clarke and Hal Stowe, TSG Consulting  Regulatory Strategies for Device Companies  Business Development and Financing Bradley Horowitz, Google & Michael Marquez, Morado Ventures  Trials and Tribulations for Startup Companies    Sumit Mukherjee, Bank of America Merrill Lynch  The Current State of Capital Markets in Medtech  Five Pioneers in Focused Ultrasound Were Recognized with Prestigious Awards   Yoav Medan, PhD, former vice president at Insightec, posthumously received the Lifetime Achievement Award. His son accepted his award on his behalf. Gail ter Haar, PhD, DSc, a renowned expert in focused ultrasound and physics, was selected for the Visionary Award.  Kobi Vortman, PhD, founder and vice chairman of the Board at Insightec, was presented with the Commercialization Pathfinder Award.  Zhibiao Wang, MD, founder and chairman of Chongqing Medical, received the Clinical Adoption Award. Graeme Woodworth, MD, professor and chair of neurosurgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, received the Ferenc Jolesz Memorial Award. This award is sponsored by Insightec.  Luncheon Celebrated Women in the Focused Ultrasound More than 100 people gathered for a luncheon sponsored by Bracco to celebrate and address the challenges of women in the field of focused ultrasound. Hong Chen, PhD, Elisa Konofagou, PhD, Jessica Foley, PhD, and Natasha Sheybani, PhD, participated in a brief panel discussion to share their personal experiences. The discussion was not recorded, but attendees networked, discussed challenges, and identified opportunities. Subscribe to Women in Focused Ultrasound Emails >  Become an Advocate for Focused Ultrasound The Symposium’s Advocacy Panel discussed how to address policy challenges that limit commercialization and widespread patient access to focused ultrasound therapies. Attendees learned how government engagement can break down barriers around regulatory and reimbursement, federal funding, and stakeholder awareness. ​​​​​   Engage with our advocacy team in the new year to learn about our 2023 policy goals! Sign Up Here > Young Investigators Shared Their Work Twenty early-career researchers received Young Investigator Awards and presented their work during a luncheon at the Symposium. Verasonics sponsored this year's awards. Watch the Presentations >    Bracco's Women in Focused Ultrasound Award was presented to Dezhuang Ye, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in biomedical engineering at Washington University in Saint Louis. ​​​​​   Swanee Douglas, from University of Toronto, received the 2022 Global Intern Award. Clinical and Research Advances Highlighted at Media Event The Foundation hosted a virtual event to educate media on current research using focused ultrasound for cancer immunotherapy, depression, pancreatic cancer, pediatric brain tumors, and twin-twin transfusion syndrome. Watch Now > ​​​​​   Thank You The Foundation is grateful to everyone who attended the year's Symposium and to those of you who worked with us to make it a success. We extend special thanks to the Honorary Symposium President, Elisa Konofagou, PhD, and the leadership of the session moderators who created a forum for education and collaboration. And finally, we appreciate the continued support of the sponsors and exhibitors.