Andy Slavitt to Keynote 2026 Yale Innovation Summit Health Track
The 2026 Yale Innovation Summit will welcome Andy Slavitt to campus for a keynote conversation anchoring this year’s Health Track — a focused convening of leaders advancing the future of healthcare delivery, policy, and innovation.
Slavitt, former Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and former White House Senior Advisor for the COVID-19 Response, will join Megan Ranney, MD, MPH, Dean of the Yale School of Public Health for a keynote conversation on health system reform, policy leadership, and the evolving role of innovation in the US health system.
Health Track Overview: Health Innovation at Scale
From artificial intelligence and digital health to global health innovation and mental well-being, the Health Track at the Yale Innovation Summit will convene leaders exploring how new technologies, investment models, and care delivery approaches are reshaping health systems.
The 2026 Health Track centers on a pressing question: how do we translate advances in technology, innovation, and investment into stronger health systems and expanded access to care for populations at scale?
This year’s Health Track, led by Kaakpema “KP” Yelpaala, Senior Fellow and Lecturer at the Yale School of Public Health and Inaugural Faculty Director of the Future of Health Innovation Hub, brings together founders and builders, investors, health professionals, researchers, and policymakers to explore the next era of health innovation.
Across the keynote, panels, and innovation showcases, the track will examine the intersection of emerging technologies, entrepreneurial leadership, and new models for improving health outcomes.
Health Track Keynote: Andy Slavitt
“Healthcare innovation is not only about new tools,” Slavitt has said. “It is about whether our systems are built to serve people when it matters most.”
Slavitt rose to national prominence when he helped lead the turnaround of Healthcare.gov following its initial rollout challenges. As Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, he oversaw implementation of the Affordable Care Act and helped drive major reforms across the U.S. healthcare system. Over the course of his career spanning government, venture investing, and nonprofit leadership, Slavitt has helped lead many of the nation’s most consequential healthcare initiatives. He is the founder and Board Chair Emeritus of United States of Care, a national non-profit health advocacy organization, and a co-founder and General Partner at Town Hall Ventures, one of the leading venture capital firms in US health sector. Since its founding in 2018, Town Hall Ventures has raised more than $1 billion to invest in companies expanding access to care and strengthening health systems, backing high-growth companies including Cityblock, Unite Us, VillageMD and other leading health companies.
In a keynote conversation with Dean Megan Ranney, Slavitt will explore the evolving intersection of policy leadership, health system reform, and innovation in American healthcare. The discussion will examine how advances in technology, new care delivery models, and cross-sector collaboration are shaping the next era of healthcare transformation.
“Healthcare innovation is not only about new tools,” Slavitt has said. “It is about whether our systems are built to serve people when it matters most.” His keynote conversation will anchor the Health Track’s focus on both technological transformation and the leadership required to translate innovation into substantial improvements in care.
“The next phase of health leadership depends on our ability to scale great ideas into real improvements in both individual and community health,” said Dean Ranney. “Andy Slavitt has spent his career innovating across multiple sectors, moving our systems toward meaningful change.”
Featured 2026 Health Panels
Health innovation increasingly sits at the intersection of policy, technology, investment, and care delivery. The question is not simply what new tools exist, but how they translate into stronger health systems and better access to care for populations at scale.
The Health Track panels bring together clinicians integrating AI into practice, founders building digital health platforms, policymakers shaping reimbursement frameworks, investors backing next-generation care models, and communicators helping the public understand these shifts.
Together, these conversations explore how innovation can help address the pressures facing healthcare today while opening new pathways for improving access, quality, and outcomes in the United States and globally.
Investing in Smarter Health: AI, Workforce Innovation, and Health Span
This panel will explore how investors and entrepreneurs are approaching some of the most important opportunities in population-level health innovation. Speakers will discuss how advances in artificial intelligence, new workforce models, and emerging health span science are shaping the next generation of care delivery, and how investors are evaluating these opportunities.
Innovating for Well-Being: Technology, Emotional Intelligence, and Mental Health
Mental health innovation increasingly sits at the intersection of technology, communication, and human development. This panel will explore how new digital tools, platforms, and care models can support emotional well-being while strengthening trust and resilience across communities. The discussion will also examine emerging questions around youth well-being, emotional intelligence, and how digital environments are shaping the next generation’s relationship with mental health.
YNHHS AI Symposium: Innovation Showcase and Awards
In partnership with Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS) on May 26, 2026, the Health AI Symposium convenes national thought leaders, investors, entrepreneurs to explore the real-world implementation of artificial intelligence in healthcare. Updates from Connecticut health systems recognized in 2025 will showcase progress as their solutions advance toward implementation. The Yale Innovation Summit health track will also feature the awarding of the 2026 YNHHS Health Innovation Awards, recognizing promising healthcare innovations from the Yale University and Yale New Haven Health communities.
The Next Era of Global Health Innovation in LMICs: Digital Transformation, Financing, and Scalable Solutions
Health innovation in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is increasingly shaped by digital transformation, new financing models, and cross-sector partnerships. This session will explore how investors, researchers, and global health leaders are working to scale innovations that expand access to care and strengthen health systems. Against a backdrop of contracting global health financing, the panel will also discuss the opportunities, and practical challenges, for deploying AI and other digital tools in LMIC settings.
Spotlight: HealthTech Works
HealthTech Works represents Yale’s commitment to bridging research, entrepreneurship, and clinical application. By supporting founders navigating regulatory pathways, reimbursement models, and health system partnerships, the accelerator aims to translate breakthrough ideas into deployable solutions. At the Summit, attendees will learn how the fund is strengthening Yale’s health innovation ecosystem and expanding pathways from lab to market to patient impact.
About the Yale Innovation Summit
The Yale Innovation Summit, taking place May 27–28, 2026, is the Northeast’s largest and most dynamic gathering for innovation and entrepreneurship. Open to the public and hosted by Yale Ventures, the Summit brings together founders, investors, researchers, students, creatives, and industry leaders from around the world. Across six tracks—arts, biotech, civic, climate, health, and tech—the two-day event features bold pitch competitions, high-impact panels, investor programming, and curated networking experiences. Learn more and register: