St. Michael's College
Dr. Melissa VanderKaay Tomasulo is Associate Dean of the School of Natural and Health Sciences, Associate Professor of Psychology and Health Science, and co-directs the Stress and Immunology Laboratory at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont, USA. She is an experimental health psychologist with training and expertise in the behavioral and psychophysiological effects of stress on spatial navigation, allostatic load, and disease pathogenesis. Her current research demonstrates the ability of VR-delivered meditation to mitigate the negative consequences of stress on behavioral, autonomic, neuroendocrine, and immune responses. She is collaborating with scientists at NASA Johnson Space Center to develop a VR stress-relieving countermeasure protocol that aims to prevent immune dysfunction and improve crew health during future long duration spaceflight missions. Her expertise in VR-delivered meditation has been applied to workers over-wintering in Antarctica, first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic, and college athletes. NASA’s Human Research Program, the Vermont Space Grant Consortium, and the Vermont Biomedical Research Network have funded her research. She received her Ph.D. in Health Psychology from The Ohio University.
Duke University Health System
As a dedicated neurologist with a specialization in general and vascular neurology, I primarily treat patients suffering from stroke. Due to the preventable nature of stroke, I strive to focus on the stroke etiology. My work includes participation in innovative clinical trials primarily on stroke identification and later rehabilitation, allowing me to bring the latest treatments to my patients. My decision to pursue neurology was driven by a fascination with the intricacies of the human brain and a desire to provide tangible relief to those affected by neurological disorders. Outside of my professional life, I enjoy people and nature photography.
Creighton University
Dr. Sarah Ball is an Assistant Professor and the Faculty Chair of the Traditional Undergraduate College of Nursing at Creighton University. With a focus on innovative simulation technology interventions, Dr. Ball’s research is dedicated to advancing assessment and evaluation tools in nursing education, particularly in the realm of Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR). She is leading several research initiatives, including the revision of the Creighton Competency Evaluation Instrument (CCEI) to its updated version, CCEI 2.0, and studying its validity and reliability across settings from high fidelity to IVR in real-time scenarios. Additionally, she is exploring the integration of Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) with multi-modalities of simulation into pre-licensure nurses' final practicum course to improve practice readiness. Dr. Ball’s expertise and forward-thinking approach to nursing education continue to shape the future of healthcare training, integrating the latest advancements in technology to better prepare nursing students for success in clinical practice.
XR Health Alliance
Sarah Ticho is a multi-disciplinary artist, entrepreneur, and change-maker operating at the intersection of health, wellbeing, and embodied storytelling using immersive technologies. As the director of the XR experience SOUL PAINT, Sarah has garnered accolades, including SXSW Special Jury Prize, Best Health and Wellness at Games for Change, Best Social Impact at Miami Filmgate, XR Special Mention at Kaohsiung Film Festival and the XR prize for creative advocacy at the Social Impact Media Awards. She is the co-director of the XR Health Alliance, and is renowned for her efforts in advancing immersive technology adoption in healthcare, championing equitable co-creation and distribution of XR and games for health and wellbeing. In 2020 XRHA published "The Growing Value of XR in Healthcare in the United Kingdom," which led to a £20m investment through the UKRI Mindset program. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, and has been seen on the BBC. She has delivered talks at esteemed festivals and institutions globally, including YouTube, MIT, Stanford University, Games for Change and The United Nations.
Drury University
David Beach is an architect and Professor of Architecture at the Hammons School of Architecture at Drury University. Specializing in digital design technology, David is an advocate of full digital immersion as part of a traditional design process leveraging technology to inform process, collaboration to expand upon results, and precise decision making through analysis. David teaches in the architectural design studios (building scale), the Center for Community Studies (urban scale), and both the introductory and advanced digital design technology courses (virtual scales). Recently, David’s research work has taken architecture into the world of healthcare through the process of Virtual Reality, creating “docummersion” experiences for kids to escape the confines of hospital rooms to promote healing and recovery.
Northeast Ohio Medical University
West Virginia University
Dr. Megan Gandy (she/they) is the Principal Investigator of Play Higher ©, an innovative virtual reality initiative that expands behavioral health career access and promotes digital equity among rural K-12 (secondary school) students. Funded through the US Department of Labor and multiple state-level initiatives, Play Higher has emerged as a national model for integrating immersive technology into behavioral health education and workforce development.
Play Higher reimagines career exploration through immersive play, using virtual reality to spark curiosity, elevate ambition, and bridge the gap between underserved students and high-impact careers. By turning career pathways into engaging, hands-on experiences, Play Higher empowers the next generation to rise—academically, professionally, and collectively to build stronger, more vibrant communities. Dr. Gandy’s work explores how emerging technologies like VR can bridge gaps in access, enhance workforce development for health and social service professionals, and promote equitable outcomes for underserved populations.
St. Michael's College
Dr. Loisel is an experimental molecular biologist with training and expertise in immunology, gene and protein expression, virology, and genetics and genomics. He has published research on a variety of topics, including the sex-specific genetic architecture of human disease, genetic and viral contributors to childhood asthma risk, gene expression patterns associated with pre-eclampsia, viral detection and surveillance in wildlife, and evolution of primate immune genetic diversity.
Currently, at Saint Michael’s College, Dr. Loisel is co-director of the Stress and Immunology Laboratory that examines the effects of VR-delivered guided meditation on behavioral, autonomic, neuroendocrine, and immune responses in human participants, such as student-first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic, NCAA Division II college athletes, and full-time college students.
In addition, Dr. Loisel collaborates with scientists at NASA Johnson Space Center to integrate VR meditation into a stress-relieving countermeasures protocol that aims to prevent immune dysfunction and improve crew health and performance during future long-duration spaceflight missions.
Dr. Loisel’s research has been funded by the NASA Human Research Program, the National Science Foundation, the Vermont Space Grant Consortium, and the Vermont Biomedical Research Network. He received his Ph.D. in evolutionary genetics from Duke University and completed a NIH post-doctoral fellowship in human genetics at the University of Chicago.
Heka VR
Sara Leander-Pehrson is the CEO of Heka VR, a pioneering health tech company transforming severe mental health care through immersive virtual reality experiences. With a background in international business and venture building, as well as a passion for accessible, scalable mental health solutions, Sara leads Heka’s mission to deliver clinically validated VR therapy across global healthcare systems.
XR Health Alliance
Ross is the co-director of the XR Health Alliance, and a Digital Health Growth Advisor with expertise in scaling companies in the UK in AI and Immersive Healthcare sectors. He supports hundreds of companies to navigate; sales and procurement, regulation and compliance, market analysis and segmentation, partnership and product development, customer success and retention, investment and fundraising. Ross is the former MD of WYSA for the UK and Europe. Wysa is the world leader in AI mental health support with 6 million users across 95 countries. He worked within the NHS as a Provider and Commissioner of Services for over 13 years exiting as an Innovation Director.
National Institutes of Health
Head, Health Communication and Behavior Unit
Director, Immersive Simulation Program
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
Associate Investigator and Director of Virtual Reality Lab
National Institutes of Health / National Human Genome Research Institute
Dr. Susan Persky is an associate investigator and unit head within the Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH) where she directs the Immersive Simulation Program (ISP). She earned her Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara where she studied at the Research Center for Virtual Environments and Behavior. In 2006 she founded the ISP, an immersive technology-based experimental research facility at the NIH Clinical Center. Dr. Persky splits her effort between providing leadership for the ISP and conducting programmatic research on clinical and public health translation of emerging genomics technologies. She has written and presented extensively on methodology, applications, and evaluation of immersive technology in healthcare and behavioral science contexts. Dr. Persky has presented this work in venues such as the Smithsonian Institution and at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
IterationZero
Principal Consultant
IterationZero LLC
Laura Kusumoto is a proven executive leader, skilled in the disciplines of technology innovation. Her expertise is seeing beyond hype and harnessing the business value that emerging and disruptive technologies can bring to work. Applying experiences from working for Meta, Deloitte, Disney, Kaiser Permanente, LEGO and more, her passion is helping organizations identify the best problems to target with innovative solutions, and driving towards their successful piloting and implementation. Her work has paved the way for first-mover products such as AI chatbots in health care, immersive avatar-based training, VR for employee well-being, and beyond.
In 2023, Laura formed IterationZero LLC as a boutique consultancy offering innovation services that enable emerging technologies for the benefit of business and everyday work within the enterprise. Laura serves on the Board Executive Committee for the Virtual Worlds Society, and on the Advisory Board for XR Women.
University of Mississippi Medical Center
Moffitt Cancer Center
Dr. Sarah Hoffe is the Section Head of GI Radiation Oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center and joined the faculty in 2006. She is a Senior Member at Moffitt and Professor in the University Of South Florida Morsani College Of Medicine’s Department of Oncologic Sciences. Dr. Hoffe’s research and clinical interests include cancers of the esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, bile duct, rectum, colon, anus, as well as neuroendocrine cancers. She has experience with advanced radiation therapy techniques such as intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), three dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT), stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), radioembolization, and image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) using endoscopically implanted fiducial markers. At Moffitt, she works closely with her multidisciplinary colleagues including GI surgeons, medical oncologists, gastroenterologists, radiologists and pathologists to develop new treatments for patients with GI cancers. She is very interested in 4D PET/CT imaging and works with the PET/CT committee at Moffitt In addition to GI cancers and radiation oncology, Dr. Hoffe is also interested in the integration of novel patient engagement technologies that will improve the patient experience, such as piloting novel virtual reality tools. After completing her undergraduate studies at Brown University, Dr. Hoffe received her MD degree from the University of Vermont. She then completed a transitional year internship at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville followed by residency in radiation oncology at Duke University Medical Center and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Hoffe devotes a significant portion of her time to the promotion of medical education. Nationally, she is the Director of eContouring at ASTRO, is on the advisory board for the Contemporary Radiation Oncology Journal, and is a contributor to the Up to Date Online educational site, having co-authored the section on bone metastases. She serves on the ASTRO Education Committee and the HIMSS connected patient committee. Locally, she is on the Editorial Board of Cancer Control Journal and is active at the USF Morsani College of Medicine where she is a coach for the SELECT program and the leadership competency co-director. In 2009, Dr. Hoffe was the first radiation oncologist at Moffitt to be selected as the Physician of the Year.
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
IVRHA (International Virtual Reality and Healthcare Association)
Professor
Champlain College
Professor
West Virginia University
Founder
VRVoice, The Social Media Monthly and The Startup Monthly Websites/Magazines
Council Member
AWE (Augmented World Expo) Advisory Council
Founder
Share The Cheer
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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