The 2026 Congress of Future Medical Leaders

**This schedule is Preliminary and Subject to Change**

4:00 PM — Doors Open. Find Your Seat and Meet Your Fellow Congress Delegates!

6:00 PM — Program Begins

National Anthem Sung by a Congress Delegate
Greetings and Welcome by Emcee and Academy Executive Director Richard Rossi
Icebreaker Group Activity
Delegates Mentored by 2020 TIME Kid of the Year, Forbes 30 under 30, and Congress Alumna Gitanjali Rao
Small Group Writing and Sharing Exercise
Delegates Mentored by National Academy of Future Scientists and Medical Scientists, Science Director Dr. Mario Capecchi, Recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Questions Submitted by Delegates for Dr. Capecchi, Hosted by Gitanjali Rao
Delegates Mentored by Heman Bekele, 2024 TIME Kid of the Year and Winner of the 2024 3M Young Scientist Challenge
Delegates Mentored by Congress Grand Master Dr. Jonathan Epstein, M.D., Dean, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Questions Submitted by Delegates for Dr. Epstein, Hosted by Heman Bekele
Delegates Mentored by Academy Executive Director Richard Rossi
Wrap-up Activity and Remarks by Richard Rossi

9:30 PM — Evening Adjourn

8:30 AM — Doors Open

10:00 AM — Program Begins

Introduction of the Day’s Activities by Richard Rossi
Inspiring Group Activity
Delegates Mentored by Congress Grand Master Dr. Timothy Nelson, CEO and Co-Founder of Heartworks
Delegates Mentored by MIT undergraduate student and 2019 Gordon Moore Award Winner, International Science & Engineering Fair, Krithik Ramesh
Delegate Exercise with Richard Rossi
Delegates Mentored by Dr. Deborah Bedor, Nationally Recognized College Admissions Expert and CEO of College Admission Central
Wrap up Delegate Small Group Exercise

12:30-3:00 PM — Lunch Break and Speaker Meet & Greet with Delegates

Welcome Back Remarks, Richard Rossi
Delegates Mentored by Congress Academic Partner Dr. Mike Carney, Interim Chancellor, University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire
Delegates Mentored by Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, Associate Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, and Community Healthcare Hero
Delegates Mentored by Rebecca Rosenberg, CEO & Founder, ReBokeh Vision Technologies, 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30, and Congress Alumna
Inspiring Collaborative Small Group Activity
Delegates Mentored by Dr. Gary Richter, Owner and Medical Director of Holistic Veterinary Care, and Voted America’s Favorite Veterinarian
Collaborative Small Group Activity
Delegates Mentored by Congress Grand Master Dr. Bartley Griffith, Heart surgeon who performed the first successful xenotransplantation of a genetically modified pig heart into a human
Questions Submitted by Delegates for Dr. Griffith, hosted by Heman Bekele
6:30-8:00 PM — Dinner Break and Speaker Meet & Greet with Delegates

Welcome Back Remarks by Richard Rossi
Delegates Mentored by Dr. Bohdan Pomahac, Chief of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Yale School of Medicine
Delegates Inspired by Robert Chelsea, Recipient of the First African American Full-Face Transplant and Organ Donation and Transplantation Advocate
Questions Submitted by Delegates for Dr. Pomahac and Mr. Chelsea, hosted by Rebecca Rosenberg
Collaborative Small Group Activity
Delegates Inspired by the World-Renowned Body Language Expert, Linda Clemons, Founder of Sisterpreneur®
Wrap-up Activity and Remarks by Anna Rossi

9:30 PM — Evening Adjourn

8:30 am — Doors Open

10:00 AM — Program Begins

Introduction of the Day’s Activities by Richard Rossi
Collaborative Small Group Activity
Live Surgery! Dr. Anthony Romeo, Orthopedic Surgeon and Shoulder & Elbow Specialist, moderates surgery while surgeon Dr. Justin Griffin takes questions from Delegates
Collaborative Small-Group Breakout Exercise

12:30-3:00 PM — Lunch Break and Speaker Meet & Greet with Delegates

Welcome Back Remarks by Richard Rossi
Delegates Mentored by Leanne Fan, Winner of the 2022 3M Young Scientist Challenge
Small Group Delegate Collaboration
Delegates Mentored by Congress Grand Master Dr. Greg Semenza, Recipient of the Nobel Prize in Medicine and the Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research
Questions Submitted for Dr. Semenza, Hosted by Leanne Fan
Delegates Mentored by Garnet Morris, Author of 17 Runs: The Unbeaten Path to Unlock Life's True Potential
Delegates Mentored by Congress Grand Master Dr. Stephen Ray Mitchell, Dean, Georgetown Medical School (2000-2020)
Questions Submitted for Dr. Mitchell from Delegates, Hosted by Krithik Ramesh
Shake Break!
Inspiring Patient Story by Nicole Hall, RN, Maternal Mortality Survivor
Delegates Inspited by Lisa Nichols, Founder and CEO of Motivating the Masses and Motivating the Teen Spirit
Pre-Dinner Remarks by Richard Rossi

6:00-8:00 PM — Dinner Break and Speaker Meet & Greet with Delegates

Induction of Congress Delegates into the Society of Torch and Laurel Honor Society by Executive Director Steven Loflin
Presentation of the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists Award of Excellence by Richard Rossi
Candlelit Awards Ceremony
Address to the Convocation by Dr. Stephen “Ray” Mitchell, Dean, Georgetown Medical School (2000-2020)
DJ and Dance!

9:30 PM — Congress Adjournment

Past Speakers

Learn about the distinguished physicians and medical scientists who have mentored Delegates in the past.