2026 Bioelectronic Medicine Forum

Michel Maharbiz, Ph.D., CEO, iota Biosciences

Michel cofounded iota Biosciences in 2017. He is a serial entrepeneur and in his spare time loves bouldering, hiking, and off-roading. Until 2021, Michel was a full professor and is now an adjunct professor with the department of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. Prof. Maharbiz received his B.S. from Cornell University and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley under nanotechnologist Prof. Roger T. Howe and synthetic biologist Jay D. Keasling. He is a senior member of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society and a member of the Society for Neuroscience. Prof. Maharbiz is a recipient of the McKnight Foundation's Technological Innovations in Neuroscience Award, a Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator, a Bakar Fellow, and recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award.

James Cavuoto, Editor and Publisher, Neurotech Reports

James Cavuoto is editor and publisher of Neurotech Business Report and BioElectRx Business Report and the founder of Neurotech Reports. He is the lead author of "The Market for Neurotechnology," and "The Market for Bioelectronic Medicine," two market research reports published by Neurotech Reports. Cavuoto was the founder of Micro Publishing Press, Inc., a publishing company that helped pioneer the market for electronic publishing, digital imaging, and computer graphics. He holds a degree in biomedical engineering from Case Western Reserve University, where he studied under pioneers in the field of functional electrical stimulation. He has also studied human factors engineering at University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Cavuoto spent three years as a member of the technical staff at Hughes Aircraft Company in Los Angeles, where he worked on simulation, training, and publication products produced for the U.S. Department of Defense. Cavuoto was an adjunct professor at Rochester Institute of Technology and the author of eight books on computer graphics, electronic publishing, and digital imaging. He is a member of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. He has authored a chapter in the textbook Neuromodulation (Elsevier, 2009), as well as articles in Neuromodulation, Journal of Neural Engineering, Medical Device Daily, IEEE Spectrum, MX magazine, and the International Journal of Medical Marketing. He is coauthor, with Jennifer French, of Bionic Pioneers: Brave Neurotech Users Blaze the Trail to New Therapies (Neurotech Press, 2014).

Jeremy Koff, Senior Consulting Editor, Neurotech Reports

Mr. Koff is senior consulting editor for Neurotech Reports and president of Colibri Partners Inc., a strategic and marketing consulting firm with a primary focus in the medical device sector. The company offers services related to market and risk analysis, clinical and technology assessments, business plan development, business/financial modeling, and market research. Mr. Koff has nearly 20 years of global experience in the medical device industry with companies including Advanced Bionics Corp., Boston Scientific, MiniMed Inc., Bioness Inc, and many others. His business plans have attracted tens of millions in start-up capital. Mr. Koff holds a Bachelor's degree in biology from Middlebury College, a Masters of Public Affairs from Indiana University, and an MBA from UCLA. He is an active classically-trained musician, supporter of the arts, and is a board member of the Fender Music Foundation.

Jo Jo Platt, Senior Contributing Editor, Neurotech Reports

Jo Jo Platt brings more than 10 years experience as a neurotechnology consulant to Neurotech Reports. As the founder and president of Platt & Associates, she has helped leadership identify new opportunities, transform organizations, and build teams from the ground up. Most recently, she was a strategic development consultant for the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, where she helped identify and establish strategic partnerships in the emerging field of bioelectronic medicine and was instrumental in the launch of the Center for Bioelectronic Medicine. Previously, Jo Jo communications director for eDigital, where she managed all internal and external communications and built braand recognition through tradeshows and consumer events. Platt holds a bachelor's degree in communication and media studies from National University. She is currently the finance chair for the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Neural Engineering 2019 meeting.

Victor Pikov, Ph.D., Contributing Editor, BioElectRx Business Report

Victor Pikov is a contributing editor to Neurotech Report's new publication, BioElectRx Business Report and also co-founder and CEO of Medipace Inc, a startup developing implantable neuromodulation therapies for auto-immune intestinal diseases. Victor previously worked at Galvani Bioelectronics and GlaxoSmithKline, where he oversaw development and testing of implantable pulse generators and stimulation leads for several clinical applications, including auto-immune and metabolic diseases. At the Huntington Medical Research Institutes, Victor developed neural interfaces for various chronic diseases, such as infertility, bladder paralysis, bladder spasticity/hyperreflexia, hearing and vision loss, tinnitus, obstructive sleep apnea, and obesity. At the California Institute of Technology, Victor developed optogenetic viral vectors for neuronal stimulation. Victor has several patent applications for implantable neural interfaces, closed-loop neuromodulation therapies, and noninvasive glucose measurement.

Allan Gobbs, Managing Partner, ATEM Capital

Nandan Lad, M.D., Ph.D., Vice Chair of Innovation, Duke Neurosurgery

Nandan Lad, MD, PhD is a neurosurgeon, scientist, and innovator, serving as a Professor of Neurosurgery and Vice Chair of Innovation at Duke Neurosurgery. Dr. Lad leads the Duke Neuromodulation Program with the belief that multidisciplinary approaches are key to enhancing patient outcomes. Working with teams at the forefront of medtech and digital health innovation, Dr. Lad is committed to developing and utilizing cutting-edge technologies to treat pain, movement disorders, and a variety of complex neurological conditions. He believes in a blend of personalized care and advanced technological solutions, aiming to not only alleviate symptoms but also significantly improve quality of life and restore function for his patients.

Jeff Chu, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Features Capital

Jeff Chu is a Co-Founder and serves as a Managing Partner at Features Capital. He is a seasoned medical device developer and technologist. He is directly responsible for the creation and development of nascent technologies from ideation through transfer to manufacturing for early-stage and global medical device companies. Over 21 years as CTO and Partner of Simbex, he delivered multiple products to market based on a wide spectrum of technologies in both the medical device and consumer marketplaces, from bench to bedside. His deep experience in software, hardware, and algorithm development coupled with his biomechanical systems expertise helps realize innovative solutions that seamlessly integrate with the consumer. He has served as Principal Investigator on several federally funded research innovation programs from both the NIH and the Department of Defense in the areas of rehabilitation, blast, and impact biomechanics. He has been an active angel and LP investor. He is a Corporator of Mascoma Bank, a Founding Steering Committee Member of the MedTech Collaborative, and a Core Director for the Translational Rehab Engineering Advances and the New England Pediatric Device Consortium. His work has received national recognition from Time Magazine, Sybase, Edison Awards, and Computerworlds. Before Simbex, he worked as an advanced concepts consultant for several companies in the sporting goods industry and taught graduate courses in the areas of clinical biomechanics and computer modeling. He holds 8 patents, with 6 patents pending. He received his BS and MS in Biomechanics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Jeffrey Cohen, Managing Director, Ladenburg Thalmann

Mr. Cohen is responsible for equity research coverage of medical technology and healthcare services. He has 19 years of experience directly involved in the worldwide financial markets, of which he has spent the past 11 years directly involved with healthcare research and sales. Prior to joining Ladenburg Thalmann, he was a Senior Healthcare Research Analyst at C.K. Cooper & Company focusing upon the biotechnology, medical technology, and healthcare services segments. Mr. Cohen also served as a healthcare research analyst at Jesup & Lamont Inc., where he focused upon medical technology with sector specialization within Cardiology, Vascular, Orthopedics and Diabetes. Prior to equity research & sales, he spent seven years trading and managing fixed‐income and equity derivative products at Cantor Fitzgerald, Sanwa Securities and the American Stock Exchange. Mr. Cohen holds a B.S.E. in Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from the University of Miami. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Business & Management at Lynn University teaching Economics, Management, and International Business.

Jay Jiang, Ph.D., Co-founder and CTO, Spiro Medical, Inc.

Marom Bikson, Ph.D., Professor of Biomedical Engineering, City College of New York

Marom Bikson is a Cattell Professor of Biomedical Engineering at The City College of New York of the City University of New York and co-Director of the Neural Engineering Group at the New York Center for Biomedical Engineering. The translational R&D activity of his group spans pre-clinical studies, computational models, device design and fabrication, regulatory activities, and clinical trials. Technologies developed by his group are in clinical trials in over 100 medical centers and include neuromodulation interventions for neuropsychiatric disorders, intra- and post-operative sensors, patient compliance tools, and surgeon training simulators. Dr. Bikson has published over 200 papers and book chapters and is inventor on over 30 patent applications. He is known for his work on brain targeting with electrical stimulation, cellular physiology of electric effects, and electrical safety. Dr. Bikson co-invented High-Definition transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, the first noninvasive, targeted, and low-intensity neuromodulation technology. Dr. Bikson consults for medical technology companies and regulatory agencies on the design, validation, and certification of medical instrumentation. Prior to becoming faculty at CUNY, Dr. Bikson was a research fellow at the University of Birmingham Medical School, U.K. and a Research Associate at Sontra Medical LLC, in Cambridge, Massachuesetts. Dr. Bikson received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland, OH and a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.

Ben Woodington, Ph.D., Co-Founder and CEO, Coherence Neuro

Mehmet Günal, Ph.D., CEO and Co-Founder, Brill Neurotech