TEDxCornell

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Ade Obayemi Jr.

  Dr. Ade Obayemi Jr. is a both a board-certified otolaryngologist/head and neck surgeon as well as a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon. He completed his undergraduate studies at Yale University. He subsequently attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania and received surgical training at the Columbia/Cornell combined residency program in head and neck surgery. Following this Dr. Obayemi completed a fellowship in facial plastic surgery at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He specializes in complex head and neck reconstruction and cosmetic facial plastic surgery. He is passionate about medical education and diversity in surgical training. While practicing in NYC he co-founded the Black and Latino Men in Medicine (BLMIM), an 8-week immersion program for underrepresented college students interested in medical education. He also is interested in surgical missions and has completed several trips to sub-Saharan Africa to teach and perform reconstructive surgeries, including Ghana, Tanzania, and Nigeria. He has been in practice in central New York since 2021.

• Alexandra Abrams

  Alexandra Abrams is a healthcare marketing leader and storyteller committed to building more accessible, and equitable patient experiences. She works closely with global partners, clinicians, and health systems to translate complex technology into meaningful solutions that improve patient outcomes. Outside of her corporate role, Alexandra is a Pilates instructor, writer, daughter, sister, and friend. These identities shape her perspective on the invisible responsibilities we all carry. Her TEDx talk draws from personal experiences and professional insights to challenge how we define resilience, belonging, and self-expectation. Known for her candor, warmth, and humor, Alexandra is passionate about helping others see possibility in the parts of their story they often overlook.

• Ashley Landay

  Healthcare leader known for combining strategic insight with creativity, empathy, and a drive to help others succeed. Brings a unique background in clinical trials, care coordination, and operations, supported by dual MBA and MS degrees in Healthcare Leadership from Cornell. Previously built a successful career as a talent agent, representing award-winning actors and negotiating hundreds of high-value contracts annually. A Stage IV breast cancer patient who has run eight NYC Marathons and shepherded a team that has raised over $1 million for cancer research in seven years, exemplifying resilience, purpose, and community leadership. Believes deeply that it is never too late to pivot in life, having transformed her own career in the wake of a breast cancer diagnosis to focus on advancing patient-centered care and meaningful impact. Proven ability to streamline systems, negotiate effectively, and lead with integrity, earning the trust of patients, colleagues, and collaborators alike. A natural connector and motivator, selected as EMBA student speaker, elected class representative, and named to Poets & Quants Best & Brightest Executive MBA. Thrives in complex environments where collaboration, efficiency, and human-centered thinking are essential to driving meaningful outcomes.

• Bert Scholl

  Bert Scholl is a coach, podcast host, and advocate for people who are facing life-threatening illnesses. After navigating two separate cancer diagnoses, he became a Cancer Survivorship Coach then launched But Seriously: The Cancer Podcast, where he has interviewed over forty guests about their cancer journeys. Bert's work focuses on transforming struggle into strength and empowering people to face the unimaginable with clarity and courage. In addition to his private work, he supports individuals navigating a cancer diagnosis through his work at the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes in Ithaca, NY. He is committed to transforming how society relates to their mortality and the freedom doing so can provide.

• Chris Bordoni

  Chris Bordoni has been many things: All-American athlete, strategy consultant, cancer survivor, entrepreneur, business school professor, husband, and father. The road to the present, however, has been a bit curvier (and rockier!) than Chris would have liked. Starting at age seventeen, Chris unexpectedly began a fifteen-year journey through injuries, illness, and professional setbacks that challenged him to re-consider who he was – and might be – as a person and professional. In parallel, Chris’s time with Boston Consulting Group and the Civic Consulting Alliance introduced him to several leaders genuinely attempting to do impossibly good things in their corner of the world. Inspired, he started Bordoni & Company, a consultancy designed to help other do-gooders, underdogs, and contrarians lead and reinvent their organizations (and sometimes themselves, too). Today, Chris is an award-winning professor at Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, where he teaches the next generation of business and community leaders.

• Esam Boraey

  Esam Boraey is an author, speaker, and scholar whose work bridges activism, academia, and global democracy. A leading voice on democratic transformation and Middle Eastern politics, he was one of the early organizers of Egypt’s pro-democracy movement during the Arab Spring. Now based in the United States, Esam serves as Project Manager at Cornell University’s Center on Global Democracy and is completing his Ph.D. in Comparative Politics and Political Economy. His writing and talks explore how societies rise against authoritarianism, the global struggle for freedom, and the lessons democracy movements can learn from one another across borders.

• Mikhail Kogan

  Dr. Mikhail Kogan is a leader in the rapidly growing field of Integrative Geriatrics and a prominent advocate for incorporating holistic approaches into mainstream healthcare. He is the chief editor of the definitive textbook Integrative Geriatric Medicine, published by Oxford University Press. Dr. Kogan currently serves as the Chief Medical Office of the GW Center for Integrative Medicine and Associate Professor of Medicine at George Washington University . Dr. Kogan’s leadership extends to numerous organizations including National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) CAM PDQ Board, American Board of Integrative Medicine, GW Center for Aging, Health, and Humanities, and many others. He is also the founder and former ED of AIM Health Institute, a nonprofit organization in the Washington, D.C. area that provides integrative medicine services to low-income and terminally ill patients, regardless of their ability to pay.

• Priya Abiram

  Priya Abiram is an aerospace engineer and pilot who has worked on human systems and spacecraft engineering at NASA, Blue Origin, VAST, and Boeing. Priya has flown microgravity missions, led Mars analog expeditions, built high-powered rockets, and developed award-winning technologies for Mars settlement research. Priya has innovated across assistive technology, renewable energy, and space-for-Earth technologies. She previously served in the Air Force Auxiliary as a Cadet Lieutenant Colonel. She has organized global seminars reaching over 3,500 students across 10+ countries and led initiatives inspiring the next generation in aerospace. She received the Congressional Award Gold Medal and is an international speaker and science communicator.