In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Webcast
3550 Terrace Street
M200K
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15262
United States

Bea Amsalu

Bea Amsalu is a junior at the University of Pittsburgh’s Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences majoring in neuroscience with a minor in chemistry. She is a member of the Blue and Gold Society, where she serves as the vice president of internal affairs. She also is a member of Pitt Global Medical Brigades, where she serves as the public relations chair. Amsalu is passionate about health care and public health and hopes to become an infectious disease physician.

Kathryn Reed

Kathryn Reed is a certified physician assistant and the founder and president of the National Society of Black Physician Assistants (NSBPA). She received a BS in emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh in 2014, graduating cum laude with a minor in chemistry. She received an MS in physician assistant studies at Pitt in 2016. Reed practices internal medicine on an acute inpatient psychiatric unit at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Pittsburgh. She also serves Pitt’s Department of Physician Assistant Studies as an adjunct assistant faculty member.

Olivia Miller

Olivia Miller is a rising senior on the women’s gymnastics team, pursuing a degree in Rehabilitation Sciences with a certificate in Pathokinesiology at the University of Pittsburgh. Upon graduation, she plans to attend Physician Assistant school to specialize in orthopedics or sports medicine. Miller was named the Student-Athlete Advisory Council President for the upcoming year and will represent Pitt’s 500 student-athletes on the department, university and national level. She received the Heart of a Panther Award, given to the student-athlete who best embodies the spirit of service in the community.

Sara Baumann

Sara Baumann is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. She is a mixed-methods researcher harnessing participatory, arts-based tools to study mental health and reproductive health issues. Her research has been published in Global Public Health, Qualitative Health Research, and Women’s Reproductive Health. Baumann is a trained filmmaker passionate about applying creative techniques to illuminate health and social justice topics, and her film work has been featured in media outlets from NPR to Glamour Magazine.

Sohail Rana

Sohail Rana is a dentist and gearhead who co-founded ZeroDK in 2020 with engineers and computer scientists to use integrated hardware and software to track oral hygiene during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sohail is passionate about making dental care more inclusive and targeted. His work as CEO of ZeroDK has led the team to build an iPhone app to track brushing and flossing. Sohail’s team is also launching a smart toothbrush holder so parents can monitor kids' oral hygiene, as childhood is when lifelong routines form.

Valerie Kinloch

Valerie Kinloch is the Renée and Richard Goldman Dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Education. She has strengthened the school’s commitment to equity, justice and innovation by focusing on teaching, research, community engagement and alumni involvement. She is the president-elect of the National Council of Teachers of English, a fellow of the American Educational Research Association, fellow of the American Council on Education, and co-chair of Remake Learning.

William Wagner

William R. Wagner is director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine as well as a distinguished professor of surgery, chemical engineering, and bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh. He serves as chief science officer for the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine. He received his bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and PhD from the University of Texas. Wagner’s research interests are in cardiovascular engineering, addressing medical device biocompatibility and design, biomaterial development, and tissue engineering.