Future of Austin Healthcare and Life Sciences

Tue May 26, 2026

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Future of Austin Healthcare and Life Sciences

The Intersection of Care Delivery, Biotech Momentum And the Projects Moving the Market Forward

Tuesday May 26 2026 @ 8:00 AM CDT

$124.00

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Speakers and Panels

Claudia Lucchinetti

Claudia F. Lucchinetti, M.D., serves as dean of Dell Medical School and senior vice president for medical affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. In these roles, she oversees Dell Med’s work in education, research and clinical care, including operations at UT Health Austin, Dell Med’s clinical practice, and leads the University’s comprehensive health care strategy. She also holds the Frank and Charmaine Denius Distinguished Dean’s Chair in Medical Leadership. A neurologist with specialization in neuroimmunology and experimental neuropathy, she is an internationally recognized expert in the clinical and neuropathological underpinnings of the broad spectrum of inflammatory demyelinating diseases, including multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica and MOG antibody associated disease. Lucchinetti comes to Austin from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where she was dean of clinical and translational science and director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science. She also served as chair of the Department of Neurology and chair of the neurology enterprise subspecialty council, where she oversaw strategic and operational responsibilities across Mayo Clinic sites nationwide. She was the Eugene and Marcia Applebaum Professor of Neurosciences at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, where she remains a professor of neurology. Additionally, she served on the Mayo Clinic board of governors and board of trustees. She earned her medical degree from Rush Medical College in Chicago and, after an internship at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center, completed a neurology residency and a fellowship in neuroimmunology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. As a Mayo Foundation Scholar, she trained in experimental neuropathology with Hans Lassmann, M.D., at the Brain Research Institute in Vienna, Austria. Lucchinetti’s research contributions include a landmark study describing four patterns of tissue damage in early multiple sclerosis; it suggested that MS lesions form differently among patient subgroups. This work markedly refined medicine’s understanding of the disease, indicating the potential for individualized therapy based on pathological subtype. Following paradigm-changing research that found evidence for early inflammatory cortical damage in MS, Lucchinetti was the first to propose that the disease progresses from the outermost layers of the brain before extending into deeper regions. As a result, scientists and physicians better understand the sequence and timing of damage to the nervous system resulting from MS, leading to novel imaging biomarkers of the disease and new treatment strategies. She was also first to propose that based on pathology, neuromyelitis optica, a condition where the immune system damages the spinal cord and the nerves of the eyes, was an antibody-mediated disease targeting the perivascular space and, with a team of Mayo collaborators led by Vanda Lennon, M.D., identified the first biomarker targeting the water channel expressed on astrocytes, a subtype of glial cells. These and subsequent studies have reshaped our understanding of neuromyelitis optica and its relationship to MS and opened a field of research into the roles of astrocytes in the central nervous system. Lucchinetti has been the recipient of significant research grant funding from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences and the U.S. Department of Defense. She is also on the Council of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2016 John Dystel Prize for MS Research. To date, she has authored more than 220 peer-reviewed articles, with an h-index of 88.

The University of Texas, Austin

SVP for Medical Affairs

Keynote

Claudia Lucchinetti

SVP for Medical Affairs, The University of Texas, Austin

John Tarlton

CEO, Tarlton

Jeffrey Shilt

Dr. Jeffrey Shilt is an esteemed orthopedic surgeon and serves as President of Austin and Central Texas at Texas Children’s Hospital. He previously served as the Vice Chair-Community Surgery and the Chief Surgical Officer at Texas Children’s Hospital in The Woodlands. He continues to serve as the Medical Director of the Motion Analysis & Human Performance Lab. Dr. Shilt is a Professor of Orthopedics and Scoliosis Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, the Pediatric Sports Medicine Liaison to the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the Chairman of the Medical Advisory Board for USA Cycling. Dr. Shilt joined Texas Children’s in 2016 from St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital in Boise, Idaho, where he was a pediatric orthopedic surgeon and Director of the Spasticity Clinic and motion analysis lab. Prior to that, he served as the Residency Program Director and Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and as Director of Pediatric Orthopedics at Wake Forest Baptist Health’s Brenner Children’s Hospital. A recognized leader in both academics and clinical practices, Dr. Shilt has completed basic science research in the treatment of children with spastic cerebral palsy and sports medicine applications of tissue engineering. He was the team physician for the USA triathlon team at two world championships, as well as for a professional cycling team. He also has served as a medical consultant for multiple world champion athletes, Olympians and gold medalists, and professional Ironman and other endurance athletes. Among Dr. Shilt’s honors and awards, he was recognized by the Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America with the Angela Kuo Young Investigator Research Award and the Howard Steele Scientific Papers Award. A Missouri native, Dr. Shilt obtained his medical and undergraduate degrees through the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s combined BA-Medical Degree program directly out of high school. He completed a general surgery internship and orthopedic surgery residency at the Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans, a year of basic science research at the Pediatric Research Institute at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis and a pediatric orthopedic fellowship at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. After completing his clinical training, Dr. Shilt completed the personalized leadership development program at Wake Forest University Babcock Graduate School of Management’s Institute for Executive Education. Dr. Shilt’s research interests include sports performance and the treatment of endurance sports injuries and the orthopedic management of cerebral palsy. Dr. Shilt is happily married to his wife, Erin, and the couple have four children.

Texas Children's

President

Jeffrey Shilt

President, Texas Children's

Sarah Churchill Llamas

Sarah Churchill Llamas is President and CEO of the Austin Healthcare Council, where she leads regional strategy to strengthen and align Central Texas’ healthcare and life sciences ecosystem. AHC convenes CEOs and senior executives across hospital systems, research institutions, biotechnology, diagnostics, digital health, and public sector partners to advance collaboration, workforce development, and sustainable market growth. Sarah’s career spans the full healthcare continuum – from molecular biology and oncology diagnostics to executive operations, complex healthcare transactions, and federal health policy. Prior to leading AHC, she served as Shareholder and Chair of the Healthcare & Life Sciences Industry Group at Winstead PC and later as a Partner at Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, advising healthcare and life sciences companies on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, value-based contracting, cybersecurity, and digital health strategy. Earlier, she served as Senior Vice President of Strategic Business Development for Sonic Healthcare USA, where she led enterprise-level expansion initiatives and partnership development across its U.S. divisions. She was also appointed a Health IT Fellow by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to Sonic, Sarah held senior legal and executive roles within Central Texas’ safety-net healthcare system, including as General Counsel of Lone Star Circle of Care after advising Central Health. Her work centered on regulatory strategy, health IT infrastructure, Medicaid policy, and expanding care for underserved populations. Sarah began her career in molecular oncology research at Barrow Neurological Institute before serving as a Senior Cytogeneticist at University of Chicago Medicine, shaping her bench-to- boardroom perspective on life sciences innovation and healthcare delivery. Education Loyola University Chicago School of Law  J.D., 2007  Certificate in Health Law  Sr Editor, Annals of Health Law Arizona State University  B.S., Molecular Biosciences and Biotechnology, 2000 Email sllamas@austinhealthcarecouncil.org

Austin Healthcare Council

President & CEO

Sarah Churchill Llamas

President & CEO, Austin Healthcare Council

Victoria Ford

President & CEO, Texas Healthcare & Bioscience Institute

Mark Ambler

Associate Chief Medical Officer for Primary Care, Austin Regional Clinic

Sabrina Butler

Chief Real Estate Development Officer, Foundation Communities

Susan Hewlitt

Executive Director, Dell Children's Foundation

Ashley Dias

Principal, Perkins&Will

Alyssa Hartlage

SVP, Broadway Bank

Luke Christen

Partner, PhiloWilke

Whitney Fuessel

Partner and Regional Practice Director for Health, HKS

WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND THIS HEALTHCARE COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE EVENT

What You'll Learn:

How Austin health systems are planning for demand, capacity growth and specialty expansion across Central Texas in 2026 and beyond.
What the next wave of hospital and outpatient development signals about where care delivery is heading in the region.
How research institutions, talent pipelines and public private partnerships are expanding Austin’s life sciences footprint beyond the university.
What it takes to build or retrofit lab and innovation space and why flexibility, infrastructure and speed to market matter more than ever.
How developers and operators are designing facilities around patient experience, access and operational efficiency, not just square footage.
How teams are advancing healthcare and life sciences projects amid elevated costs, complex approvals, procurement constraints and schedule pressure.
Which delivery strategies and partnership models are helping Austin projects move from plan to patient in today’s environment.
How innovation districts, medical hubs and healthcare anchored mixed use development are reshaping the built environment in Austin.
What owners, developers, investors and healthcare leaders view as the biggest risks and opportunities shaping the next cycle of growth.

How You'll Do More Business in Austin:

Austin’s healthcare and life sciences ecosystem is expanding quickly as the region continues to add residents and jobs, increasing demand for care delivery, specialty services, outpatient access and modernized facilities across Central Texas. At the same time, Austin is strengthening its innovation pipeline through university driven research, private sector partnerships and a growing life sciences footprint that is beginning to influence real estate decisions from lab space and clinical environments to mixed use districts built around health and innovation.

However, delivering healthcare and life sciences projects in today’s market requires a new level of precision. Development teams face elevated costs, complex approvals, long lead times and heightened expectations around patient experience, flexibility and performance. This year’s event brings together health systems, university leaders, owners, developers, investors and delivery partners to explore what is being prioritized now, how major projects are moving forward, and what it takes to bring new healthcare and life sciences spaces online in Austin’s evolving market.

Who You’ll Meet: Health system executives, university and research leaders, life sciences tenants and operators, developers, owners, investors, lenders, brokers, architects, engineers, general contractors, construction and design leaders, facility and capital planning teams, property managers, and other senior healthcare and life sciences decision-makers across Central Texas.

Why You Should Attend: Bisnow events bring together the biggest power players in the industry to identify opportunities, build your network and expand your business. With the largest audience of commercial real estate professionals in the world, no one knows how to help your business more than we do. Join Bisnow as we jump into the market to analyze its strengths and strategize on its areas of opportunity. You don't want to miss this event!

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For questions about venue or location, or to request disability-related accommodations, please contact claire.ahrens@bisnow.com no later than 7 business days before the event.

For on-stage content or speaker related questions or recommendations, please email our Texas event producer Ansley Bird at ansley.bird@bisnow.com.

Agenda

Time	Activity
8:00 AM 9:00 AM	Breakfast and Networking
9:00 AM 9:15 AM	Keynote: The New Academic Medical Center Moment in Austin
9:15 AM 10:00 AM	Expanding Austin Healthcare Capacity Growth, Specialty Expansion and the Regional Strategy Behind the Next Wave
10:00 AM 10:15 AM	Networking Break
10:15 AM 11:00 AM	From Innovation to Commercialization How Research, Talent and Partnerships Are Expanding Austin’s Life Sciences Footprint
11:00 AM 11:45 AM	From Plan to Patient What It Takes to Deliver Healthcare Amid Costs, Constraints and Complexity
11:45 AM 12:15 PM	Closing Networking

AUSTIN HEALTHCARE AND LIFE SCIENCES NEWS & PROJECTS

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