Warby Parker's co-CEO Neil Blumenthal.

NEW YORK—A unique new virtual platform will be the digital location of the first Virtual Vision Monday Global Leadership Summit session, set to kick off today at 3:00 p.m. EST and run through 5:00 p.m. EST, part of a four-part exclusive series on consecutive Wednesdays, featuring noted healthcare professional and executive leaders along with accomplished vision care leaders and professionals. They'll be offering compelling insights, exclusive information and practical tactics to the registered VM Summit attendees from all sectors of the optical industry, who are grappling with the health, business, social and economic challenges of the current pandemic and the opportunities for vision care.

"AFTERSHOCKS: Remaking Healthcare's Future, Seeing Beyond 2020," is the 14th annual #VMSUMMIT program. In addition, now joining the VM program will be Warby Parker's co-founder and co-CEO, Neil Blumenthal.

Blumenthal will take part in the Oct. 14 Session of the VM Summit. He will have a conversation with Marge Axelrad, VM's editorial director and will address the increased role executive leaders are playing this year in aligning their companies with corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues in transparent ways, spanning important cultural, diversity, sustainability and non-partisan causes such as voting rights.

Registration is still open for the virtual series and it includes all four broadcasts, full access to the Vision Monday Summit virtual platform, networking, on-demand viewing during and after, door prizes and exclusive access to Summit attendee-only content after the event. All of the presentations at the VM Summit will be archived for access to all registered attendees through Dec. 31, 2020.

The Full Program, registration details and full speakers' info are posted here.
 
The opening session today asks, "Can Consumers Trust Our Healthcare Delivery System?" Speakers will include John Whyte, MD, chief medical officer of WebMD, who has been interviewing senior execs, healthcare, clinical and cultural leaders about the pandemic throughout the year: Brad Michel, Accenture’s North American Life Sciences’ lead, who will share the company’s just-issued reports canvassing patients’ and consumers’ attitudes since the advent of COVID-19; noted healthcare economist, influencer and author Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, will illuminate the big view of the impact of the pandemic on the healthcare ecosystem, financial impact, patient trust and the advent of healthcare “citizenship;” and Dr. Michael King will be the Vision Voice for this session, explaining how his practice, Invision Optometry, came through the pandemic.
 
On Oct. 7, the session examines "Who are the New Gatekeepers? What's Vision's Role?".  Joining this session are Thomas Van Gilder, MD, chief medical officer of Walmart Health & Wellness who will talk about Walmart's emerging role in healthcare, including integrating vision care into its new Walmart Health program. Addressing the rise of telemedicine is Teladoc's Lewis Levy, MD, chief medical officer of the fast-growing firm, which also recently announced its pending acquisition of Livongo, the company that enables patients to better manage their own medical conditions, including diabetes. Alexis McLaughlin, president and CEO of 2020 On-site, will speak about how the company delivering mobile vision care is pivoting to new ways of addressing patient and employee care in new settings. A Vision Voices panel of prominent ODs will feature a conversation about the future of medical optometry with Paul Karpecki, OD, FAAO, Kentucky Eye Institute and clinical editor of Review of Optometry conducting a Conversation with Ben Gaddie, OD, FAAO of Gaddie Eye Centers and Keplr Vision and Robert Allen, OD of Associates in Eyecare.
 
Session 3 on Oct. 14 is "Leadership Lessons from Healthcare's Front Lines." Featured speakers include David Holmberg, president and CEO of Highmark, Inc. and chair of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association as well as insights from Michael Dowling, CEO of Northwell Health, New York State’s largest health system. John Whyte, MD, chief medical officer of WebMD will also take part. Joining this session will be United Healthcare Vision’s CEO, John Ryan and Lori Archer, COO, who will talk about how a major health payor is viewing the future and vision’s role in the healthcare system. The Vision Voice will include Inder Singal, MD, Bennet & Bloom Eye Centers, Kentucky.  And now, taking part in this session will be Warby Parker's co-CEO Neil Blumenthal.
 
Session 4 on Oct. 21 is "Stepping Up the Patient Experience; New Tactics & Technologies Take Hold and Transform Engagement." VM will look at how digital technologies are bringing doctors/patients/ customers into the healthcare process in more exciting ways, blending IRL/physical with online/virtual. Robin Raskin, founder, Solving for Tech, a noted expert in digital health trends, will explain the renewed interest in new technologies and connections to patients. Presenting at this session will be the executive team of MyEyeDr., including Sue Downes, CEO with Angela McCoy, COO, Artis Beatty, OD, chief medical officer, VP of planning and purchasing, and Christina Perraud. Also discussing the ways technology is changing the patient experience is the executive team of Canada’s New Look Vision Group, including Antoine Amiel, CEO, Jean-Michel Maltais, SVP, Omnichannel, Eric Babin, president of Iris Visual Group and Eric Varady, founder of Topology. Also speaking on ecommerce will be Andy Bilinsky, co-founder and CEO of Lensabl. Vision Voices for this session include Annie Hicks, LDO, SeePort Optometry, North Port, Fla. and Jennifer Stewart, OD of Norwalk Eye Care and Performance 20/20 in Connecticut.

The Vision Monday Global Leadership Summit is sponsored by Platinum Sponsors: Essilor, Luxottica and VSP Global. Gold sponsors are CareCredit, Ocuco, Think About Your Eyes and The Vision Council. The Silver Sponsor is Alcon.