Speaking Opportunites

Speaker applications for HLTH 2026 will open on May 1st.
Check back soon for more details.

Overview

The Age of Intelligent Healthcare is Here. Are You Ready?

HLTH is designed for doers, not spectators. Our agenda cuts through the noise to focus on what’s actually working: real deployments, real outcomes, and the hard conversations the industry has been avoiding. The meteoric advancements in AI have been rewriting the rules of how care is delivered, financed, and experienced and HLTH is where the leaders driving that transformation come together to speak candidly about what’s actually working, what’s not, and what it will take to get it right. No PR spin, no polished talking points, just honest, action-oriented conversations from the people at the forefront of this shift. Because the promise of truly intelligent healthcare i.e. personalized care, preventive models, better outcomes, lower costs, and greater access is finally within reach, and realizing it will require the industry’s boldest voices to stop hedging and start leading. HLTH 2026 is that moment. Buckle Up!

Some Topics Include:

  • AI and Emerging Tech
  • Healthy Aging and Longevity
  • Chronic and Specialty Care Improvements
  • Women’s Health Optimization and Investment
  • Diagnostic and Preventive Health Technologies
  • Drug Development and Therapeutics
  • Drug Pricing, Biosimilars & Market Competition
  • Employer-Sponsored Health 
  • Genomics and Laboratory Advancements
  • Health Equity and Socioeconomic Care Gaps
  • Health Policy Updates
  • Investment and Market Trends
  • Consumer Health and Wellness
  • Mental and Behavioral Health
  • Cardiometabolic Health Beyond GLP-1s
  • Oncology Care and Treatments
  • Prevention and Care Model Delivery
  • Retail and Pharmacy-led Health Services
  • Interoperability and Health Data Infrastructure
  • Streamlining Hospital System Operations

Speaker Application FAQs

Deadline

June 12th, 2025 at 5 PM EST*
*No extensions allowed

Rolling Basis

We accept applications on a rolling basis, so we recommend that you apply as early as possible. *Your chances of being selected will decrease as the deadline approaches.

Receiving a Response

We aim to notify all speakers of their application status by the middle of September. We kindly ask that you hold any questions regarding your application until after that time. Great things take time to create.

In the meantime, please don’t wait to register for the event; ticket prices increase as we get closer to HLTH. If you are selected as a speaker and have already purchased a pass, we’re happy to transfer your ticket to a colleague upon request.

Cancellations

We take confirmations seriously. If a confirmed speaker cancels at the last minute, we unfortunately will not be able to work with that individual for future events. We do understand emergencies happen and will evaluate on a case by case basis.

Submission Guidelines

  • Limit to 1 submission per Executive. Multiple submissions will not be reviewed.
  • Full panel submissions will not be accepted. Please focus on just one specific executive in each application.
  • Please confirm that the proposed speaker is 100% available for November 15 – 18, 2026 BEFORE submitting. We cannot stress this enough!
  • We are committed to featuring new voices on our stages, fostering a diverse range of perspectives and ideas each year. We limit the number of speakers confirmed from any single organization. We are mindful of the number of repeat years that a speaker has been involved, and that may play a role in our decision. We encourage organizations to throw some new hats in the ring and submit new members of your leadership teams!
  • We are committed to having no “manels” on our main stages and will actively seek out diverse leaders to join our program. Our stages will feature speakers representing different genders, backgrounds, and experiences. Every speaking opportunity on our main program is fully merit-based. We find that sessions are more successful when you have a variety of perspectives and experiences included.

Sponsored Programs

While our main agenda is not pay-to-play in any way, we do have a variety of specialty programs available for sponsorship. These include our Impact program, AI Pavilion, Insights Programs and more. These specialty program speakers will be onboarded and listed with their respective programs, but not listed on our main agenda speaker list. If you are a vendor organization, we highly encourage you to give these opportunities a close look, as it is harder to get selected to the main program as a vendor. If you are interested in sponsoring HLTH 2026, please reach out to sponsors@hlth.com.

Speaker Compensation

  • HLTH’s main program is not pay-to-play and does not pay honorariums to speakers or accept sponsorship dollars for a main agenda speaking role. HLTH does not cover travel & accommodations for speakers.
  • Confirmed main program speakers receive a complimentary pass to attend HLTH, but we are not able to offer complimentary guest passes to speakers’ teams. *Exceptions are made for professional security personnel.

Tips for Being Selected

Although there is no set formula to ensure your application is accepted, we have a few tips to help you stand out:

1.

Focus on the entirety of your experience, not just your current role. We choose speakers, not companies!

2.

Don’t be afraid to be a little controversial! Show us your unconventional thinking and out-of-the-ordinary perspective.

3.

Think bigger than just your corner of the health ecosystem. How can your vision transform healthcare more broadly?

4.

Tell us what’s new! We love to be the first place for news to drop, so save big announcements for our stages.

5.

Prove you won’t shy away from hard questions and are comfortable going off-script. If you know your Comms/PR teams will highly censor your comments, we may not be the event for you.

6.

Get involved! We are building a community, not just an event, so we prefer to work with speakers who want to be a part of it and don’t see HLTH as just a platform to increase their profile.

Please keep in mind that we receive well over 2,000 applications and accept only 5-10%. Our decisions are not personal. We appreciate all of the time each and every one of you put into your application. We’re doing our best to curate the most impactful program possible, so your patience and understanding of our process is appreciated.

Our HLTH agenda covers a wide breadth of topics that impact the entire health ecosystem, but healthcare is big and complex. We unfortunately cannot be everything for everyone. We love your passion for specific topics, but please understand that our event is only 4 days long with a limited number of sessions so we have to make some tough calls on what topics get covered each year.

Additional Resources

Speaking Formats

Panel

3-4 speakers, 1 moderator (40 mins)

These sessions are conversational with no slides. HLTH builds diverse panels internally – if you are picky on who you’ll share the stage with, kindly consider another format. We are intentional with these discussions to get to the evidence and support your points quickly rather than broadly speaking about ideals. If you have high guardrails on what topics we can cover- it may not be the format for you.

1-2 speakers, (Session duration will vary)

We have very limited presentation slots and reserve them for big transformational ideas and very news-worthy announcements. We want speakers with gravitas! This format is not for product pitches.

1-2 speakers, 1 moderator, (20 mins)

These intimate, casual discussions hone in on the speakers’ specific experience and point-of-view on trending topics in healthcare. This speaker is uniquely positioned to discuss the topic at hand given their current role and plethora of past experience. We want the audience to feel like they are sitting in your living room with you, hearing you share your candid thoughts on the given topic.

2 speakers, 1 moderator (30 mins)

Don’t call it a debate… but it’s close. These discussions are designed to give the audience a deeper understanding on the nuanced points of view on trending topics in our industry. We’re looking for health leaders who are not afraid of putting their stake in the ground. What’s a topic that you debate over coffee or dinner with industry peers? We want you to have that conversation, without holding back, on our stages!

Most session formats listed will require a moderator

Moderators hold the key to a successful session. They are tasked with keeping the audience engaged and the conversation flowing on stage. They should not be shy to step in when things go off the rails. Depending on the format, speakers take questions from the moderator and live audience questions (digitally). We typically choose moderators from the media, consulting firms, law firms, VCs, bankers, academia i.e. people that are neutral parties with subject matter expertise on the topics covered. We want moderators with both knowledge and personality!

1 speaker, 1 moderator (20 mins)

An unscripted, one-on-one interview where a health expert is paired with a media moderator. There will be no prep beforehand and tough questions asked, so speakers can throw rehearsed talking points out the window. If you are tired of predictable, PR-polished interactions and crave genuine moments of truth, this is your format.

1 speaker, 1 moderator (20-30 mins)

In these intimate tell-alls, founders will trace their path from initial idea concept through funding struggles to pivotal business decisions that shaped their journey. They’ll share the mistakes that nearly sank them, the unexpected pivots that saved them, and the personal sacrifices of their professional ambitions.

2-4 speakers, 1 moderator/host (40 mins)

Our gameshow-esque sessions will take a variety of forms such as topic bingo, AI vs the experts face-offs, and our own healthcare-themed version of Jeopardy. Expect props, spontaneity and a competitive spirit. Big personalities who can roll with the punches wanted!

3 speakers, 1 moderator (40 mins)

We have all this brain power in one place at HLTH, so why not put it to good use! Attendees will pre-submit specific challenges they’re stuck on in a variety of areas within health innovation. We’ll pair those challenges with our expert panels ahead of time, but save the problem-solving for the stage. Speakers will get a heads up on their challenges, but they can’t discuss as a group until they’re live on stage.

1 speaker, the audience (30 mins)

If selected as a HLTH speaker, you may be tapped to do a follow up Q&A session with our audience on another stage, after your main session. These are intimate, candid conversations where you can hear directly from attendees and share your insightful thoughts a bit more deeply. The HLTH content team will select speakers directly for this format as only a handful are available.

HLTH USA Content Policies

Speaker Content

All proposed executives must explicitly consent to their inclusion in all speaker submissions prior to applying. Please do not try and convince people to participate after they have already been submitted in an application.

Confirmed Speakers/Moderator’s on our main agenda will receive complimentary registration for the full conference. We highly encourage everyone to register for HLTH 2026 as soon as possible to take advantage of lower rates. Prices will increase as we get closer to the event. If you are selected as a speaker, your registration can be transferred to a colleague upon request. You can use the discount code HLTH_SPKAPP_250 for $250 off your ticket. Register Here.

Only the selected speaker will receive a complimentary pass to attend HLTH. We do not provide complimentary guest passes for speakers’ teams. *Exceptions will be made for private security teams.

We accept applications on a rolling basis so we recommend that you apply early. Your chances of being selected will decrease as the deadline approaches. If HLTH is interested in moving forward with your application a member of the Content Team will reach out to schedule a call. We will require direct contact with the proposed speaker before final confirmation.

We aim to notify all speakers of their application status by the middle of September. Please limit any questions regarding the status of your application until after that time. Please do not wait for us to reach out to register for the event.

Limit to 1 submission per Executive. Multiple submissions will not be reviewed. Please limit to 4 executive applications from 1 organization as well. We limit the number of confirmed speakers from any 1 company.

We take confirmations seriously. If a confirmed speaker cancels at the last minute, we unfortunately will not be able to work with that individual for future events. We do understand emergencies happen and we will evaluate on a case by case basis. HLTH reserves the right to cancel the speaking slot entirely if the proposed speaker can no longer uphold their commitment. We will not automatically accept proposed replacements if a speaker is unable to attend.

The Content Team must approve any speaker changes before a speaker invitation is extended to the potential replacement. Any speakers that are not approved by the Content Team are subject to cancellation by HLTH.

HLTH reserves the right to cancel a session if the speaker is not able to deliver the original concept and speaker(s) listed in the proposal and/or misses key deadlines.

HLTH, Inc. owns the rights to all videos and images. We are happy to share the edited recording link with speakers after the event, but ask that you do not post the session in its entirety externally. Posting clips or quotes is ok if the HLTH event is credited.

HLTH USA 25 Mark Cuban
HLTH USA 25 Main Stage Panel
HLTH USA 25 Rob Lowe

Filter Sessions