Vania Wang, Commercialization Academy Senior Fellow at Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures, shared on LinkedIn:
“Last week I had the honor of speaking on the ‘Where Ideas Shape the World: Research, Technology, and Global Policy at a Time of Change‘ panel at The Johns Hopkins University 2026 Volunteer Leadership Summit!
It was such a surreal experience getting to share my thoughts on the future of research and technology, and to bring my early-career researcher perspective to a room full of people who care so much about Hopkins and its future. As the only student on the panel, I was super intimidated going in, but it ended up being such a rewarding experience, and I learned so much from the other panelists.
One of my favorite parts was how the panel brought together people from across Hopkins, including the Carey Business School, SAIS, the Bloomberg School of Public Health, the School of Medicine, and JHTV.
Christy Wyskiel spoke about what it really takes to turn Hopkins research into companies and products that reach patients.
Ritu Agarwal shared how AI could improve healthcare quality, cost, and access, and how much of the challenge lies in people and organizations adapting rather than in the technology itself.
And Seth Center brought a global policy perspective, talking about how differently countries view AI’s risks and why international cooperation matters so much.
Everyone was so kind and welcoming. Even with decades less experience than everyone else up there, I was given just as much space to share my perspective, and I really felt like my voice was both welcomed and heard.
Special thanks to our moderator and my PhD mentor Ashani Weeraratna for recommending me as a panelist, keeping the conversation flowing so smoothly, and helping me calm my nerves beforehand (much needed!).
And thank you to Erin Yun for coordinating everything and making the event run so well.”
To which, Ashani Weeraratna, Associate Director for Laboratory Research at Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, added:
“It has been hard to wrap my head around the last ten days or so- from moderating panels starring my brilliant trainee and amazing colleagues, to the American Association for Cancer Research early grantee workshop, to sharing a stage with Siddhartha Mukherjee, Steve Inskeep of NPR and Vasan Yegnasubramaniam, to our Melanoma Research Foundation gala, to my first ovarian cancer conference.
And the week ahead promises to be no less intense. And just to add one more layer I just got my shingles, flu and covid all in one arm- send positive vibes! Adding pics in comments.”
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