TEDxCornell 2026 Annual Conference

Join us for an inspiring afternoon of ideas worth spreading as eight remarkable speakers explore the theme "Invisible Threads," exploring the unseen connections that quietly shape our lives, communities, and ideas.

Dr. Mikhail Kogan is a leader in the rapidly growing field of Integrative Geriatrics and the chief editor of Integrative Geriatric Medicine, published by Oxford University Press. He currently serves as the Chief Medical Office of the GW Center for Integrative Medicine and Associate Professor of Medicine at George Washington University. He is also the founder of AIM Health Institute, a nonprofit organization that provides integrative medicine services to low-income and terminally ill patients.

Priya Abiram is an aerospace engineer and pilot who has worked on human systems and spacecraft engineering at NASA, Blue Origin, VAST, and Boeing. She has flown microgravity missions, led Mars analog expeditions, built high-powered rockets, and developed award-winning technologies for Mars settlement research. She received the Congressional Award Gold Medal and is an international speaker and science communicator.

Professor Chris Bordoni has been an All-American athlete, strategy consultant, cancer survivor, and entrepreneur. Starting at age seventeen, he unexpectedly began a fifteen-year journey through injuries, illness, and professional setbacks that challenged him to re-consider who he was as a person and professional. Inspired by his time with Boston Consulting Group, he started Bordoni & Company to help do-gooders reinvent their organizations. Today, Chris is an award-winning professor at Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management.

Bert Scholl is a coach, podcast host, and advocate for people who are facing life-threatening illnesses. After navigating two separate cancer diagnoses, he became a Cancer Survivorship Coach and launched But Seriously: The Cancer Podcast. He supports individuals navigating a cancer diagnosis through his work at the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes in Ithaca, NY, and is committed to transforming how society relates to their mortality.

Esam Boraey is an author, speaker, and scholar whose work bridges activism, academia, and global democracy. He was one of the early organizers of Egypt’s pro-democracy movement during the Arab Spring. Esam serves as Project Manager at Cornell University’s Center on Global Democracy and is completing his Ph.D. in Comparative Politics and Political Economy. His writing and talks explore how societies rise against authoritarianism and the global struggle for freedom.

Ashley Landay is a healthcare leader bringing a unique background in clinical trials, care coordination, and operations, supported by dual MBA and MS degrees in Healthcare Leadership from Cornell. A Stage IV breast cancer patient, she has run eight NYC Marathons and shepherded a team that has raised over $1 million for cancer research. She transformed her own career in the wake of a breast cancer diagnosis to focus on advancing patient-centered care. She was selected as an EMBA student speaker, elected class representative, and named to Poets & Quants Best & Brightest Executive MBA.

Alexandra (Aly) Abrams is a healthcare marketing leader and storyteller committed to building more accessible and equitable patient experiences. She works with global partners, clinicians, and health systems to translate complex technology into meaningful solutions that improve patient outcomes. Her TEDx talk draws from personal experiences and professional insights to challenge how we define resilience, belonging, and self-expectation. Aly is passionate about helping others see possibility in the parts of their story they often overlook.

Dr. Adetokunbo Obayemi Jr. is a board-certified otolaryngologist/head and neck surgeon as well as a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon. He specializes in complex head and neck reconstruction and cosmetic facial plastic surgery. Passionate about medical education and diversity in surgical training, he co-founded the Black and Latino Men in Medicine (BLMIM), an 8-week immersion program for underrepresented college students. He is also interested in surgical missions and has completed several trips to sub-Saharan Africa to teach and perform reconstructive surgeries.