In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Emory Student Center
605 Asbury Circle
Multipurpose Rooms
Atlanta, Georgia, 30322
United States

Caius Gibeily

PhD Candidate

Caius Gibeily is fascinated by how our brains shape who we are. Now pursuing his PhD at Emory and the Marcus Autism Center, Caius uses neuroimaging and machine-learning techniques to explore the intersection of brain development, behavior, and autism. His scientific journey has taken him from studying locomotor neural circuits in Drosophila at the University of St Andrews, to investigating how serotonin shapes early brain circuits at the University of Oxford, where he gained his masters in neuroscience. There, he also contributed to piloting an organ-on-a-chip model of Parkinson’s disease.

Chandra Farley

City of Atlanta Chief Sustainability Officer

Chandra Farley serves as Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Atlanta. Chandra sets direction for the City’s sustainability and resilience goals and leads the interdepartmental, and community-wide, engagement necessary to address the inequitable effects of climate change. Chandra’s is in charge of a comprehensive climate resilience strategy that will address energy insecurity, healthy housing, food systems, waste diversion, building decarbonization, workforce training, while advancing the City’s goal to achieve 100% clean energy for all Atlantans by 2035. Chandra is also developing the strategy to leverage the historic federal investment in clean energy and the Justice40 Initiative to advance these goals through a lens of environmental justice. Chandra founded ReSolve Consulting, an energy justice consulting firm and the “Good Energy Project,” a social space connecting the transformational power of Black Women to the movement for an equitable clean energy economy.

Dawn Williams Boyd

Artist

Dawn Williams Boyd lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia. Her self-described narrative “cloth paintings” chronicle seminal moments in American history. Boyd’s work is included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, NY; Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, AL; High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, AL; Columbus Museum in Columbus, GA; Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY. Boyd’s work has been exhibited at Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC; Southwest Art Center, Atlanta, GA; Hammonds House Museum, Atlanta, GA; Bulloch Hall, Roswell, GA; Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA; Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, Atlanta, GA; Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA; Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, GA; Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH; The Dodd Galleries at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA; the Everson Museum, Syracuse, NY; and Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY. Boyd is represented by Fort Gansevoort, New York

Dr. Betsy Grunch

Neurosurgeon

Dr. Betsy Grunch is a board-certified neurosurgeon at Longstreet Clinic in Gainesville, Georgia, renowned for her expertise in minimally invasive spine techniques and advancing the field of neurotrauma. Recognized as a Top Doctor by Georgia Trend and Atlanta Magazine for several consecutive years, she was also honored as one of Atlanta Magazine's Women Making a Mark in 2023.Beyond her clinical work, Dr. Grunch is an influential presence online as @Ladyspinedoc. Through her thriving social media platform, she demystifies the complexities of neurosurgery while offering a candid look at her life as a mother, wife, and friend. Her content empowers the public with essential medical knowledge, inspires current and future healthcare professionals, and adds a touch of humor and positivity to her audience's day.

Dr. Ravi Parikh

Medical Director of the Winship Data and Tech Applications, Oncologist

Ravi B. Parikh, MD, MPP, is an oncologist and Associate Professor at Emory University and Winship Cancer Institute. His research investigates how doctors, patients, and health policymakers can use AI to improve decision-making and promote equitable healthcare. Dr. Parikh’s lab, the Human-Algorithm Collaboration Lab, runs clinical trials testing how clinicians and AI collaborate in making decisions about diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment selection. Dr. Parikh’s work has been published in Science, The New England Journal of Medicine, and JAMA, and he has written about AI for The New York Times and Washington Post. He sits on the Board of the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC). Dr. Parikh graduated from Harvard Medical School and the Kennedy School of Government. He completed his clinical training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania.

Josh Luber

Co-Founder of StockX and Fanatics Collectibles

Josh Luber is one of just a handful of entrepreneurs who has founded two different multi-billion dollar companies - StockX and Fanatics Collectibles. Josh co-founded StockX in 2016 with Dan Gilbert, which quickly became the leading global marketplace for sneakers, streetwear, collectibles and other current culture products. In 2021, he co-founded Fanatics Collectibles with Michael Rubin, which is now the industry leader in trading cards following the acquisition of Topps. He is currently building a third company in this space: ghostwrite, the first true collectible brand.

Lisa Reisman

Advanced nurse practitioner

Lisa Reisman, MSN, APRN, is a certified advanced nurse practitioner and a 1986 graduate of Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. With 38 years of experience, she specializes in healthcare for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Lisa has founded two healthcare agencies, opened two group homes for the IDD community, and developed innovative Medicaid service plans. With expertise in diagnostics, disease management, and multidisciplinary care coordination, she is a passionate advocate and leader, dedicated to transforming lives and advancing quality care for vulnerable populations.

McKenzie Coan

Paralympic Gold Medalist

McKenzie Coan is a four-time Paralympian, seven-time Paralympic Medalist, ten-time World Champion, and two-time World Record Holder in Paralympic Swimming. Diagnosed with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (brittle bone disease) at 19 days old, doctors predicted McKenzie would never sit, stand, walk, or talk. Despite breaking over a hundred bones, she has defied expectations and lives a life beyond limitations. McKenzie began swimming at age six, joining her brothers on the local swim team. Her favorite moments in the sport came from competing alongside able-bodied athletes, often with broken bones, showing people that in the water, everyone is equal. Inspired by the Paralympic Games, McKenzie dreamed of representing Team USA on the world stage. Her journey to Paralympic Gold has been filled with challenges, but her perseverance and mindset have redefined what's possible, inspiring others to achieve their goals.

Rashmi Raveendran

4th Year Student at Emory University

Rashmi Raveendran is a current Emory University senior studying Anthropology and Quantitative Sciences while on the pre-medicine track. Outside of her academic involvement with research focusing on cardiometabolic disease and its prevalence among South Asians, she plays ultimate frisbee and the piano and is heavily dedicated to community service. As a child of Sri Lankan refugees and the first in her family to be born in the United States, Rashmi's talk explores how her familial background transformed her perception of empathy and redefined her understanding of its practice worldwide. She discusses the current challenges that restrict us from accessing our most profound sense of compassion and explores her self-designed, working model of active empathy as a way to address these obstacles. Through this work, she aims to answer and resolve one central question: why don't we care enough?

Tim Spicer

Associate Director of Post-Secondary Success at PeerForward | Survivor 46

Tim Spicer is a facilitator, entrepreneur, and international expert with a decade of experience in the post-secondary education field; specifically, helping students navigate their academic and career pathways through college, vocational training and beyond. As the Associate Director of Post-Secondary Access at PeerForward, he manages a portfolio of high schools and colleges that implement a peer-to-peer mentoring model to boost self-advocacy and college access. Additionally, Tim is revered in his community for his introduction of President Barack Obama during his 2009, Address to Students. While supporting over 1,000 graduating seniors annually, Tim has fine-tuned his niche by earning his M. Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction from the Graduate School of Education & Human Development at George Washington University 18’. With his life aspiration to inspire people, Tim recently competed on CBS, 46th Season of Survivor.