More than 30 Israeli health-tech startups and 120 health care leaders from major U.S. health care systems gathered in Nashville on Sept. 17 for the inaugural Nashville-Israel Health Summit.
The Friends of the Tennessee-Israel Caucus (FTIC) organized the Summit with a goal of connecting Israeli health care innovators with U.S. health care organizations to share ways technology can help improve patient care. FTIC is a nonpartisan organization of Tennessee leaders dedicated to strengthening the partnership between Tennessee and Israel in business, technology, trade, health care, agriculture, education and culture.
During showcases, panels and conversations, founders heard directly from health care leaders about clinical, operational and financial questions that shape decisions. Sixteen startups showcased solutions from clinical artificial intelligence, surgical safety, patient monitoring, behavioral health, and more.
Summit co-organizer David Zilberman pointed to the Nashville Health Care Council’s 2019 study mission to Israel, led by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Dr. Bill Frist as an important step in connecting the two health care communities. The Summit built on relationships created on that mission.
Zilberman, founder and CEO of Nashville-based GraphiteRx, led the Summit’s organization along with other volunteers during Nashville Healthcare Week. “As a founder, I know the value of meeting people who understand the market you hope to serve,” he said. “We wanted Israeli founders to have those conversations directly with U.S. health care leaders.”
Marketing agency FINN Partners was a key sponsor of the Summit, with offices worldwide, including Nashville and Israel. Beth Courtney is a managing partner for FINN in the Southeast and said Nashville leaders understand how to deliver care across thousands of facilities and communities.
“This Summit gives Israeli innovators a platform to meet transformative leaders, open doors to new possibilities and explore how their technologies can reach patients across the country,” Courtney said. “Few cities can offer that combination of experience, access and ambition.”
For Liz Sillay, a Nashville-based health care and life sciences attorney and co-organizer of the Summit, the spirit of collaboration stood out. The day was about more than bringing people together.
“We were creating connections between Israeli innovators and the Tennessee health care ecosystem that could lead to partnerships, investment and technologies being deployed here,” Sillay said.
The day's programming also featured video greetings from two members of Congress, a U.S. senator, and a high-ranking official from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
Zilberman and his wife, Liat, are active members of Nashville’s Israeli-American community and for him, the Summit was also about creating space for people to meet beyond the headlines.
“Israel is often seen through the lens of conflict, and those perceptions affect not only Israelis but Jews here in America,” he said. “At a time when antisemitism feels more visible and personal than at any point in our generation, I wanted people to meet Israeli founders as human beings.”
He said face-to-face conversations offered common ground across political and religious differences. “Those conversations can lead to collaboration, and they remind us how much we have in common, especially when it comes to health care.”
For Zilberman, the hope is that those relationships will lead to better care. “Jewish tradition teaches that saving one life is like saving an entire world. If a connection made at the Summit helps an innovation reach a patient and improve or save a life, that is what this was all about.”
Support for the Summit was provided by the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, FINN Partners, Holland & Knight, Yachad Capital Partners, the Pargh Family Foundation, the Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast United States, the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville, Nashville Health Care Council, Global Health Connector, Link-IL, Georgia Israel Business Alliance, Florida-Israel Business Accelerator and GraphiteRx.
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