2026 Elaine Marieb Center Nursing and Engineering Innovation Symposium

Dr. Kirk Taylor, MD is a recognized, global pharmaceutical executive with deep expertise in drug development across CNS, oncology, and rare diseases. He was recently appointed by Governor Maura Healey to lead the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center on a 10 year economic growth trajectory, managing public and private funding. He has held leadership roles including Chief Medical Officer, Chief Strategy Officer, and SVP of Medical Affairs, driving organizational transformation, strategic growth, and cultural evolution. Dr. Taylor has guided biotech startups through IPOs and multiple funding rounds with a people-first, innovation-driven approach. In 2023, he was honored with the PharmaVoice 100 Executives Award for his industry impact. Dr. Taylor earned his BA from Harvard College and studied piano at the Longy School of Music. He received his MD from SUNY Downstate, completed a neurology residency at Einstein College of Medicine, and a postdoctoral fellowship at UCSF. 

Dr. Radhakrishnan is the Associate Dean for Research at the University of Texas Austin School of Nursing. Dr. Radhakrishnan’s research applies current and emerging technologies such as telemonitoring, connected sensors, and digital gaming to facilitate chronic disease self-management. The long-term goal of her research is to develop affordable and scalable health interventions that enable ‘aging in place’. Dr. Radhakrishnan's research projects studying digital games for self-management in adults with cardiovascular diseases have been funded for over $6.8 million by the National Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and the National Institute of Nursing Research at the National Institutes of Health. She has authored more than 60 articles on her research which have been cited in publications from more than 30 countries. Dr. Radhakrishnan has served as an expert advisor on the American Heart Association’s policy task force on implementation of telehealth in cardiovascular and stroke care and is a member of the American Heart Association’s Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing Committee and the Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Committee. Dr. Radhakrishnan serves as a standing study section member for the Behavioral Medicine and Health Outcomes review panel in the Center for Scientific Review at the NIH. Dr. Radhakrishnan is a member of the Texas Department of Health and Human Services' Texas Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke Partnership. She also served as the Board Commissioner for the City of Austin Asian American Quality of Life Commission (2016-2020).