Ohio University president to keynote WIIC 2026 summit in Put-in-Bay

Ohio University President Lori Stewart Gonzalez will headline WIIC 2026 on June 24-25 in Ohio’s Lake Erie Islands as healthcare, innovation and economic development leaders meet to build partnerships and drive regional growth. The event will also feature Hospital for Special Surgery’s Michael P. Ast as moderator, with proceeds supporting local nonprofits. Why it matters: - WIIC 2026 is designed to connect healthcare, business and economic development leaders in one place to speed collaboration and turn ideas into partnerships. - The summit also ties innovation programming to local community support through event proceeds for Caracal Academy and the Lake Erie Foundation. - The gathering puts Ohio’s Lake Erie Islands in the spotlight as a setting for healthcare, entrepreneurship and regional investment conversations. What happened: - The Legacy Foundation Group announced that Ohio University President Dr. Lori Stewart Gonzalez will deliver the keynote at WIIC 2026. - The event takes place June 24-25, 2026, on Put-in-Bay and Middle Bass Island, Ohio. - Michael P. Ast, MD, CMIO at Hospital for Special Surgery, will moderate the healthcare innovation programming. - Guest registration remains open, and more information is available here . The details: - WIIC stands for We Inspire, Innovate, and Connect. - The summit will bring together healthcare executives, physicians, investors, entrepreneurs, innovators, economic development leaders and manufacturers. - Organizers say the format is built for two days of strategic networking and collaborative problem-solving, not a traditional conference format. - Gonzalez is the 23rd president of Ohio University and the first woman to lead the institution in its more than 220-year history. - Her keynote will focus on university-industry partnerships, research commercialization, emerging technologies and Ohio University’s Healthy Aging Research Cluster. - Dr. Ast is nationally recognized for work in technology, innovation and musculoskeletal care. - James Voos, MD, chair of Orthopedic and Sports Medicine at University Hospitals and head team physician for the Cleveland Browns, is also scheduled to speak. - The event’s discussion topics include longevity medicine and the science of aging, collaborative care between surgeons and alternative medicine, outpatient surgery and healthcare transformation, AI and technology, economic growth and regional investment opportunities, and manufacturing and commercial strategies. Between the lines: - WIIC is positioning itself as more than a conference by using Ohio’s lakeshore setting to encourage informal dealmaking and cross-industry relationships. - The speaker mix suggests a broader agenda than clinical care alone, with higher education, technology commercialization and regional development all in play. - The event reflects a growing push to frame healthcare innovation as an economic development story, not just a medical one. What’s next: - Attendees will gather on the islands for two days of sessions, networking and partnership-building on June 24-25. - Organizers expect the summit to continue linking healthcare leaders with investors, manufacturers and public-sector stakeholders. - Proceeds from the event will continue supporting Caracal Academy and the Lake Erie Foundation. The bottom line: - WIIC 2026 is aiming to turn a lakefront summit into a working forum for healthcare innovation, university partnerships and regional growth.