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DoW/VA & Government Health IT Summit

  • October 20-21, 2026
  • Washington DC

Event Overview

Defense Strategies Institute’s 30th DoW/VA & Government HIT Summit will convene senior leaders, leading experts, and strategic decision makers from across the VA, DHA, DoW, federal government, and relevant industry stakeholders for in-depth discussions on the evolving health IT landscape. This event will highlight how health IT is transforming care delivery, improving patient engagement, and advancing the interoperability, accessibility, and resiliency of Veteran and military healthcare.

Notice: No Press. No Recordings. Chatham House Rule.

Confirmed Speakers Include:

October 2026 agenda coming soon!

  • Pat Flanders, SES

    PEO for Medical Systems & CIO, Defense Health Agency

  • Dr. Beth Ripley

    Acting Chief Innovation Officer, Office of Healthcare Innovation & Learning, Department of Veterans Affairs

  • Jeffrey Neil

    Executive Director & Senior Procurement Executive, Office of Acquisition & Logistics (OAL), VA

  • Dr. Lindsay Riegler

    Executive Director, Digital & Remote Health Center for Innovation, Department of Veterans Affairs

  • Dr. Evan Carey

    Acting Director, National AI Institute, Digital Health Office, Veterans Health Administration

  • Chris Nichols

    Program Manager/Chief-Enterprise Intelligence & Data Solutions Program Management Office, Defense Health Agency

  • HON Paul Friedrichs, Maj Gen (Ret), MD

    Adjunct Professor, USUHS; Senior Adviser, Global Health Policy Center, CSIS; Former Joint Staff Surgeon

  • Joe Maletta

    Former Acting Senior Procurement Executive & Executive Director, Office of Acquisition & Logistics, Department of Veterans Affairs

About The DoW/VA & Government HIT Summit

TOPICS TO BE COVERED

  • Accelerating mission delivery & technology adoption across the VA IT portfolio
  • Driving digital-first healthcare to sustain warfighter readiness
  • Operationalizing AI & data for enhanced patient care & better health outcomes
  • Navigating VA acquisition for innovative, cost-effective health IT solutions
  • Strengthening & securing DHA’s enterprise-scale IT infrastructure
  • Scaling interoperable health IT to enable maritime power projection
  • Driving enterprise acquisition to deliver warfighter-ready capabilities at speed & scale
  • What medical centers are doing to advance digital health, access, & veteran experience
  • Maximizing military medical readiness through strategic resource optimization

The 30th DoW/VA & Government Health IT Summit will convene leaders from the Department of War (DoW), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), federal government agencies, academia, and industry to advance a seamless, integrated, and patient-centered healthcare ecosystem for Veterans and Servicemembers. Throughout the Summit, speakers will examine current challenges, acquisition priorities, and emerging trends shaping the future of government healthcare IT.

Discussions will focus on overcoming data management barriers, strengthening enterprise-scale IT infrastructure, enhancing cybersecurity and digital capabilities, and expanding innovation initiatives across the VA and DHA. Sessions will also explore the responsible integration of AI to support more personalized care, advancements in digital health experiences, and accelerating agile technology adoption across the continuum of care. Attendees will gain critical insights from health IT leaders while exploring the technologies, policies, acquisition strategies, and collaborative efforts that are transforming Warfighter and Veteran healthcare and improving mission readiness across the federal health enterprise.

Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with and ask questions of speakers and key decision-makers who are actively shaping the future of government health IT. Join us at the 30th DoW/VA & Government Health IT Summit this October to take part in discussions focused on driving better outcomes in health IT to transform military medicine and Veteran healthcare.

Gain Education & Insight: Walk away with knowledge gained from our senior level speakers on some of the complex challenges facing the HIT community.

Build Partnerships: The agenda is designed to allow for ample networking opportunities and the ability to engage in constructive dialogues among all in attendance.

Influence: Help foster ideas! Share your own insight and knowledge during our interactive sessions. All attendees are encouraged to address our speaker faculty and each other with their questions, comments or ideas.

DSI’s Summit directly supports DoW & Government priorities by providing a conduit for officials to efficiently reach audiences outside of their respective offices that directly impacts their department’s mission success, at no charge to the government, and in an efficient expenditure of time.

DSI’s Summit will provide a forum to address and improve internal and external initiatives, meet with and hear from partner organizations, disseminate vital capability requirements to industry, increase visibility within the larger community, and generally support their mission.

The Summit is open and complimentary to all DoW and Federal employees and is considered an educational training forum, and a widely attended gathering.

(Industry and academia members are charged a fee for admission)

Summit is CLOSED TO PRESS / NO RECORDINGS

Exhibit and Sponsorship Information

The DoW/VA & Government HIT Summit provides opportunities including exhibit space, round table discussions, product demonstrations, and networking receptions. Download the Sponsorship and Exhibiting Prospectus Here.

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