San Diego, USA

27th American Life Sciences Project, Program and Portfolio Management Conference

International in-person conference filled with leading industry speakers.

KEY INFORMATION

Wyndham San Diego Bayside, 1355 North Harbor Drive, San Diego

February 18-19, 2026

09:00 - 17:30 Local Time

Part of the PPM World Tour

Matchmaking App - Live

80+

participants

20+

speakers

days

10+

hours of networking

15+

roundtable discussions

What to expect

The Pharma PPM Event You Don’t Want to Miss. Are you facing challenges with resource constraints, complex portfolios, or AI adoption? This conference is your gateway to smarter decisions, optimized strategies, and measurable impact.

Pharmaceuticals

Regulatory Complexity: Navigating stringent regulations while accelerating time-to-market.
R&D Costs: Managing high research and development costs and optimizing resource allocation.
Market Competition: Innovating to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving market.

Medical Devices

Product Development Cycles: Managing long and complex development cycles.
Quality Assurance: Maintaining high standards of quality and safety.
Integration with Digital Health: Adapting to and integrating digital health technologies.

Biotech

Scientific Uncertainty: Managing risks and uncertainties in research and development.
Funding and Investment: Securing sufficient funding and managing investor expectations.
Regulatory Hurdles: Ensuring regulatory compliance and timely approvals.

Diagnostics

Technological Innovation: Keeping pace with rapid advancements in diagnostic technologies.
Regulatory and Market Access: Navigating regulatory pathways and achieving market access.
Data Integration: Effectively integrating diagnostic data with healthcare systems.

Conference format

The American Strategic Portfolio Management in Life Sciences – West Coast conference brings together senior leaders from pharma, biotech, medtech, and diagnostics to explore how organizations are strengthening decision-making, streamlining governance, and enabling performance through world-class PPM.

INTERACTIVE ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

Lively, interactive roundtable discussions bringing together Pharma, Biotech, and MedTech leaders to exchange practical insights on strategy, prioritization, and risk in a dynamic environment. Designed to spark new ideas and connections, participants will leave with fresh perspectives to apply in their own decision-making.

HIGH-LEVEL PANEL DISCUSSIONS

Panels featuring representatives from each sector will provide diverse perspectives on strategic portfolio management. These discussions will highlight sector-specific challenges, best practices, and successful case studies.

TARGETED WORKSHOPS

Attendees can choose from various workshops tailored to specific circumstances and needs. Topics will include Agile Methodology, Lean Six Sigma, Risk Management, and more, providing practical tools and techniques for enhancing portfolio management practices.

Track 1

Medical Device Project & Portfolio Management

Unlock the pursuit of excellence in project management with insights from industry leaders. Learn about strategic planning, stakeholder relationships mastery, agile methodologies, and effective data management in the ever-evolving pharmaceutical landscape across all domains, including R&D, clinical development, manufacturing, quality assurance, supply chain, and business development.

VIEW KEY TOPICS

Digital Transformation and Integration of AI
Supply Chain Disruptions
Accelerating Time-to-Market without Compromising Quality
Innovating Under Pressure: Managing Risk and Speed in MedTech Projects
Agile PPM for Medical Devices
Optimizing Resource Allocation
Talent Management and Development in Medical Device
Navigating Global Regulatory Affairs

Track 2

Medical Device SAFETY & COMPLIANCE

World’s greatest minds in drug safety, pharmacovigilance, data analysis, reporting, government policy, and innovative technology united under the Why Summits will delve into cybersecurity, regulatory challenges, patient safety and human factors engineering. You can expect networking with like-minded professionals and learn the latest trends, challenges, and game-changing ideas.

VIEW KEY TOPICS

Digital Transformation and Integration of AI
Supply Chain Disruptions
Accelerating Time-to-Market without Compromising Quality
Innovating Under Pressure: Managing Risk and Speed in MedTech Projects
Agile PPM for Medical Devices
Optimizing Resource Allocation
Talent Management and Development in Medical Device
Navigating Global Regulatory Affairs

Event speakers

Ashoka Rajendra

CEO

Orchestra Bio

Carrie Nauyalis

Executive in Residence

Planview

Dave Penndorf

PPM Advisor

Groundswell Pharma Consulting

Estelle Paysinger-Hill

Director, Nonclinical Project Management

Sangamo Therapeutics

Florin Ungureanu

Senior Account Executive

OnePlan

Gianluca Puliti

Associate Director, R&D Program Excellence

Jennifer Lee

EVP, Clinical Operations and Quality Assurance

Novita Pharmaceuticals

Joe Stalder

Vice President, Program Management

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals

Event HIGHLIGHTS

Visionary Keynotes

In-Depth Panels

Strategic Roundtables

Case Studies

Workshops

Networking

Key takeaways

Innovation and R&D Portfolio Management

Prioritization and Selection of Projects

Governance and Decision-Making Processes

Resource Allocation and Optimization

Performance Measurement and KPIs

Technology and Tools for SPM

Everything you need to know about This event in one spot.

Check out our event overview and agenda and discover 27th American Life Sciences Project, Program and Portfolio Management Conference

See What the Industry Says about us

PAST AND PRESENT

Our valued partners

TESTIMONIALS

We were proud to be Sponsors for the 31st European Life Sciences Project & Portfolio Management Conference in London. Two really energising days of learning and connection. Huge thanks to Why Summits for such a well-run event. The presentations, panels and workshops sparked great conversations around portfolio strategy, governance, risk and innovation across the sector. Most of all, it was fantastic to reconnect with familiar faces and meet new Life Sciences leaders who share the same passion for PPM.

Rated 5 out of 5

Merryn Horneman

Life Sciences Delivery Partner
MiGSO-PCUBED

Wrapped up the Why Summit Conference on Project Management, Portfolio Management, and CAPEX in Las Vegas today. Great conference and interactions with all of the attendees! Thank you all for connecting and interacting. Fantastic group of folks that I met there!

Rated 5 out of 5

Thomas Seener

Executive Director, The One Project Source, LLC

An outstanding few days of industry relevant PPM topics, from the energetic and thoughtful speakers and panels to networking new relationships to insights into where the industry is going with AI! Huge chops to Why Summits? for putting on an engaging and professional event!

Rated 5 out of 5

Mike Fitzpatrick

Vice President of Business Development & Operations , Umoja Biopharma 

Fascinating conference with seasoned and insightful industry leaders sharing perspectives into a wide range of topics across program and portfolio management. It was the perfect size – around 120 people – big enough to attract diverse and talented people, but small enough for everyone to engage in meaningful networking. We ended each day with roundtable discussions - small table discussions with the speakers and each other, which allowed us to both learn from each other and get to know our peers. Overall, a great experience and I look forward to returning. 

Rated 5 out of 5

Rebecca Rudicell, PhD. 

Translational Program Management (Oncology), Takeda

This conference was exceptional, featuring a diverse group of attendees, all of whom are experts in their fields. The event attracted a strong cross-section of the industry, encompassing both large and small companies. The networking opportunities were invaluable, allowing me to connect with a wide range of professionals and expand my network significantly. I wholeheartedly recommend this conference and plan to attend more events next year. It truly exceeded my expectations, with outstanding attendance and presentations throughout all three days. This conference has established itself as the premier event in the resource planning space, showcasing our commitment to excellence in the industry.

Rated 5 out of 5

Phil Wolf

SVP, On Demand Products, PDWare

It was an honor to be part of such a prestigious event and to contribute to discussions. Thanks Why Summits for the opportunity to engage with such a knowledgeable audience and networking with industry leaders !!

Rated 5 out of 5

Dhawal Upadhyay, PMP®, HBS

General Manager - Global Program Management, Intas Pharmaceuticals

“Always Be curious”

Why is this event right for you?

This conference aims to provide life sciences professionals with practical strategies and tools for leveraging strategic portfolio management to overcome these challenges. By sharing insights, case studies, and best practices, we aim to foster innovation, improve efficiency, and drive successful outcomes across the Pharma, Biotech, MedTech, and Diagnostics sectors.

Connect with peers, expand your network, and future-proof your approach to thrive in a rapidly evolving life sciences landscape. If you want to tackle real-world challenges and drive measurable impact, this is the event for you.

Event partners

Premium Gold Sponsor

Planisware is a global provider of software solutions for project portfolio management. Planisware solutions are specifically designed to support product development, engineering and IT business processes. For more than 20 years, Planisware has been helping its customers to achieve strategic and innovative excellence, make valid business decisions and increase portfolio value.

GOLD SPONSOR

OnePlan offers a strategic portfolio, financial and resource management solution that fits the needs of every PMO. Optimize your portfolio, financials and resources enterprise wide. Connect OnePlan with Microsoft Project, Office 365 Planner, Azure DevOps, Jira, and more for a complete view into all work across the enterprise.

Gold Sponsor

Planview is the leading end-to-end platform for Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) and Digital Product Development (DPD). Powered by advanced AI capabilities, Planview gives business and technology leaders the strategic foresight to prioritize investments and initiatives, make plans real within constraints, and pivot with certainty when things change. Our AI-driven connected platform of solutions underpins the business and digital transformations of more than 3,000 customers and 3.1 million users globally. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Planview has over 1,500 employees worldwide.

Gold Sponsor

PDWare is a provider of dynamic resource and work planning solutions for strategy and portfolio execution. ResourceFirst, our flagship product, emphasizes prioritization, feasibility and execution as the pillars of successful project and program delivery. ResourceFirst™ is available for cloud and on-premise installations, providing first-line managers, executives, PMO and EPPMO functions the agility to meet fluctuating work priorities, schedules, demand and staff capacity.

SILVER SPONSOR

Orchestra helps R&D organizations reduce the operational complexity of drug development by unifying planning across science, finance, and operations – then using AI agents to monitor progress, risks and outcomes against that plan. Orchestra automates the synthesis and analysis creating an institutional knowledge base to answer strategic questions instantly.

SILVER SPONSOR

Captario is a software company catering to the pharmaceutical industry. Captario develops SUM® – Strategic Uncertainty Management, a cloud-based modeling & simulation software further empowered by AI and Machine Learning. It enables project and portfolio teams to base strategic decisions on a rich understanding of practically all possible futures.

Who Should attend?

This event is designed for life sciences professionals leading or supporting strategicexecution, including:

Heads of Portfolio Strategy, PMO, and R&D Operations

Clinical Development and Operations Executives

Program and Project Management Leaders

Governance, Resource Planning, and Business Operations Stakeholders

Tool Owners, IT Leads, and Enterprise Systems Architects

Digital Transformation and AI Enablement Teams

Event registration

$ 2349

Access to all conference sessions
Access to all networking activities during the conference
Conference materials
Coffee breaks with snacks and refreshments
Networking lunch

Position Your Brand Where Projects & Portfolios Take Shape.

Get in front of the teams that manage pharma’s biggest programs. Explore sponsorship and exhibition opportunities at 27th American Life Sciences Project, Program and Portfolio Management Conference.

Attendees from these companies regularly attend our events

upcoming Events

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Date: October 14-16, 2026
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