Being Human: The Stories and Science Behind Our Health | The Atlantic Festival 2025

Join us as we identify and unpack the most important breakthroughs that can help us live healthier lives. Atlantic staff writers Yasmin Tayag and Nick Florko and Atlantic senior editor Daniel Engber set the stage with a deep dive into the state of our national health. The conversation will be led by Atlantic managing editor Andrea Valdez.

Then, the UCSF professor and sleep scientist Aric Prather unpacks the science behind sleep and shares strategies for healing and restful nights.

Also in this session, Dr. Lisa Mosconi, the author of “The Menopause Brain;” Dr. Nisha Parikh, the director of the women’s heart program at Northwell Health; and Dr. Shari Goldfarb, the director of the young women with breast cancer program at Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center, focus on the unique health-care needs of—and groundbreaking advances for—women as they move through pivotal life stages.

This session will also feature conversations produced by our underwriters, Eli Lilly and Company and Gilead Sciences. Anne E. White, Executive Vice President and President, Lilly Neuroscience, Eli Lilly and Company, joins Atlantic Chief Growth Officer Megha Garibaldi to explore the future of aging and Alzheimer’s disease, including the impact of emerging diagnostic tools like blood biomarker tests.

Gené van den Ende, the vice president of U.S. Medical Affairs at Gilead Sciences, and Betty Chiang, the vice president of U.S. Medical Affairs Virology at Gilead Sciences, discuss Gilead Science’s work addressing unmet needs for women with liver disease, identifying areas of opportunity to create better patient experiences and treatments.

Speakers include:

Yasmin Tayag, Staff Writer, The Atlantic

Nicholas Florko, Staff Writer, The Atlantic

Daniel Engber, Senior Editor, The Atlantic

Lisa Mosconi, Director, Weill Cornell Medicine Women’s Brain Initiative and Program Director, Wellcome Leap

Nisha Parikh, System Director, Women’s Heart Program, Northwell Health

Aric Prather, Sleep Scientist, and Author

Andrea Valdez, Managing Editor, The Atlantic

Megha Garibaldi*, Chief Growth Officer, The Atlantic

Anne E. White*, Executive Vice President and President, Lilly Neuroscience, Eli Lilly and Company

Gené van den Ende*, Vice President, U.S. Medical Affairs, Gilead Sciences

Betty Chiang*, Vice President, U.S. Medical Affairs Virology, Gilead Sciences

Shari Goldfarb, Program Director, Young Women With Breast Cancer Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

*This session is produced by our underwriter and is independent of The Atlantic’s editorial staff.

The Atlantic Festival brings the brand’s essential journalism to life on stage through dynamic conversations, exclusive screenings, and engaging performances. Expect rigorous dialogue with influential voices in politics, culture, business, technology, and media—plus opportunities to connect with other curious, thoughtful attendees.

The 2025 lineup includes Scott Galloway, Richard Ayoade with David Letterman, H.R. McMaster, Clara Wu Tsai, Arvind Krishna, Jennifer Doudna, Monica Lewinsky, Catherine Coleman Flowers, Bryan Stevenson, Dr. Becky Kennedy, and many more. Atlantic journalists including Jeffrey Goldberg, Jemele Hill, Vann Newkirk, and Sophie Gilbert will moderate and lead discussions.

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