University of Central Florida
Gregory Welch is a Pegasus Professor and the AdventHealth Endowed Chair in Healthcare Simulation at the University of Central Florida College of Nursing. A computer scientist and engineer, he also has appointments in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and in the Institute for Simulation & Training. Welch earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering Technology from Purdue University (Highest Distinction), and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). Previously, he was a research professor at UNC. He also worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and at Northrop-Grumman’s Defense Systems Division. His research interests include human-computer interaction, human motion tracking, virtual and augmented reality, computer graphics and vision, and training related applications. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). His awards include induction into the IEEE Virtual Reality Academy in 2022, the IEEE Virtual Reality Technical Achievement Award in 2018 (VR 2018), and the Long Lasting Impact Paper Award at the 15th IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2016).
University of Central Florida
Dr. Carolina Cruz-Neira, a University of Central Florida faculty and a member of the National Academy of Engineering, is a pioneer in the areas of virtual reality (VR), interactive visualization, and digital twins. Her innovations have been instrumental in facilitating data analysis, decision-making, design reviews, and training and education. Her work evolved into standard tools used in industry, government, and academia. She is known world-wide for being the creator of the CAVE VR system, for transferring research into practice by spearheading Open-Source initiatives and by supporting entrepreneurial initiatives to commercialize research. She is recognized for founding successful applied research centers: the Virtual Reality Applications Center at Iowa State University, the Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise, and the Emerging Analytics Center at the University of Arkansas. Her research leadership has received recognition from major companies for increasing product safety and improving design and production processes that have saved time, lives, and millions of dollars. She enjoys intersecting her research with the arts and the humanities through dance performances and museum installations. She has been named by Forbes Magazine among the 50 over 50 Innovators of 2025, and one of the top three greatest women visionaries in VR. She is the first person inducted to the National Academy of Engineering for immersive technologies and virtual reality. She has been inducted to the US Congressional Record, she is a member of the IEEE VR Academy, an IEEE Fellow, an ACM Computer Pioneer, an AWE XR Hall of Fame member, and a Modeling and Simulation Hall of Fame. She received the IEEE VR Achievement Award, and the International Digital Media & Arts Society Distinguished Career Award among many national and international recognitions. She serves on national and international technology boards as well as government technology advisory committees. Her life’s work addressing large problems through interdisciplinary teams has become a key to innovation and is considered standard practice in driving American competitiveness in the global economy.
IVRHA
Executive Director and Founder
IVRHA
Robert is the Executive Director and Founder of IVRHA (International Virtual Reality and Healthcare Association).
In 2009, Robert started Cool Blue Media by organizing the first social media conference on the east coast of the United States, leading to the publication of the text book, "The Big Book of Social Media Case Studies, Stories and Perspectives" and shortly thereafter the only printed magazine covering social media, The Social Media Monthly. In May 2016, he launched VRVoice.co, a content vertical exploring virtual reality in the enterprise. In 2017, Robert started the largest annual conference on virtual reality and healthcare with events taking place both in the US and Europe.
Prior to 2009, Robert was the Senior Director of Global Strategy and Development of IT at Conservation International (CI). Robert joined CI in 2000 to take responsibility for connecting all of CI’s forty field offices to the Internet with broadband connectivity. During his 10 year tenure, he built an international staff of 25 IT professionals.
Robert has over ten years of additional work experience as a systems and sales engineer with various companies including CMGI, Hughes Network Systems, ioWave and Raytheon. Robert has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Villanova University, a master’s degree in environmental science and public policy from Johns Hopkins University, and is ABD at George Mason University.
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