Theme: Pushing Boundaries

Welcome to TEDxUMKC 2025! Secure your spot to explore engaging talks from thought leaders, visionaries, and innovators. Get ready to immerse yourself in transformative ideas worth spreading! If you have any questions, please email tedxumkc@gmail.com.

This year’s theme, "Pushing Boundaries," challenges us to explore ideas that break barriers, defy limits, and redefine possibilities. From groundbreaking scientific discoveries to stories of personal triumph, our speakers will inspire you to think beyond the conventional and embrace bold, innovative perspectives. Join us as we dive into the frontier of human potential and collective progress.

We are extremely excited for this year’s lineup of speakers, who represent a diverse array of backgrounds, expertise, and stories. They are leaders, changemakers, and visionaries who are redefining their fields and inspiring others to push the boundaries of what’s possible. Each talk promises to spark meaningful conversations, ignite curiosity, and leave you with ideas worth spreading.

Event Details:
📅 Date: February 1st, 2025
⏰ Time: 1:00 PM
📍 Location: National WWI Museum and Memorial
Address: 2 Memorial Dr, Kansas City, MO 64108

National WWI Museum at Liberty Memorial
100 W 26th Street
kansas city, Missouri
United States

Akshata Krishnamurthy

Principal Investigator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Akshata Krishnamurthy, Ph.D., is an award-winning scientist, engineer, researcher, and technology leader in the space industry, recognized for her groundbreaking contributions to high-profile NASA missions. She was featured in Fortune India’s Most Powerful Women List in 2024. Dr. Krishnamurthy is a Principal Investigator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, spearheading a research program that pioneers cutting-edge technologies for space systems in collaboration with MIT. She plays a pivotal role as the Science Phase Lead on the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission—the first hardware collaboration between NASA and ISRO for a space mission. An explorer at heart, Dr. Krishnamurthy is a passionate advocate for space exploration, particularly in the search for an Earth twin capable of supporting life. She earned her Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Brittany Stinson

MSA, is an operational strategist, and cofounder of Seeding Greatness

Brittany Stinson, MSA, is an operational strategist, and cofounder of Seeding Greatness, a movement of leaders impacting the world with their stories. Through trials in college, Brittany overcame alcoholism and unhealthy relationships to become a business owner, wife, and mom of four. She is a published author, the Co-Organizer of TEDxAlexanderPark, and throughout her career has worked with a diverse portfolio of clients, ranging from solopreneurs and student leaders to hospitals with $500 million salary budgets. When she isn’t working, Brittany enjoys working out and spending quality time with her family, preferably on a beach somewhere.

Christopher Weston

Former Deputy Director of the El Dorado County Public Health Division, Health & Human Services Agency

Christopher has worked directly within the vulnerable populations’ community, including the elderly and persons with serious mental illness, delinquent youth in high-risk juvenile detention centers, and individuals struggling to secure stable employment while overcoming obstacles such as health, housing, and childcare. In his transition into the mental health field, Christopher worked in various settings including psychiatric institutions, board and care homes and independent living facilities. In addition to being a therapist, he is the founder and director of the El Dorado County Coalition for Overdose Prevention and Education (COPE) where he works with health care organizations, community-based non-profits, public leaders, concerned residents, and consumers to combat the “substance abuse overdose crisis.” This commitment and dedication to advocacy work for both his local community and the mental health field add breadth and depth to his clinical work.

Mahmoud Kutmah

3rd year Medical Student in the 6-year BA/MD program at the University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Medicine

His research spans from cardiac device complications to minimally invasive pediatric surgery, with multiple peer-reviewed publications and presentations at esteemed conferences such as the American College of Cardiology. As Chair of the Youth Committee for the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), he has established observership and mentorship programs, supporting international medical graduates on their path to residency. Mahmoud is deeply dedicated to community service, serving as Laboratory Director at Sojourner’s Health Clinic and leading initiatives like the Ramadan Food Box Drive, benefiting hundreds of families each year. At UMKC, he advocates for underrepresented communities as Vice President of the Middle East Student Association and Students for Justice in Palestine, organizing educational events, refugee support programs, and local protests and vigils. Fluent in English and Arabic, Mahmoud attempts to brings a global perspective to his work in medicine and education.

Nicholas Comninellis

President and Professor of INMED, the Institute for International Medicine. He is also part-time faculty at Research Medical Center Family Medicine Residency

Over a two-year period Dr. Comninellis served inner-city citizens at Shanghai Charity Hospital. Over another two years, he led a healthcare ministry in the war-besieged nation of Angola in southern Africa. Dr. Comninellis next served for six years in the Kansas City public hospital before launching INMED in 2003. He graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Medicine and Saint Louis University School of Public Health and was a family medicine resident at John Peter Smith Hospital. Dr. Comninellis also earned a professional diploma in tropical medicine from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and became board certified in both public health and family medicine. Among his authored books are Shanghai Doctor, Where Do I Go From Here, and INMED International Medicine & Public Health. He was recognized as the 2009 United Nations Association of the United States World Citizen and the 2015 University of Missouri-Kansas City Alumni of the Year.

Ravi R. Iyer, MD

Harvard-trained Physician-scientist, TEDx speaker, author, and inventor

Harvard-trained Physician-scientist, TEDx speaker, author, and inventor whose 42-year career in science, and medicine, includes a 9-year Directorship of a Hospice caring for dying patients, and a 4-year Chairmanship of a 225-bed hospital and recognition by Marqui's Who's Who in America and Who's Who in TOP Doctors of America. Dr. Iyer is passionate about human potential and conducts workshops on Neuro Inclusivity training and Cognitive Alignment (COGAL and courses on Strategies Of Neuro Aligned Groups (STRONG) that have been rated as transformational for enabling individuals, teams, and organizations to discover their grounding narrative and allowing them immense focus and creativity as well as resilience and flexibility in navigating the uncertainties of their life. He has an active online presence and may be followed at www.driyer.com