Maria Palombini

In 2017, Maria joined IEEE-SA with a directive to build communities and advance initiatives to
develop standards for enterprise adoption of emerging technologies. Her area of focus includes
research on challenges and opportunities in driving responsible and validated adoption of
cutting-edge technologies such as AI, IoT, ML, VR/AR, smart materials, quantum, and
blockchain/DLT into the healthcare life sciences domain. She instituted the pharma blockchain
initiative which seeks to educate all stakeholders – patients, regulatory, clinicians,
pharmaceutical professionals, scientists, technologists - on the benefits and challenges of
applying responsible use of blockchain/DLT platforms to enable a patient-driven pharmaceutical
value chain that begins with empowering patients with agency over their health data.

As the leader of the IEEE-SA Healthcare and Life Sciences Practice, she focuses on a mission of
global outreach to cultivate a global group of multi-disciplinary experts to openly collaborate,
build consensus and develop solutions for breakthrough technology applications that will lead to
universal quality access to care, preservation, sustainability and security of life for all.

Maria has enjoyed a significant and accomplished career in multiple industry sectors (ie.
pharmaceutical, life sciences, legal, finance, natural resources, and luxury goods) both in the US
and abroad. She is an entrepreneur having launched information and tech start-up companies in
the health domain. Her success has been the ability to motivate audiences to change a behavior
and take an action. That ability to motivate a response is rooted in her core philosophy, “Beyond
inspiration, passion for change moves us.”

Maria currently holds an MBA from the Rutgers Graduate School of Business and a BA and BS
from Rutgers College at Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey. She is an
accomplished leader, public speaker, and writer having presented at various industry events and
published blogs and articles in trade publications.