Over the next twelve months, GIC and SLCI will bring together world-class immunologists, medical experts, policymakers, and economists to explore critical insights into defining, diagnosing, optimizing treatments, and healthcare policies for long COVID and analyzing its impact on U.S. and global labor markets.

About the Solve Long Covid Initiative  

Based on more than 30 years of research and advocacy experience advancing the understanding of post-infection diseases, Solve M.E. was one of the first organizations to recognize the emerging threat of the long-term debilitating outcomes of the global COVID-19 pandemic. As early as April 2020, Solve M.E. called on Congress to have immediate response measures, recommending budget appropriation to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for post-viral research. This was the early, first step in the Solve Long Covid Initiative.

Speaker / Author

Oved Amitay

Chief Executive Officer at Solve M.E.

Oved Amitay is the Chief Executive Officer at Solve M.E. He has dedicated most of his professional career to the development of life-changing therapeutic options for people affected by rare genetic diseases. Throughout his career, Oved had extensive engagements with healthcare systems and patient advocacy organizations around the world, forging collaborations to address the needs of people affected by rare genetic diseases. Oved is frequently invited to speak on topics related to orphan drugs, the development and commercialization of therapies for patients with rare diseases. Oved is a registered pharmacist, trained at the School of Pharmacy, Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and holds ... Read More

William Kennedy

GIC Board Chair and CEO, RiskBridge Advisors, LLC

Bill Kennedy co-founded RiskBridge Advisors, an Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) firm providing tailored investment management and unconflicted guidance and implementation to endowments & foundations, insurers, family offices, and their principals. As Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer, he oversees and is responsible for RiskBridge’s strategic course and all investment decisions. Mr. Kennedy has over 30 years of industry experience. He previously served as Chief Investment Officer with Fieldpoint Private from 2012-2019, where he was responsible for investment policy, asset allocation, and investment manager selection. Mr. Kennedy also chaired the bank’s Investment Committee and served on the bank’s Board of ... Read More

Amy Proal, Ph.D.

Microbiologist/Research Team Coordinator, PolyBio Research Foundation

Dr. Proal is a microbiologist who studies the molecular mechanisms by which bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens dysregulate human gene expression, immunity and metabolism. Her work further examines how dysbiosis of the human microbiome and/or the human virome can contribute to chronic inflammatory disease processes. As a member of the research team at PolyBio Research Foundation, she has authored papers and written book chapters for organizations like the J.Craig Venter Institute and The Autoimmunity Network, and lectured at the NIH and numerous USA/international conferences. Proal graduated from Georgetown University in 2005 with a degree in biology. In 2012, she obtained ... Read More

Emily Taylor

Vice President of Advocacy and Engagement, Solve M.E.

Emily Taylor is the Vice President of Advocacy and Engagement for Solve M.E. She brings to the organization over fifteen years of policy, organization, and advocacy experience in both the non-profit and government sectors. With five years’ experience on Capitol Hill, Emily contributes a keen understanding of both state and federal policy processes while cultivating strong grassroots organization and patient representation. Prior to joining the Solve M.E., Emily served as the director of policy and advocacy for an award-winning autism organization. There she spearheaded major overhauls in disability, early intervention, and education policies. She is also a veteran of several successful ... Read More