Next month, Merge will be heading to New Orleans for the return of our annual user conference: Merge LIVE. My colleague Terry recently outlined all the reasons why Merge LIVE is such a golden opportunity for our customers:
But one thing Terry didn’t touch on, and that I have the pleasure of introducing to you, is this year’s keynote speaker. Merge LIVE 2026 will be kicked off by Dr Harvey Castro, aka Dr. GPT. A physician futurist and Chief AI Officer for Phantom Space, Dr. Castro has been celebrated for his pioneering contributions to emergency medicine and healthcare innovation. As an experienced physician, Dr. Castro has dedicated his career to advancing healthcare services and delivering individualized patient care across Texas.
His expertise extends beyond the emergency room; he is a successful entrepreneur with over 20 launched businesses and a recognized authority in healthcare, having appeared on platforms like Nancy Grace and Dr. Phil’s TV network to discuss deep fakes. In 2023, he was honored as one of only 500 recipients of LinkedIn’s “Top Voice” award, emphasizing his influential presence in the digital and professional community. In 2024, he was recognized as one of the “AI 75” by Dallas Innovates, marking him as a top AI innovator in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. And he has been a consistent recipient of the “Best Doctor” award from “D Magazine” since 2014.
Beyond his clinical achievements, Dr. Castro is a true innovator in the field of artificial intelligence, and his insights into the present and future of AI in healthcare and medical imaging will no doubt be invaluable to our users both excited about the prospect of AI’s role for imaging and interested in just how those use cases will play out for their imaging workflows.
There’s still time to join us in New Orleans for Merge LIVE 2026! Whether it’s Dr. Castro’s keynote, direct conversations with Merge leaders (including me), customer presentations, product roadmap previews, networking with your peers, or any of the other reasons mentioned above, there’s a lot of value to get out of a trip to Merge LIVE this year. I hope to see you there.