December 3, 2025
The Universities at Shady Grove
Building II, MPR
Rockville, Maryland
Join us as we explore the fascinating realm of quantum computing at our exclusive one-day symposium, Unlocking the Potential of Quantum Computing: A Symposium for the Quantum-Curious, held at The Universities at Shady Grove (USG). Uncover how leading-edge businesses are harnessing the transformative power of quantum computing to revolutionize their operations and achieve unparalleled discoveries. Learn from industry pioneers in biomedical research and cryptography to broaden your horizons in the ever-evolving field of quantum technology. Don't miss out on this chance to be part of the future!
This symposium is free to attend. Please register below.
Featured Speaker
Keynote Speaker - Using a quantum computer to solve fundamental physics problems
Norbert M. Linke is an Associate Professor of Physics, a Fellow of the Joint Quantum Institute, and the Director of QLab, the National Quantum Laboratory at the University of Maryland (UMD). His research focuses on quantum applications of trapped ions and the realization of quantum algorithms. Born in Munich, Germany, he graduated from the University of Ulm, and received his doctorate at the University of Oxford, UK, working on micro-fabricated ion-traps and microwave-addressing of ions. He spent four years as a post-doc and research scientist in the group of Chris Monroe at UMD where he led a project that turned a physics experiment into a programmable quantum computer. He became an assistant professor at UMD in 2019. From 2022 he spent three years at the Duke Quantum Center at Duke University in Durham, NC, and in September 2025 he returned to UMD to become the Director of QLab, a user facility providing access to quantum computers for researchers, educators and start-ups.
Sponsor
9:30am - 10:00am – Registration
10:00am - 10:10am – Welcoming Remarks
Dr. Anne Khademian (USG)
10:10am - 10:20am – Remarks
Ms. Kimberly Mentzell (State of Maryland, Department of Commerce)
10:20am - 11:10am – Quantum Approaches to Healthcare Research
Dr. Eric Pan & Dr. John Riddles (Westat)
11:10am - 11:50am – Quantum Computing in Disease Modeling and Preventive Medicine
Mr. Usman Sheikh (Quantum Insights)
11:50am - 12:00pm – Morning Break
12:00pm - 12:40pm – Keynote Speech - Using a quantum computer to solve fundamental physics problems
Dr. Norbert Linke (UMD)
12:40pm - 1:30pm – Networking Lunch
1:30pm - 2:10pm – Quantum Computing and Cryptography
Mr. Rafael Fuentes (Quantum Insights)
2:10pm - 2:50pm – Panel Discussion - Quantum Applications and the Future
Mr. Fatih Selekler (Westat), Moderator
Dr. Eric Pan (Westat), Mr. Usman Sheikh (Quantum Insights), & Mr. Rafael Fuentes (Quantum Insights), Panelists
2:50pm - 3:00pm – Closing Remarks
Mr. Fatih Selekler (Westat)
Rafael Fuentes is the Chief Technology Officer at Quantum Insights, where he leads the company’s technology vision across artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, and data modernization for the healthcare and life sciences sectors. With over a decade of experience in large-scale digital transformation and applied AI delivery, Rafael has advised CIOs, CTOs, and senior federal leadership on how to architect secure, intelligent systems that drive operational efficiency and scientific discovery.
As a recognized thought leader in the emerging field of quantum readiness, Rafael helps organizations anticipate and prepare for the coming impact of quantum computing on cybersecurity, data privacy, and computational medicine. His work centers on building resilient architectures – ensuring that today’s systems, encryption standards, and data governance models evolve in step with tomorrow’s technological landscape. He also works with a variety of startups to prepare and design the next generation of drug discovery platforms that will utilize quantum computing capabilities.
Rafael also oversees cross-functional teams developing cloud-native and machine learning driven platforms that power clinical research, regulatory data pipelines, and real-world evidence generation across the National Institutes of Health and other public sector organizations. His focus spans federated analytics, high-performance data integration, and the intersection of AI and advanced computation.
Rafael combines deep technical expertise in AI, cloud architecture, and secure data systems with a forward-looking perspective on how quantum computing will redefine healthcare analytics and digital infrastructure over the next decade.
Eric Pan, Westat associate vice president, senior physician informaticist, and an American Medical Informatics Association Fellow, has more than 30 years of health informatics research experience. He has served as Westat's project director and subject matter expert for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ASTP/ONC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bureau of Primary Health Care, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Dr. Pan is a nationally recognized expert in healthcare data interoperability and exchange, clinical decision support, and clinical information systems. He has also led data analytics and management teams for multiple agencies, including regular production of ad hoc data analytics reports. Before joining Westat, Dr. Pan was the senior scientist at the Center for Information Technology Leadership (CITL). He led CITL's analytic and modeling efforts and trained staff in analytic, statistical, programming, and related research methodologies.
John Riddles is a principal data scientist in the Statistics and Data Science Center at Westat with over 20 years of experience in data analysis and software development. At Westat, Mr. Riddles works on complex and diverse projects performing analyses such as predictive and survival modeling and developing software for disclosure analysis. Further, he leads efforts in natural language processing, Generative AI, and synthetic data generation for several government clients such as CDC, NHLBI, and SAMHSA. In recent years, his primary application has been to support government research efforts in public health and epidemiology.
Fatih Selekler is a Vice President of IT for Public Health with more than 30 years of experience in federal government services strategy and business management. He has managed large teams and delivered enterprise-level technical solutions, emphasizing the application of technology to achieve mission and business goals. He has expertise in building customer relationships and collaborating at multiple levels within the federal health sector, including agencies such as HHS, FDA, NIH, and CDC.
He is currently working to improve the understanding and application of quantum computing and artificial intelligence (AI) within Westat’s public health portfolio, addressing some of the most complex challenges in enhancing health outcomes.
Selekler has brought innovative technology solutions to clients throughout his career. He engineered and implemented one of the first cell-switching networking technologies for wide-area communications, achieving Gbps transfer rates across the U.S. for a quasi-government entity. He engineered the first consumption-based email-as-a-service solution for a federal agency and led one of the first cloud migration frameworks.
Usman Sheikh is a healthcare executive with 20+ years of experience in providing strategic advisory to C-level clients in the U.S. Government and Commercial space on leveraging advanced data technologies for Population Health, Aging and Longevity Science, Privacy-preserving Record Linkage and Real World Evidence. He has spent over 15 years with Big 3 consulting firms as a seasoned management and technology consultant focused on clients in U.S. Government and Healthcare industries. He is a trusted advisor to various government leadership appointees in national healthcare for developing collaborative biomedical research data repositories to promote open science for public health impact. Mr. Sheikh is a contributing author for the following papers and article:
- The National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C): Rationale, design, infrastructure, and deployment
- Privacy-preserving record linkage across disparate institutions and datasets to enable a learning health system
- Longevity cities: designing urban ecosystems for healthier lifespans | World Health Expo Insights
Mr. Sheikh has spoken at numerous conferences on Population Health, Interoperable Health Data Collaboration Environments, and Longevity—highlighting the role of advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, digital twins and data linkage.
- Arab Health – Harnessing Digital Twins and Generative AI for Smart Scalable Healthcare (Jan 2025)
- WHX Miami – Leveraging AI to Drive Patient-Centric Innovation and Competitive Advantage in Healthcare (Jun 2025)
- Longevity Summit Dublin – Longevity Cities: Designing Urban Ecosystems for Healthier Lifespans using AI, IoT and Digital Twins (July 2025)
He is also a recipient of numerous U.S. Government agency awards in recognition for his efforts for managing myriads of initiatives in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and developing innovative informatics solutions in the space of Biomedical Research.
Conference registrants should park in the Traville Gateway Garage (view parking map) on The Universities at Shady Grove campus directly adjacent to Building II where all conference activities will take place. This is a pay-for-parking lot at a rate of $4.00/hour or a maximum of $16.00 per day.
For driving directions, input this address into your GPS: 9631 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville, MD, 20850
For information about public transportation, please visit USG's Directions and Transportation page.