Healthcare, Pharma & Life Sciences

Aurora, Colorado – October 19, 2026 -- Four University of Colorado Anschutz faculty members have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, the largest group the university has had elected in a single year.

The academy elects up to 100 new members annually: up to 90 regular members and 10 international members. Candidates go through a nomination and selection process that evaluates their professional achievements and contributions to health and medicine.

Four physician-researchers join the 2026 class

The 2026 inductees are Lilia Cervantes, Matthew Wynia, Vik Bebarta and Lauren S. Hughes. Their work spans kidney care, bioethics, combat medicine and rural health policy.

Cervantes is a physician-researcher whose work has documented inequities in kidney care for undocumented immigrants. She combines community-engaged research, clinical care and policy advocacy.

Lakewood, Colo. – October 19, 2026 -- Versiti has become the 10th U.S. blood center to adopt Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies' Reveos Automated Blood Processing System, adding automated platelet recovery from whole blood donations across five states.

Reveos and Lumia software lift whole blood platelet capacity

Paired with the Lumia Software Platform, Reveos will let the Milwaukee-based nonprofit produce more platelets from whole blood. Versiti serves hospitals and patients in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared Reveos in 2023. Terumo BCT says it is the only whole blood automation device available in the U.S. that separates whole blood into red blood cells, plasma and platelets in one fully automated centrifugation cycle.

Pittsburgh – October 19, 2026 -- Net Health CEO Ron Books is stepping down to become executive chairman, and the board has opened a search for his successor focused on enterprise-native AI. Books is returning to ECI Solutions as its CEO.

Books replaces Donna Morea as chairman, while she stays on as a director

Books takes the chair from Donna Morea, who remains on the board. He will guide the AI-native specialty platform's long-term strategy from the board level.

COO Patrick Rooney takes over as interim CEO during the search

Net Health appointed Rooney, its chief operating officer, to ensure operational continuity. The board is prioritizing candidates with a proven record of driving technological innovation and scaling enterprise-native artificial intelligence across specialized clinical platforms.

South San Francisco – October 19, 2026 -- ACROBiosystems unveiled a 4-day sequence-to-affinity screening service, CHO-DirectTM, at its ACRO Innovation Day x AI on October 13, 2026, targeting the experimental validation bottleneck in AI-driven biologics discovery. The service closes the wet-lab loop in as few as 7 days when combined with developability and characterization work.

CEO Mike Chen told attendees at The Hangar that the company's customer base has grown to 13,000. He cited rising investor interest in AI-driven drug discovery as the backdrop for the event, which followed sessions in Zurich, Shanghai (May) and a September launch event.

Bad Homburg, Germany – October 19, 2026 -- Fresenius Medical Care reports that 74% of more than 10,000 high-volume hemodiafiltration (HvHDF) treatments delivered on its 5008X CAREsystem in the United States reached the target convective dose of 23 liters or greater. The company will present the data at the American Society of Nephrology's Kidney Week 2026, held October 21-25 in Denver, Colorado.

U.S. real-world data shows HvHDF delivery matches European targets

The company says the findings show HvHDF can be delivered in routine U.S. clinical practice with treatment targets comparable to those reported in Europe. Fresenius researchers are studying U.S. implementation as adoption expands. The work feeds the company's BEACON-US research initiative, which examines online HDF therapy and patient outcomes in the U.S.

Chicago – October 19, 2026 -- RLDatix has launched RLD360 Credentialing, a hybrid offering that pairs software with built-in automation and NCQA-certified verification services, aiming to shorten provider credentialing at a time when the typical physician start date falls 229 days after a position is posted.

The 229-day figure comes from the Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment 2026 Physician and Provider Recruitment Benchmarking Report. It covers credentialing, privileging, licensing and onboarding. Delays hit providers and staff and hold back patient access to care, limiting health systems' ability to meet growing demand.

Burlingame, Calif. – October 19, 2026 -- Ember AI reported an 8% lift in net collection rates and a 57% reduction in predicted preventable denials in the inaugural Ember Revenue Integrity Index, an annual report based on performance data from its customer deployments.

The report also records 32% fewer preventable coding issues. Ember AI released it during Healthcare Quality Week.

Pre-submission analysis targets denials before claims go out

Ember AI's platform reviews every patient encounter before claim submission. It looks for documentation gaps, coding inconsistencies, reimbursement risks and payer requirements that could trigger denials or underpayments. The approach contrasts with traditional revenue cycle management, where teams often spend significant resources correcting problems after claims have been submitted.

San Sebastián – – October 19, 2026 -- Viralgen, the AAV gene therapy contract manufacturer owned by Bayer unit AskBio, has appointed Bayer executive Angela Ochoa Chico as chief executive effective January 1, 2027, replacing Jimmy Vanhove after four years in the role.

Vanhove moves to lead Bayer's U.S. pharmaceutical supply network expansion

Vanhove will lead the development and expansion of Bayer's U.S. Pharmaceutical Product Supply Network, based in New Albany, Ohio. He will join the Pharmaceuticals Division's Product Supply Leadership Team.

Fairfax – – October 19, 2026 -- Allergy & Asthma Network will hold the 12th annual USAsthma Summit on Nov. 13, 2026, in Phoenix, Arizona, with free registration for both in-person and livestream attendees.

The one-day event targets public health professionals, clinicians, asthma educators, respiratory therapists, patients, caregivers, advocates and community partners. The organizer says policymakers are considering changes that could affect access to asthma care, and the Summit is meant to address those challenges.

Summit runs alongside the ACAAI Annual Scientific Meeting in Phoenix

The event coincides with the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting in the same city. That timing creates additional engagement opportunities for attendees, speakers and leaders in allergy, asthma and immunology.

Toronto – October 19, 2026 -- Vector Science and Therapeutics Corp. (TSXV: PAIN) has appointed Angus Jackson, a former investment banker at Outcome Capital, as Managing Director of Corporate Development. He will lead the company's inorganic growth initiatives, including acquisitions, investments and strategic partnerships.

Jackson takes charge of inorganic growth and supports organic expansion

Jackson will lead inorganic growth and assist with organic growth. His remit covers commercial expansion, strategic alliances, business development and selective mergers and acquisitions. He will also work with company leadership to assess opportunities that complement Vector's therapeutic delivery technologies, medical devices and peptide-related offerings.