In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Joyce J. Cammilleri Hall (Brain & Creativity Institute)
3620A McClintock Avenue
Los Angeles, California, 90089
United States

Brian Femminella

Brian Femminella is a USC Alum, United States Army Officer, and current CEO of SoundMind. Along with his work in technology space, he is also a United States Army Military Intelligence Officer. Brian has a strong digital forensics and political policy background, where he previously worked for White Sands Missile Range and the U.S. House of Representatives. Over the years, he has risen to an influential LGBTQIA+ and mental health advocate through his time in the entrepreneurial and military space as a Gen-Z changemaker.

Christopher Lindsay

Christopher Lindsay is a Trojan class of 2020 from USC who studied Astronomy, Environmental studies, and Jazz. He is currently a Ph.D. student at Yale and is originally from Oahu, Hawaii.

Lucy Schafer

Lucy Schafer studied Computational Neuroscience at the University of Southern California with specialization in computer programming and applied analytics. She is a U.S. Army Officer in the Medical Services Corps and cares deeply about mental health issues both in and out of the military. She is passionate about finding innovative ways to approach the mental health crisis through social impact and technology. Lucy is excited to share research findings with the world from the TEDx stage to highlight the importance of providing personalized care for mental illness.

Manushri Desai

Making room for disability in the equity equation has been a testing political task, yet Manushri Desai believes there’s a path to building more inclusive spaces which starts within each one of us. With extraordinary compassion and commitment, Desai works to show how her journey with the disability justice movement inched her closer to a new perspective and helped normalize her mantra: disability rights should be everyone’s concern. Desai is a recent alumnus of the University of Southern California, having graduated in May with a B.S. in Public Policy and a minor in Health Care Studies. She has spoken at and co-authored multiple disability-related publications for the United Nations, played a leading role in researching disability employment policy at the U.S. Department of Labor, and founded the nation’s first collegiate network for disability rights advocates. A policy enthusiast and disability justice advocate at heart, she is deeply passionate about leveraging her unique academic background and arsenal of personal experience in a way that promotes an inclusive, accessible, and equitable world for people with disabilities.

Mihir Kumar

The lack of chronic kidney disease awareness in the United States, despite its enormous prevalence and associated costs, takes major toll on the US healthcare system and its patients. Fortunately, through proper education about the causes for this lack of awareness and through non-profit organizations that host free kidney screenings, Mihir hopes to explain how we can begin to make a difference. Mihir recently graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in Human Biology, B.A. in Economics, and a minor in Mathematical Finance. He served as the Co-President of the USC Kidney Disease Screening and Awareness Program (KDSAP) and currently serves as a Trustee on KDSAP’s National Governing Board and on the National Coordination Committee. Through establishing partnerships with several local non-profit and community organizations in the Los Angeles area, Mihir has learned about the power of raising awareness for CKD and is deeply passionate about continuing to fight against the disease through awareness, education, and screening-based efforts.

Nicolo Betoni

Nicolo is a current medical student at the University of California, Irvine on the integrative health track, where he explores the powers of alternative and complementary medicine such as acupuncture, meditation, and the importance of sleep, diet, and exercise. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 2020 studying neuroscience and music. During his gap year, Nicolo lived on a farm where he grew food, cared for animals, and worked with adults with disabilities. Nicolo’s TEDxUSC Talk combines his experiences with integrative medicine, rural and urban environments, musical analysis, and neuroscience research to deliver a powerful message on learning how to feel something again.

Nikki Jamshidbaigi

Nikki Jamshidbaigi graduated from USC in 2020 with a Global Health degree. She is currently conducting research in the biotechnology industry. Nikki is from Salt Lake City, Utah, and is passionate about healthcare and the patient experience.