A night of short talks and stories from founders, artists, and activists who are addressing addiction from all angles.

Through short Lightning Talks, a panel, and Q&A session, our guest speakers will share their personal entry points into this work, how they found the resources to build their ventures and projects, and how they plan to navigate challenges and scale the impact of their work.

This event is part of BU's Week of Wellbeing and is co-sponsored by Innovate@BU, BU Arts Initiative, Student Health Services and the Collegiate Recovery Program.

Meet the speakers:

Kruti Kanojia is CEO and Co-Founder of Healthy Gamer, a digital therapeutic platform for video game addiction. Her professional background includes 10 years of experience in digital marketing and startup team management, and her personal background includes supporting pediatricians as well as gamers through changing technological trends. Kruti is a 2nd year MBA student at the Questrom School of Business specializing in Health Sector Management, Strategy and Entrepreneurship.

Domenic Esposito is an artist and activist living in the Boston area. Running as an undercurrent to his sculpture is Esposito’s passion for architecture. Later works are increasingly emotional and wrought with social messages and cues. Most recently the artist embarked on an ambitious, personal and controversial project with the “Purdue Spoon”. Esposito has attended metalworking and design classes at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Stonybrook Fine Arts, Artist Asylum and Prospect Hill Forge. He currently works and resides in Westwood, MA.

Rafik Nader Wahbi is a Masters of Public Health student at the Boston University School of Public Health. He is a researcher and Program Coordinator at Boston Medical Center's Clinical Addiction Research and Education (CARE) unit. His main interests in Public Health are Substance Disorders and individuals currently incarcerated or with a history of incarceration. Rafik utilizes quantitative and qualitative research skills, with an emphasis on ethnographic approaches. He is an avid hip-hop music fan and has begun incorporating that into his projects. Rafik is passionate about amplifying the voices of those involved in corrections.

Innovate@BU is a University-wide initiative to enable all BU Terriers to become drivers of innovation in their own lives, careers, and communities. Innovate@BU's physical home, the BUild Lab IDG Capital Student Innovation Center, hosts experiential learning programs that foster an entrepreneurial mindset by teaching innovation, communication, and collaboration skills. Check our more Innovate@BU events!

Addiction, Community, and Impact: Panel & Lightning Talks