Keynote Speaker · Author · TEDx

I ignored what only I could feel until it made me sick.

Nine years I read other people's bodies for a living, as a paramedic. Then it was my turn to be read. Thirty-three doctors missed it. So I stopped waiting to be seen and diagnosed myself.

Here's the part that took longer to learn. Once nobody else was catching it, I stopped catching it too. I did to myself exactly what those doctors did to me. I optimized for output and ignored the signal, until it broke.

That's the talk. Not AI. Not the future of work. What a system can measure versus what a person actually needs, and what it costs when leaders miss the difference the way thirty-three doctors missed me.

Health systems, pharma, MedTech and leadership teams bring me in to name that gap before it breaks something. Not a device. A person.

If you want a keynote about AI and humanity, I'm not your speaker. There are plenty of those. If you want to know what your own systems are missing right now, let's talk.

Book Roi for Your Event

Need to book through a bureau? Roi is represented by A-Speakers.

Download the speaker one-pager (PDF), one page to forward internally.

After a workshop in Krems, a healthcare professional wrote:

“This afternoon gave me what I usually try to give my clients: to be met where you are. To be understood, not judged. To be valued simply for doing your best, even if it's not perfect.”

One of her colleagues went straight to a patient that same evening and used what he'd felt in the room, not what he'd learned. That's the difference.

Roi Shternin speaking on stage at an international conference

See Roi on stage

TEDxMedUniGraz, Can AI restore humanity in healthcare? Thirty-three doctors, one diagnosis, and what no machine could see. The clearest example of how the keynote lands in a room.

Keynotes

01AI · Healthcare · Human Judgment

The Machine & The Person

Thirty-three doctors had my symptoms in front of them. They were not short of information. Years later an AI model reached the same diagnosis in seconds, from the same data. The data was never the problem. Nobody was reading the person. Then I did the same thing to myself. Once nobody else was catching it, I stopped catching it too, and optimised for output until it broke. This keynote takes that one failure, told from three seats, and turns it on your organisation.

The four acts

Inside the system

Nine years as a paramedic, reading bodies that could not explain themselves.

Failed by the system

Seven years in bed. Thirty-three doctors. What it is like when every test says fine.

The machine sees it

AI confirms the diagnosis in seconds. The information was never missing.

What he builds now

Where your organisation measures and misses, and what to watch for on Monday.

For medical faculties and grand rounds it runs as The Story Behind the Diagnosis: the same failure, aimed at the diagnostic moment.

Audience takeaways

Where your metrics stop and your people start
Why your strongest performers are the last to send a signal and the first to break
Language a team can use the same week: the spoonie tax, good days are dangerous, just get up
Why better data, AI included, does not close the gap on its own

Ideal for

Health systems · Hospital leadership · Pharma · MedTech · Patient safety · Medical conferences · Leadership events · HR

02Leadership · Culture · Performance

The Stories Running Our Lives

Your most loyal people spend a third of their energy performing being fine. Not the ones who leave. The ones who stay, and stop meaning it. None of it shows up in the engagement survey. This keynote names the cost of that performance in people, in performance and in retention, long before it becomes a line item.

Why your best people are the ones most likely to be performing
How to tell resilience from quiet withdrawal
What changes when leadership names the performance instead of rewarding it
A way to talk about burnout that does not wait for a diagnosis

Leadership conferences · HR · DEI · Culture · Any industry

03Healthcare · Patient Experience · Clinical Communication

The Person Behind the Diagnosis

Most healthcare organisations say they are patient-centred. Few patients experience them that way. The satisfaction scores look fine. As a former paramedic and a long-term patient, I show where trust is lost, why the gap between clinical intent and patient reality never appears in the data, and what teams can change without blaming clinicians.

What patients mean when they say they want to be heard
The difference between symbolic involvement and real authority
How to improve patient experience without blaming clinicians
How trust is built or broken in routine interactions

Pharma · MedTech · Hospitals · Medical schools · Health systems · Patient engagement and patient experience teams

Formats

Keynote

45–60 min

With or without slides. Adapts to any stage size.

Workshop

Half-day

10–40 people. No slides. I go first, and the team says what it has been carrying.

Fireside Conversation

30–45 min

Unscripted. Two chairs. The format that gets the most honest answers.

English

German

Hebrew

Where this work has landed

Boehringer IngelheimTakedaNovartisHIMSSClalitSheba Medical CenterMedical University of GrazIBMDellPwCGoogleSiemens HealthineersFFGmyabilityEIT HealthLudwig Boltzmann InstituteAustrian Health ForumVaticanGalien FoundationTallinn Digital SummitMigdalTEDx

What people say

Roi's captivating and impactful presentation at the INAT Summit in Belgrade resonated deeply with hundreds, leaving a lasting impression and prompting extended engagement. His ability to deliver valuable content across various formats makes him a highly recommended speaker.
MilenaCEO · INAT, Serbia

I have never seen a speaker like you before.
Dorthe H.Sr. Patient Engagement Officer · Boehringer Ingelheim

My personal highlight was Roi Shternin and his keynote on 'Why Disabled and Chronically Ill People Might Be Our Best Employees'.
Dr. Barbara RedleinSr. Partner · PwC Austria

You absolutely rocked the stage. The colleagues highly appreciated your clear and meaningful speech and your contributions to the panel discussion.
BernadetteTeam Lead · Takeda

Loved your keynote! 💜
Isabelle Evelyn JoswigInclusion Manager · Google

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for your inspiring speech at PMNET. Your story truly made the event memorable for me.
Justine KruminaUniversity and Industry Collaboration · PMNET

This is the most important lesson I have had in medical school. Every future doctor should listen to Roi.
Sarah H.Medical Student · Tel Aviv University

I am a changed man after this talk. I can't go back to unmindful living.
David P.Pharmacy Student · Belgrade University

Your keynote was so inspiring and moving. Thanks for that ❤️
Petra S.Caritas, Austria

Very impressive and inspiring! Thank you!!
Sonja S.TOP 50 Women in HR · Austria

Roi is the author of 8 books on patient experience, patient communication and what healthcare systems miss, including Revolution From My Bed and Dismissed. Read more →

Questions before booking

What does Roi Shternin speak about?

The gap between what a system can measure and what a person actually needs. The flagship keynote, The Machine & The Person, tells one failure from three seats: the paramedic, the patient thirty-three doctors missed, and the AI that saw it in seconds. Also available: The Stories Running Our Lives (leadership and culture) and The Person Behind the Diagnosis (patient experience). 45 to 60 minutes, in English, German and Hebrew. Every talk is adapted to your room.

Does Roi speak about AI in healthcare?

Yes, as one more measuring system. An AI model confirmed in seconds the diagnosis thirty-three doctors missed. The information had never been missing. The keynote is about what no dataset holds: whether anyone is reading the person in front of them. That makes it a strong fit for digital health and AI conferences that want more than a demo.

What is the speaking fee?

It depends on format, audience and travel. A keynote and a half-day workshop are different pieces of work. The booking form asks for your budget range so the first reply can be a straight answer. Reduced rates for universities, patient organisations and nonprofits are real, not a formality. Fees exclude VAT and travel from Vienna.

Can Roi speak internationally?

Yes. Based in Vienna, Austria. Roi has spoken in 27 countries, including Germany, Switzerland, Israel, the USA, the UK, China and Estonia.

How do I book?

Use the booking form or email talks@roishternin.com with the event date, location, audience, format, desired outcome and budget range. Roi replies personally within 3 business days. Bureau bookings go through A-Speakers.

Want the keynote to keep working after the applause? Add a half-day workshop for the team that has to act on it.

Workshops →

Book Roi for Your Event

Keynotes, workshops, fireside conversations.

Reduced rates for universities, patient organisations and nonprofits.

Get in Touch

Or download the one-pager (PDF) to share with your team.