On Saturday, May 16, at 10:30 a.m. - Noon, APA will welcome Dr. Sanjay Gupta to the mainstage at the official Opening Session of the 2026 Annual Meeting. Dr. Gupta will deliver a keynote address on medicine and the media before a Q&A with APA President Theresa Miskimen Rivera, M.D.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta is the multiple Emmy® Award-winning chief medical correspondent for CNN and host of the CNN podcast Chasing Life. Gupta, a practicing neurosurgeon, plays an integral role in CNN’s reporting on health and medical news for all of CNN’s shows domestically and internationally, and regularly contributes to CNN Digital.

Since 2001, Gupta has covered some of the most important health stories in the United States and around the world. On March 9, 2020, Gupta penned an op-ed announcing the network would refer to the novel coronavirus outbreak as a “pandemic,” ahead of the WHO and the CDC. Throughout 2020 into 2021, Gupta reaffirmed his role as a trusted guide to viewers worldwide on navigating between facts and fiction surrounding Covid-19 and the pandemic.

In addition to his work for CNN, Gupta is an associate professor of neurosurgery at Emory University Hospital and associate chief of neurosurgery at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. He serves as a diplomate of the American Board of Neurosurgery. And in 2019, Gupta was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, considered one of the highest honors in the medical field.

Gupta contributed to the CBS newsmagazine “60 Minutes” and serves as an executive producer for the HBO Documentary Unit. He is the author of four New York Times best-selling books, “Chasing Life” (2007), “Cheating Death” (2009), “Monday Mornings” (2012), and “Keep Sharp: Building a Better Brain” (2020). He also published “World War C” in 2021. Dr. Gupta’s latest book is called “It Doesn’t Have to Hurt: Your Smart Guide to a Pain-Free Life.” It was published in September 2025 with Simon & Schuster.

Gupta received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and a Doctorate of Medicine degree from the University of Michigan Medical School.

What Else to Expect at Opening Session

APA President Theresa Miskimen Rivera, M.D., incoming APA President Mark Rapaport, M.D., and APA CEO and Medical Director Marketa M. Wills, M.D., M.B.A., are also scheduled to appear.