Back in 2024 I helped to launch a new events and media series focused on the science of longevity. We called it DOC. Over the past two years, DOC has thrived, and a fascinating community of leaders in medicine, finance, policy, and entrepreneurship has flourished. This year we’re hosting our third annual DOC October 21–23 at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, with a focus on the intersection of medicine and AI.
At the time we launched DOC, many of you asked me why I was involved – I’ll admit it seemed like a bit of a curveball. But beginning with the Internet Summit back in 1998 and continuing through The Standard’s rooftops, Web 2, Foursquare, Signal, and NewCo Shift, I’ve always loved curating an influential group of people in the context of a larger, high-impact narrative. It’s journalism in a live setting, and if you get it right, it can catalyze a nascent industry and drive it forward.
Longevity science is exactly that kind of nascent industry today. Not only is it driven by many of the same forces as the tech and internet sectors – particularly data-driven innovation like AI – it’s also enduring almost exactly the same hype and investment cycles. The category is already valued at nearly $7 trillion dollars, and is set to grow by $3 trillion in the next few years. As it does, the market has been inundated with what DOC’s co-founder Dr. Jordan Shlain calls “bad science with good marketing” – wellness influencers and opportunists making grandiose claims based on questionable scientific evidence.
We launched DOC to cut through that noise and identify what’s real, impactful, and scalable right now. We identify and feature a Faculty of researchers, entrepreneurs, and policy leaders who believe in the power and practice of quality science, and we fill the room with the kind of folks who can make a direct impact on the field. And as is the case with any great gathering, the true breakthroughs aren’t delivered from the keynote stage. They happen in the spontaneous side conversations between the individuals driving real change.
We’ve reached a critical inflection point where longevity science and clinical AI are transitioning into practice much faster than our society can absorb their impacts. Real advancement doesn’t occur in isolation within a single lab or fund; it sparks from unexpected intersections. DOC is explicitly designed to foster these collisions. The 2026 faculty brings together pioneers across fields: leaders like George Yancopoulos (Regeneron), Alicia Jackson (ARPA-H), and Laura Esserman (UCSF) representing the science; Max Hodak (Science Corporation) and Travis Zack (OpenEvidence) at the leading edge of BCI, AI, and entrepreneurship; and key investors like Divesh Makan (ICONIQ Capital). For three immersive days, they share a single room for genuine dialogue rather than scripted speeches or conventional panels.
Notice the mix. Scientists who publish. Clinicians who treat. Builders who ship. Investors who bet. Put them in one room for three immersive days and a claim about artificial intelligence in the clinic gets examined by someone who codes, someone who diagnoses, and someone who pays. That triangulation is how a field grows up.
If you have already received an invitation to DOC 2026, consider this the sign to secure your place. If you belong in this room but haven’t been invited, you can submit a request at doc.health. Capacity is strictly limited, and we are close to sold out. I hope to see you there!
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