Michael Smedley
Audio Engineer
Walt Disney Imagineering
Michael Smedley is an audio engineer at Walt Disney Imagineering, where he applies extraordinary precision, adaptive systems mastery, and zero-error pattern recognition to world-class entertainment experiences. He holds a summa cum laude degree from Penn State University and an MBA from Purdue University. A consultant to biotechs, life sciences organizations, and entertainment industry companies, Michael brings a rare cross-sector perspective that bridges scientific innovation and creative enterprise. As a speaker and adviser, he translates the lived experience of navigating the world with CRB1 LCA, a rare inherited retinal disease, into actionable insights for organizations seeking to understand the patient voice. He sits at the center of a recently released multi-institutional research study through the Curing Retinal Blindness Foundation, contributing to work that is reshaping how the vision research field captures patient-reported outcomes and establishing a new model for rare disease research.