Each year, the Weitzman Institute Virtual Symposium provides participants with a unique opportunity to hear from some of the nation’s top thought leaders, clinicians, researchers, and entrepreneurs who are leading efforts in the Institute’s key priority areas: Social Determinants of Health, Health Systems Transformation, and Workforce Development.

The theme of our 2024 Symposium, held May 15, was Representation Matters.

The year 2024 is significant in electoral politics, as 70+ countries across the globe, including the United States, hold important elections. At the Weitzman Institute, we recognize that representation is central to our work in advancing health equity and justice—not just during election years, but rather, on a daily basis. Our 2024 Symposium focused on why and how Representation Matters, particularly in the context of health policy, research, clinical training and practice, as well as healthcare innovation and technology.
The Symposium offered a forum for exploring primary care’s challenge of dismantling persistent inequities and recreating and advocating for a more just healthcare system that better meets the needs of its diverse workforce, patients, and communities.

Please register here to watch the 2024 Symposium recordings.

Featured Speakers

SAbdelmomin

Sahee Abdelmomin

Senior Associate, Virtual Health, Tulsa Innovation Labs

BBhansali

Binoy Bhansali

CEO and Co-Founder, Diverge Health

DButler

Deann Butler, DHA, MHA, MBA

CEO, Connected Consultants

IDankwa-Mullan

Irene Dankwa-Mullan, MD, MPH

Chief Health Officer, Marti Health

SDiaz

Sonja Diaz, Esq.

Co-Founder, Latina Futures, 2050 Lab

CKing

Christopher King, PhD, MHSC, FACHE

Dean, School of Health, Georgetown University

AHetoevehotohke'eLucchesi

Annita Hetoevehotohke'e Lucchesi, PhD, MA

Founder and Director of Research & Outreach, Sovereign Bodies Institute

AMason

Abner Mason

Founder & CEO, SameSky Health

HMuhammed

Hafeezah Muhammad

CEO, Backpack Healthcare

Rashmi Rao

Rashmi Rao

Managing Director, rcubed | ventures

DrCarlosSmith

Carlos Smith, DDS, MDiv

Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence, Ethics, and Community Engagement, Virginia Commonwealth University

Donald Warne, MD, MPH

Professor of Public Health, Provost Fellow of Indigenous Health Policy, and Co-Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health

2024 Symposium Agenda

11AM - 12:25PM ET / 8AM - 9:25AM PT | Opening Remarks and Morning Keynote

Representation Matters: The Centrality of Indigenous Communities, Knowledges, and Cultures to Advancing Health Justice

Opening Remarks

Mark Masselli
Founder, President/CEO, Community Health Center, Inc.
Founder, President/CEO, Moses/Weitzman Health System

Margaret Flinter, APRN, PhD, FAAN
Founder Emeritus, Weitzman Institute
SVP/Clinical Director, Community Health Center, Inc.


Welcome and Moderator

April Joy Damian, PhD, MSc, CHPM, PMP
VP and Director, Weitzman Institute


Keynote Speaker

Donald Warne, MD, MPH
Professor of Public Health, Provost Fellow of Indigenous Health Policy, and Co-Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health


Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  1. Define why representation matters in the context of indigenous health
  2. Provide a historical overview of indigenous representation in health policy, research/data sovereignty, and the primary care workforce
  3. Highlight examples and recommendations for enhancing indigenous representation as a means for advancing health justice
12:40PM - 1:55PM ET / 9:40AM - 10:55AM PT | Morning Panel

Representation Matters: Rebuilding the Trustworthiness of Our Institutions

Panel Presentation

Christopher King, PhD, MHSC, FACHE
Dean, School of Health, Georgetown University

Carlos Smith, DDS, MDiv
Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence, Ethics, and Community Engagement, Virginia Commonwealth University

Annita Hetoevehotohke’e Lucchesi, PhD, MA
Founder and Director of Research & Outreach, Sovereign Bodies Institute

Sonja Diaz, Esq.
Co-Founder, Latina Futures, 2050 Lab

 

Moderator/Discussant

Deann Butler, DHA, MHA, MBA
CEO, Connected Consultants


Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  1. Define how representation can help inform health policy, advocacy and rebuild trustworthiness of healthcare and government institutions
  2. Discuss the implications of representation in creating inclusive and diverse spaces in policy and advocacy work
  3. Highlight examples and recommendations of how diverse and inclusive groups can help rebuild trustworthiness of healthcare and government institutions
2:10PM - 3:15PM ET / 11:10AM - 12:15PM PT | Afternoon Keynote

Representation Matters: Centering Lived Experiences in Healthcare Delivery and Innovation

Speaker

Hafeezah Muhammad
CEO, Backpack Healthcare

 

Moderator/Discussant

April Joy Damian, PhD, MSc, CHPM, PMP
VP and Director, Weitzman Institute


Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  1. Describe how centering patients’ and families’ voices and lived experiences can address critical societal issues including Black maternal health and the youth mental health crisis
  2. Discuss the implications of representation in healthcare leadership and entrepreneurship on improving healthcare access and outcomes for marginalized populations
  3. Offer recommendations for recreating primary care systems and spaces to be more representative and inclusive of the populations they serve
3:30PM - 4:45PM ET / 12:30PM - 1:45 PM PT | Afternoon Panel

Representation Matters: The Role of Inclusive Health Tech in Health Care Innovation

Panel Presentation

Irene Dankwa-Mullan, MD, MPH
Chief Health Officer, Marti Health

Binoy Bhansali
CEO and Co-Founder, Diverge Health

Abner Mason
Founder & CEO, SameSky Health

Sahee Abdelmomin
Senior Associate, Virtual Health, Tulsa Innovation Labs

 

Moderator/Discussant

 Rashmi Rao
 Managing Director,  rcubed | ventures


Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  1. Discuss recent developments in digital technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), and implications on safety-net primary care practice
  2. Explore how the SCOTUS reversal of race-based affirmative action has impacted inclusive representation in the health tech industry
  3. Propose policy, research, and practice recommendations for improving inclusion of safety-net primary populations, healthcare teams, and systems in ongoing advancements in healthcare tech
4:45PM - 5:00PM ET / 1:45PM - 2:00PM PT

Representation Matters: Closing Remarks and Next Steps

Closing Remarks and Next Steps

April Joy Damian, PhD, MSc, CHPM, PMP
VP and Director, Weitzman Institute

Continuing Education Credits

CME, CNE, CPE, and CEU credits will be provided for physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, nurses, psychologists, dentists, social workers, and dietitians by Moses/Weitzman Health System, Inc., an accredited provider through Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education.

Sponsorship Opportunities

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the 2025 Weitzman Virtual Symposium, please contact Jessica Welt-Betensky, Vice President of Development. 

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