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 Symposium offers 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.
The mental health crisis in the United States is not relenting. As the COVID-19 pandemic hastened the issue, the complexity of the problems – and solutions – has been writ large, demanding innovative, cross-sector approaches to mental health research, clinical practice, and policy. Further, the crisis disproportionately harms marginalized populations, including youth and medically underserved and minoritized populations. At the Weitzman Institute, we recognize that Mental Health Matters, this year’s theme for the Weitzman Symposium.
Please join us for this free, virtual event, where our experts will discuss emerging evidence and intersectional approaches to best support the mental well-being of the healthcare workforce and the vulnerable populations it serves.
The 2024 Symposium recordings are available with CE/CMEs at no cost.
Featured Speakers
Aday Adetosoye, Ph.D.
Founder, 1099 Impact Street, LLC
G. Rumay Alexander, EdD, RN, FAAN
Senior Advisor, American Nurses Association
Nikole Benders-Hadi, MD
Chief Medical Officer, Talkspace
Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble, Ph.D. MHSc.
Founder, The AAKOMA Project
Erik Cardenas
Co-founder, Zócalo Health
Alison Cerezo, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President of Research, mpathic
Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD, MS
Founder, Beyond Clinical Walls
Joseph P. Gone, Ph.D., MA
Professor, Harvard University
Mia Keeys, DrPH, MA
Director of Global Health and Innovation, Hologic, Inc.
Kirsten Kathryn Meisinger, MD, MHCDS
Director of System Transformation and Leadership, Harvard Center for Primary Care
Chris T. Pernell, MD, MPH, FACPM
Founder and CEO, The Esther Group LLC
Janet Stickmon
Professor of Ethnic Studies and Humanities, Napa Valley College
2025 Symposium Agenda
Rethinking American Indian Community Mental Health: Lessons, Challenges, & Opportunities
Speaker: Joseph P. Gone, Ph.D., MA
Moderator: April Joy Damian, PhD, MSc, CHPM, PMP
Objectives:
- Summarize American Indian dissatisfaction with conventional mental health treatments and services
- Explain American Indian commitments to traditional cultural practices and activities
- Discuss characteristics of an alternative Indigenous framework for mental health concerns
Prioritizing the Mental Well-Being of Marginalized Populations and the Healthcare Workforce that Serves Them
Panelists: Aday Adetosoye, Ph.D., Chris T. Pernell, MD, MPH, FACPM; Janet Stickmon, MA; Rumay Alexander, EdD, RN, FAAN; Gary Taylor, LCSW
Moderator/Discussant: Kirsten Kathryn Meisinger, MD, MHCDS
Objectives:
- Examine the state of primary care mental health integration, with particular attention to health systems and settings serving vulnerable populations
- Discuss the mental health needs of the healthcare workforce, including moral injury and secondary trauma
- Highlight examples and recommendations for how policies and institutions can better support the mental well-being of the healthcare workforce and vulnerable populations.
Patient- and Community-Responsive Approaches to Normalizing Conversations on Mental Health
Speaker: Alfiee M. Breland-Noble, MHSc, PhD, MA
Moderator: April Joy Damian, PhD, MSc, CHPM, PMP
Objectives:
- Identify ways to promote the mental well-being of youth from marginalized communities, support caregivers, and normalize conversations about mental health and professional support-seeking
- Apply innovative and community-responsive approaches to mental health promotion, including leveraging social media and actively engaging faith leaders and institutions
- Implement self-care and burnout prevention strategies and support the well-being of the healthcare workforce
Advances in Health Tech and Innovation to Promote Mental Well-Being
Panelists: Alison Cerezo, PhD; Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD, MS; Nikole Benders-Hadi, MD; Erik Cardenas
Moderator: Mia Keeys, MA
Objectives:
- Discuss recent developments in digital technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), to promote mental well-being and increase mental healthcare access for vulnerable populations
- Explore current gaps and concerns around the use of technology in addressing mental health needs
- Propose policy, research, and practice recommendations for improving inclusion of safety-net primary populations, healthcare teams, and systems in ongoing advancements in mental healthcare-related tech
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, Vice President of Development.
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