The Future of Health Equity

Overview Panels Speakers Schedule Venue Contact us

CONFERENCE 2023

THE FUTURE OF
HEALTH EQUITY

WHEN

21 Apr 2023

WHERE

Austin, Texas

Conference Synthesis

The Future of Health Equity conference convened a vibrant mix of thought leaders and health practitioners to explore the challenges and opportunities we all face in our efforts to advance health equity.

Conference Goals, Purpose, and Outcomes

The widespread disparities in the prevalence of chronic diseases and barriers to health equity require out-of-the-box thinking or, more precisely, innovation. This one-day, solutions-oriented conference will create a space to think, innovate, and identify new approaches and collaborations to advance health equity. 

First, we will consider the real-world nuances and implications of the social determinants of health and identify some of the inventive ways practitioners are mitigating the social and environmental factors that drive health disparities. Second, we will explore the challenges facing state and local hospitals, workforce boards, and community colleges in building and training a healthcare workforce that’s experiencing huge post-COVID stress.

Read our conference synthesis

Finally, we will probe the emergence of “well-being hubs,” a reference to the nonconventional places like libraries and faith-based organizations that are expanding access to health services; these “hubs” enhance the role of non-clinicians and reimagine how healthcare is delivered.  The invitation-only event will bring together scholars, practitioners, and funders to spark cross-disciplinary conversations and brainstorm future planning to advance a new vision for health equity.

Keynotes

Uvalde and the Future of Health Equity

No American town has been in the recent spotlight as much as Uvalde, Texas. And yet the issues facing Uvalde run even deeper and wider than recovery from unthinkable tragedy. Uvalde, Texas, is, in many ways, a microcosm of the social, economic, health, and demographic transitions underway in Texas and the United States.

UT history professor, MacArthur Fellow, and USA Today Woman of the Year, Monica Martinez; UT Social Work professor and director of the Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, Noël Busch-Armendariz and Chief Operations Officer for Community Health Development, Inc. in Uvalde, Amber Arthur will discuss their current, on-the-ground work to mitigate social and health inequalities while also advancing community resilience in Uvalde.

Health Equity and the Future of Philanthropy

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the way foundations view the communities in which they invest. How do three leading foundations view the current health equity needs of their communities and regions? What are these foundations’ new funding priorities? And what kinds of research and community collaborations do they anticipate funding in the near term and beyond? This keynote discussion features representatives from three prominent Texas foundations: Jo Carcedo is Vice President for Grants at Episcopal Health in Houston ; Regan Moffitt is Vice President of Community Investments for St. David’s Foundation in Central Texas; and Kevin Lambing is Senior Program Officer for Health at the T.L.L. Temple Foundation in Lufkin.

For more information, contact Dr. Bruce Kellison (bkellison@ic2.utexas.edu).

Panels

1

Rethinking the Social Determinants of Health

There is widespread consensus that the social determinants of health (SDoH)—the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age—are key drivers of health disparities. In this panel we move beyond the consensus to probe the real world and nuanced implications of SDoH. How do SDoH and their impacts vary across diverse populations? How do various SDoH differentially impact health conditions, including mental, cardiovascular, metabolic, women’s, and respiratory health? Moreover, what practical solutions are health equity practitioners devising to both identify and mitigate the impacts of these drivers of health outcomes?

2

Shaping a New Healthcare Workforce

It’s no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic stressed state and local healthcare workforces. This panel will explore the challenges of re-building the healthcare talent pipeline. What are the specific issues facing the healthcare workforce that are presented by an aging population and other demographic changes? How are existing health inequities exacerbating recruitment and retention of healthcare workers? And what are the implications for health equity with a potential expansion of telehealth services across the state?

3

Well-being hubs and the future of healthcare

Trusted places and associated human mediators can play a pivotal role in advancing health equity by connecting diverse communities to essential services. This panel will explore a rapidly expanding notion of well-being hubs or nonconventional places to access health-related services. We will identify core requirements and key challenges, and brainstorm ways to incubate sustainable models for well-being hubs.

There is widespread consensus that the social determinants of health (SDoH)—the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age—are key drivers of health disparities. In this panel we move beyond the consensus to probe the real world and nuanced implications of SDoH. How do SDoH and their impacts vary across diverse populations? How do various SDoH differentially impact health conditions, including mental, cardiovascular, metabolic, women’s, and respiratory health? Moreover, what practical solutions are health equity practitioners devising to both identify and mitigate the impacts of these drivers of health outcomes?

It’s no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic stressed state and local healthcare workforces. This panel will explore the challenges of re-building the healthcare talent pipeline. What are the specific issues facing the healthcare workforce that are presented by an aging population and other demographic changes? How are existing health inequities exacerbating recruitment and retention of healthcare workers? And what are the implications for health equity with a potential expansion of telehealth services across the state?

Trusted places and associated human mediators can play a pivotal role in advancing health equity by connecting diverse communities to essential services. This panel will explore a rapidly expanding notion of well-being hubs or nonconventional places to access health-related services. We will identify core requirements and key challenges, and brainstorm ways to incubate sustainable models for well-being hubs.

Schedule

FRIDAY, 21 APR 2023 Venue: ATT Conference Centre

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Registration / Breakfasts Snacks

9:00 AM – 9:30 AM Welcome

9:30 AM – 10:15 AM Keynote Presentation: Uvalde and the Future of Health Equity

10:15 AM – 11:15 AM Panel 1: Rethinking the Social Determinants of Health

11:15 AM – 11:30 AM Networking Break

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM Panel 2: Shaping a New Healthcare Workforce

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM Lunch (provided)

1:30 PM – 2:15 PM Keynote Presentation: Health Equity and the Future of Philanthropy

2:15 PM – 3:15 PM Panel 3: Creating Well-being Hubs

3:15 PM – 4:15 PM Wrap up Exercise: Pulling It All Together

4:15 PM – 4:45 PM Reporting Back: Highlights from the Wrap up Exercise

4:45 PM – 7:00 PM Cocktail Reception and Networking

7:00 PM onwards Dinner on your own

CONFERENCE 2023