2024 Schedule

Lessening the anguish of firearms injury demands that we reach across ideological divides. No one—not gun owners or health systems, not parents or politicians of any party—considers it acceptable that more than 48,000 Americans died by firearms in 2021 and twice that many were injured. The science of public health tells us how to implement evidence-based strategies that will keep all of us—childre...

World-renowned cellist Joshua Roman blends performance and storytelling to share his experience with long COVID and the life-altering limitations that nearly ended his career. After a crisis of struggle and self-doubt, Roman emerged with a profound acceptance of who he is, and a deeper understanding of what it takes to deal with a mysterious medical challenge. An intimate musical journey, his Immu...

Structural racism, reflected in uneven access to care, inequitable community conditions, and the wealth gap, drives persisting racial disparities in health. Unconscionable differences in life expectancy and the incidence of numerous diseases are the result. The systems and structures at the root of these inequities were created intentionally and need to be dismantled just as intentionally. That me...

The healthcare investments venture capitalists make often signal where the entire medical enterprise is headed. Their resources are not unlimited, so decisions about where they place their bets are painstakingly considered. Often, they fund cutting-edge technology, such as gene editing and AI, that will transform the practice of medicine. Sometimes, they favor entrepreneurs who are thinking in new...

Health systems are joining hands, swallowing up competitors, acquiring new practices, and growing bigger. Like it or fear it, a tidal wave of consolidation is rocking healthcare, with uncertain impact on access, quality, and pricing. Perhaps mergers and acquisitions will allow providers to operate more efficiently so they can maintain clinical services in rural and other underserved locations. Or...

The power of the judiciary to influence health made recent headlines when the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade and Alabama’s top court ruled that embryos created through in vitro fertilization should be considered children. Upcoming state and federal cases related to health could further alter the landscape for abortion, and reshape the nation’s approach to gun rights, transgender care, envi...

AI is transforming health, with implications for early disease detection, diagnostic accuracy, medical decision making, precision surgery, and personalized treatments. By speeding data collection and analysis, it can accelerate research, refine drug development, identify disease outbreaks, and enhance remote patient monitoring. But efficiency is not a substitute for empathy, and AI cannot replicat...

The communities we call home and the ways we live greatly influence health and longevity. By studying “Blue Zones” around the globe, Dan Buettner has uncovered the macro-level secrets that lead long and vigorous lives. At the individual level, Dean Ornish presents new evidence that lifestyle choices can alter the course of Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, cancer, and chronic illnesses. With the...

From in vitro fertilization (IVF), which combines human eggs and sperm outside the body, to in vitro gametogenesis (IVG), which uses stem cells to create gametes, pregnancy is becoming possible in remarkable new ways. As innovative fertility treatments evolve, so do the surrounding ethical and legal questions. Some businesses now pay for IVF treatments, positioning coverage as a key recruitment to...

The economic impact of wide-scale disease outbreaks, like COVID-19, emphasize the mutual interests of public health and business to create healthy and vibrant communities. The right responses to current and future health threats require effective partnerships. Deep investments in public health and a symbiotic relationship with the private sector make possible both a healthier population and a more...

The first drug in a class known as GLP-1 agonists was approved in 2005 to treat diabetes. GLP-1 drugs subsequently proved their mettle to treat obesity and prevent major cardiovascular events and will likely soon be available to treat sleep apnea as well. Looking ahead, their action on the brain is prompting research to gauge their value in curbing drug, alcohol, and nicotine cravings. But these s...

From the measles vaccine to the origins of COVID, the speed at which disinformation spreads and the harms it can do have become painfully familiar. Communicators are fighting back, leveraging the same digital tools as myth purveyors—podcasts, TikTok, X, and other social media channels—to share scientific information in new ways, engage diverse audiences, combat falsehoods, and promote trustworthy...

This storytelling event will feature deeply personal stories highlighting the lived experiences of health workers. Hear how they are working every day to solve challenges and deploy solutions in their own communities, closing the gap between communities and care and helping to achieve global health equity. A reception will follow the session from 5:10-5:45pm. (Presented by Johnson & Johnson)

Scientific investigation is laser focused on psychedelics to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), ease end-of-life anxiety, and address mental health challenges, including addiction. The FDA has issued draft guidelines to drug sponsors studying psychedelic-assisted therapy as it considers an application for MDMA-assisted therapy for use in PTSD care. As regulators ponder, policymakers are...

Few people are more deeply steeped in science than Francis Collins, former director of the National Institutes of Health and the groundbreaking Human Genome Project, and former acting science advisor to President Biden. The physician and geneticist is also an evangelical Christian and he sees no contradiction there. Indeed, Collins argues that harmonizing science and faith is the challenge of our...