Agenda
Explore the full schedule of sessions at The RISE Healthy Communities Summit
Monday - March 23, 2026
8:00 AM
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Women’s Day Registration
9:00 AM
9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Women's Day
Click Here to View The Full Agenda and Session Details
Included with your all-inclusive ticket, our brand-new Women’s Day is designed for anyone passionate about addressing the challenges women face in today’s workplace and unlocking new paths for career growth. Learn directly from leadership coaches, health care executives, and motivational speakers who will share actionable strategies and inspiration. Whether you’re just starting out or are an established senior leader, these sessions offer the tools, insights, and community to help you thrive.
- Welcome and Opening Remarks
- Leading in the Aftermath: Post-Crisis Trauma-Informed Leadership
- Championing Access: One Woman’s Mission to Change Healthcare
- Leveraging YOU: Turning Personal Perspective into Professional Power
- Balancing Many Identities: A Fireside Chat with Laura Cooley, PhD and Namita Seth Mohta, MD
- Roundtable Discussions - Choose Your Own Adventure!
- The Power of the Ask: Gain Hands-On Negotiation Skills
- Closing Remarks
11:00 AM
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Preconference Registration
Enjoy a selection of light fare to help you fuel up ahead of the afternoon workshops.
12:00 PM
12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Workshop A: From Intent to Impact: Creating a Roadmap to Engage People with Lived Experience in Your Work
- Explore INSPIRE’s framework for engaging PWLE to build successful person-centered design, delivery, and evaluation approaches for health and social care programs
- Take a brief assessment to understand how your organization’s engagement programs and practices stack up against the framework, and identify 1-2 focus areas
- Work in small groups with other participants aligned with chosen focus areas for growing your engagement with PWLE
- With facilitator and peer-to-peer support, build a custom roadmap for growing your organization’s work with PWLE that feels both feasible and impactful
Speaker
Evelyne Kane
Associate Director, Community Engagement & Capacity Building at Camden Coalition
Speaker
Melinda Karp
President & CEO at The Center to Advance Consumer Partnership
Speaker
Pam Dardess
Vice President, Strategic Initiatives & Operations at Institute for Patient and Family Centered Care (IPFCC)
Speaker
Rebecca Esparza
Lived Experience Expert
Speaker
Stephanie Burdick
Lived Experience Expert
12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Workshop B: Partnerships That Work: Build Health Equity Programs with Real Community Impact
- Recognize why health equity programs fail (and how to avoid it)
- Explore different lenses for different organizations, including hospitals and health systems, health plans, and nonprofits and exchanges
- Find out how to optimize partnerships
- Discover how Access Health CT built and sustained the only Broker Academy in the nation, and the lessons learned in the process
- Learn to measure and communicate your impact
- Participate in a partnership mapping exercise
Speaker
Tammy Hendricks
MBA, Director of Health Equity & Outreach at Access Health CT
3:00 PM
3:00 PM – 3:10 PM
Transition Break
3:10 PM
3:10 PM – 3:20 PM
Welcome Remarks
Speaker
Ellen Fink-Samnick
Wholistic Health Equity Strategist, Content Developer, Educator at EFS Supervision Strategies
Speaker
Rick Whitted
MBA, CEO at U.S. Hunger
3:20 PM
3:20 PM – 4:10 PM
Keynote Address
Opening Keynote Address
Details coming soon.
4:10 PM
4:10 PM – 5:00 PM
Philanthropy Unlocked: What Foundations Want You to Know About Securing Their Support
- Understand foundation priorities, including what foundations prioritize when reviewing grant applications and alignment with mission, measurable impact, and sustainability
- Discuss practical tips and strategies for crafting compelling proposals
- Recognize how to navigate challenges and common pitfalls during the grant-seeking process—or how to avoid them altogether
5:00 PM
5:00 PM – 5:45 PM
Food Packing Event in Partnership with U.S. Hunger
Free to attend but additional registration required.
5:00 PM
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Hoops & Happy Hour - Welcome Cocktail Reception🏀
Step into the spirit of March Madness at our welcome cocktail reception in the Exhibit Hall! Enjoy cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and plenty of opportunities to connect with peers and vendors in a friendly, lively atmosphere. Rep your favorite team—whether it’s your alma mater or your bracket pick—and join us for an evening of camaraderie and conversation with colleagues, speakers, and sponsors.
Tuesday - March 24, 2026
8:00 AM
8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Exhibit Hall Open
8:00 AM
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Networking Breakfast
8:00 AM
8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Registration Desk Open
8:40 AM
8:40 AM – 9:00 AM
Quick Connection Sprint: Rapid Professional Engagement
Fast-track your conference connections and expand your professional circle through structured networking.
Speaker
Dr. Christie McMullen
CEO at AIM...Analyze, Improve, Move
9:00 AM
9:00 AM – 9:10 AM
Opening Remarks
Speaker
Ellen Fink-Samnick
Wholistic Health Equity Strategist, Content Developer, Educator at EFS Supervision Strategies
Speaker
Rick Whitted
MBA, CEO at U.S. Hunger
9:10 AM
9:10 AM – 10:00 AM
Keynote Address
Keynote: Harnessing Resilience as Your Superpower
What if you could build resilience as a renewable fuel, and it had nothing to do with bouncing back or getting on with it? Join Dr. Denniston for an eye-opening hour that will leave you armed with secret tools to stave off burnout and amplify energy even during the most stressful times.
You will learn how to:
- Guard your energy for ultimate influence
- Use curiosity and a growth mindset as secret weapons
- Cultivate courage and grit to make you bendier
- Mine for joy to build leverage in chaos
- Discover your resilience-building true north
Speaker
Dr. Heather Denniston
WELLFIT and FED
10:00 AM
10:00 AM – 10:40 AM
Panel: A Rose by Any Other Name: Changing Language, Continued Care
- Discuss effective paths forward using new common shared language that gets us to our goals and gets the vital work done without getting stuck in semantics
- Navigate the rebranding or recrafting of language to reach all potential stakeholders and audiences
- Consider the downstream effect of changing language around health equity and SDOH beyond the words we use
Speaker
Rick Whitted
MBA, CEO at U.S. Hunger
10:45 AM
10:45 AM – 11:00 AM
Networking Break
11:00 AM
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM
Financing the Future: How to Successfully Identify Opportunities and Fund Programs for Social Drivers of Change
- Identify funding mechanisms at the local, state and national levels that can fuel programs aimed at enhancing social drivers of change
- Develop the must-have elements of a strong funding proposal that unites parties on a shared mission, demonstrates a clear value prop, is supported by reliable data, and includes a sustainability plan for a stable future post-funding
- Recognize the power and impact of relationship-building with decision makers and influencers at the state and federal levels and formulate strategies for maintaining those relationships
- Implement lessons learned in this presentation when developing funding and networking strategies for programs that drive social change
Speaker
Kristin Haluch
Managing Director of Market Access at Innsena
11:45 AM
11:45 AM – 11:50 PM
Transition Break
11:50 AM
11:50 AM – 12:30 PM
Track A
Navigating the Federal Medicaid Work Requirement: Challenges, Implications, and Opportunities for Managed Care
- Identify and prepare for challenges from past and current work requirements
- Explore the implications of the current OBBBA Federal Work Requirements
- Deep dive into opportunities and best practices to prepare
Speaker
Kyle Lowe Noblitt
MS, Strategy and Business Development Content Director - SDOH Business Development at CareSource
Speaker
Terrie Hottle
Product Integration and Deployment Director at CareSource
11:50 AM – 12:30 PM
Track B
SDOH Data and Health Care: Opportunities, Risks, and Best Practices
- Develop or strengthen understanding of current applicable regulatory approaches, including how patient privacy law plays out with respect to social risk information
- Identify and discuss potentially high-risk scenarios involving unsafe or otherwise unwanted uses and disclosures of social risk information
- Review and discuss strategies to minimize harm from both “Big P” policy (i.e., governmental policy) and “small p” policy (i.e., institutional policy) perspectives
Speaker
Rachel Landauer
Clinical Instructor, Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation at Harvard Law School
12:30 PM
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Networking Lunch
1:30 PM
1:30 PM – 2:10 PM
Track A
Beyond Referrals: Building True Interoperability Between Health and Social Care
- Go beyond "closed-loop referral platforms" or "community information exchanges” that primarily focus on referral management
- Explore lessons learned from The Lewis and Clark Information Exchange (LACIE), a Missouri-based health information exchange (HIE) that is advancing this next stage of interoperability across clinical and community-based services as part of the state’s Health Data Utility buildout
- Discover how LACIE connected providers and CBOs serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities using FHIR’s eLTSS standard, creating a blueprint and a scalable model for whole-person data interoperability across clinical care, social care, and government systems
Speaker
Kemper Tell
CEO at Lewis & Clark Information Exchange (LACIE)
Speaker
Paul Sorenson
Co-Director, Community Innovation and Action Center at University of Missouri – St. Louis
1:30 PM – 2:10 PM
Track B
Lessons from the West Side: How CBOs, Clinics, & Retailers Can Collaborate to Close Gaps in Nutritional Equity
- Learn practical strategies for building closed-loop referral workflows
- Explore considerations for designing culturally relevant outreach multi-sector engagement to boost WIC awareness
- Gain replicable tools and lessons to advance nutrition equity
Speaker
Megan Hinchy
MPH, Manager, Food, Activity and Nutrition Initiatives at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Speaker
Tal Vanek
MS, RDN, LDN, CADC, CLC, Director of Nutrition at Chicago Department of Public Health
2:10 PM
2:10 PM – 2:55 PM
Track B
Tools & Tech Spotlight
Leading service providers will showcase their offerings in a quick-pitch setting. Evaluate the latest and greatest tech tools to bring back to your organization.
2:10 PM – 2:55 PM
Track A
Tools & Tech Spotlight
Leading service providers will showcase their offerings in a quick-pitch setting. Evaluate the latest and greatest tech tools to bring back to your organization.
2:25 PM
2:25 PM – 2:45 PM
Networking Break
2:45 PM
2:45 PM – 3:25 PM
Track B
Case Study: From Monologue to Dialogue: Amplifying Community Voices through SDOH
- Discover how to successfully connect data, people, and partnerships to drive equity at the systems level, and the importance of community-driven systems change
- Explore practical strategies to operationalize SDOH
- Consider lessons learned from piloting and scaling programs in the Philadelphia area
Speaker
Amanda Vaden
Employment Systems Specialist at Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services
Speaker
Kadisha Alberga
Social Drivers Specialist at Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services
Speaker
Laura Jordan
MSW, Associate Director, SDOH Equity Unit at Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services
Speaker
Taylor Samuels
Benefits Data Specialist at Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services
2:45 PM – 3:25 PM
Track A
Hubs in Action: Scalable Models to Address Food, Housing, and Social Needs Through Community–Clinical Partnerships
- Understand the design and implementation of a scalable Hub Model for delivering health care–funded services, including Section 1115 demonstrations, to support Health-Related Social Needs
- Identify strategies to operationalize clinical–community partnerships, including building workflows, processes, and infrastructure for screenings, referrals, service coordination, and reimbursement or reporting requirements
- Apply lessons learned from real-world implementation to enhance service delivery, reduce administrative burden, and improve outcomes for individuals with complex social and health needs
Speaker
Annie Pham
Director of Social Health at Community Care Cooperative
Speaker
Grace Akor
Social Health Program Manager at Community Care Cooperative
3:25 PM
3:25 PM – 3:30 PM
Transition Break
3:45 PM
3:45 PM – 4:00 PM
Wellness Snack
Speaker
Dr. Christie McMullen
CEO at AIM...Analyze, Improve, Move
4:00 PM
4:00 PM – 4:40 PM
Stories by the Fire: Sharing Seniors' Lived Experiences with Healthcare
Details coming soon.
4:40 PM
4:40 PM – 5:20 PM
Choose Your Own Adventure Roundtable Discussions
Participate in a facilitated roundtable discussion and deep dive with peers on timely topics in the industry.
- Speaking Each Other’s Language: What CBOs Need to Know When Seeking Health Plan Partnerships
- Doulas, Black Maternal Health, and Supporting Expecting Mothers
- Navigating Workforce Challenges: Retaining Talent and Fostering Leadership in Uncertain Times
- Creating a School-Friendly Health Systems Framework
- Finding Productive Joy
- Collective Impact: Transforming Differences into Dynamic Coalitions
- Creative Fundraising: Clever Solutions for Serious Impact
- Engaging Men in Preventive Health: Strategies for Effective Communication and Outreach
- Caring Through Crisis: Addressing the Needs of Hispanic Populations
- AI for All (But Beware of Biases): Using AI to Close Health Care Disparities
- Nourishing Health: Food as Medicine in Action
- Bridging the Connection Between Personal Well-Being and Professional Success
- Innovative Approaches to Combat Isolation and Loneliness in Healthcare
- Supporting Individuals with Substance Use Challenges
- Healthy Housing
Speaker
Amy Blackledge
MBA-HC, MSN, RN, CSSBB, Director of Clinical Quality at BC of Idaho
Speaker
Dr. Christie McMullen
CEO at AIM...Analyze, Improve, Move
Speaker
Dr. Heather Denniston
WELLFIT and FED
Speaker
Jessica Barraclough
MS, Section Director, Population Health Strategies at Kansas Department of Health and Environment
Speaker
Keith Cromwell
Senior Director, HIE Senior Program Director, Corporate Information Services at Penn Medicine
Speaker
Rafat Fields
Founder and CEO at Powered to RISE
5:20 PM
5:20 PM – 6:30 PM
Networking Cocktail Reception
Join us for drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and face-to-face networking with peers.
Wednesday - March 25, 2026
8:00 AM
8:00 AM – 1:30 PM
Exhibit Hall Open
8:00 AM
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Networking Breakfast
8:00 AM
8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Registration Desk Open
8:45 AM
8:45 AM – 9:00 AM
Wellness Snack
Speaker
Dr. Heather Denniston
WELLFIT and FED
9:00 AM
9:00 AM – 9:10 AM
Opening Remarks
Speaker
Ellen Fink-Samnick
Wholistic Health Equity Strategist, Content Developer, Educator at EFS Supervision Strategies
Speaker
Rick Whitted
MBA, CEO at U.S. Hunger
9:10 AM
9:10 AM – 9:50 AM
Keynote Address
Stories as Data: Using Lived Experience to Catalyze Innovation
- Discover ways to integrate patient and caregiver narratives (stories) into actionable data to guide healthcare innovation efforts
- Employ the 4-gear engine framework, "Human-Centered Innovation Engine," which explains how to apply lived-experience insights
- Hear how to apply lived experience, grounded in vignettes from my experience as a caregiver during my son’s brain cancer treatment, stroke recovery, and medical complexity, into the framework to guide the design of care delivery, technology, and equity efforts
Speaker
Erica Olenski
Patient Advocate
9:50 AM
9:50 AM – 9:55 AM
Transition break
9:55 AM
9:55 AM – 10:35 AM
Track B
Beyond the Waiver: Charting a New Path for Medicaid and Health Equity
Speaker
Brandon Wilson
COO at ABCCM
Speaker
Laurie Stradley
DrPH, CEO at Impact Health
9:55 AM – 10:35 AM
Track A
Bridging Innovation and Sustainability: The Medically Tailored Meal Sustainability Blueprint
- Outline a pathway to sustainable success and quality standardization for Food is Medicine (FIM) interventions by defining the necessary elements for the medically tailored meal intervention to transition from grant, pilot, and waiver funded services to sustainable healthcare funding and coverage pathways
- Understand the legal framework that states and federal agencies use to define quality for all Medicaid covered benefits and identify key aspects of how FIM interventions fit into this framework
- Discover why the FIM framework is central to scaling sustainable access to these lifesaving interventions across the country
- Participate in the guided multistep process for creating the Blueprint and applying pillar recommendations
Speaker
Alissa Wassung
Executive Director at Food is Medicine Coalition
Speaker
Erika Hanson
Clinical Instructor, Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation at Harvard Law School
10:35 AM
10:35 AM – 10:55 AM
Networking Break
10:55 AM
10:55 AM – 11:35 AM
Track B
Bridging the Gap: Integrating Medicaid, WIC, and SNAP for Pediatric Health Equity
- Explore innovative strategies to connect Medicaid, WIC, and SNAP benefits for pediatric patients through the lens of community-based organizations (CBOs)
- Learn how CBOs serve as critical partners in SDOH screening and facilitating closed-loop referrals that improve both health outcomes and access to essential services
- Examine how cross-sector collaboration can reduce barriers, streamline benefits enrollment, and create a more equitable healthcare experience for families
- Discover actionable insights and scalable solutions for building stronger, more connected systems of care
Speaker
Stephanie McGuire
Chief Learning & Development Officer at SC Thrive
10:55 AM – 11:35 AM
Track A
Language as Data: Reimagining Equity and Trust in Healthcare Systems
- Gain practical tools and future-facing strategies for improving health data integrity and preparing for the next generation of AI-enabled systems
- Understand how language becomes codified in data systems and affects care decisions
- Identify practical steps to evaluate and correct bias in documentation and communications
- Learn how structured language improves compliance, reporting, and operational accuracy
- Explore how responsible AI models can enhance data quality and eliminate subjective inconsistencies
Speaker
Gian Franco Wilson
Co-Founder and Chairman at The Stereotype Project Foundation
Speaker
Liz Jung Kim
Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at The Stereotype Project Foundation
11:35 AM
11:35 AM – 11:40 AM
Transition Break
11:40 AM
11:40 AM – 12:30 PM
Keynote Address
Special Session: A Holistic Approach to Strengthening the Health of Low-Income Communities
Details coming soon.
12:30 PM
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Networking Lunch
1:30 PM
1:30 PM – 2:10 PM
Community Health Needs Assessment: Identifying Strategies for a Successful Implementation in Urban and Rural Communities
- Discuss the public-private partnerships, the 10-county region, and the vendor leading the community health needs assessment
- Describe why the community health needs assessment was led by WICHC and the role of the partners at the table
- Leverage lessons learned for new communities to effectively lead community health needs assessments
Speaker
Berenice Medina
Community Health Strategist at Western Idaho Community Health Collaborative (WICHC)
2:10 PM
2:10 PM – 2:25 PM
Wellness Snack
Speaker
Dr. Heather Denniston
WELLFIT and FED
2:25 PM
2:25 PM – 2:30 PM
Closing Remarks
Speaker
Ellen Fink-Samnick
Wholistic Health Equity Strategist, Content Developer, Educator at EFS Supervision Strategies
Speaker
Rick Whitted
MBA, CEO at U.S. Hunger
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