SYMPOSIUM PANELS

DAY 1 - SEPTEMBER 16, 2025: IN-PERSON

Insights in Action: A Conversation with Illinois Lawmakers

This session brings together elected officials and community voices to explore the interplay between policy and grassroots needs. The conversation will examine how state, county, and municipal leaders are shaping health and equity policy, and how community organizations and residents can most effectively engage legislators. Panelists will discuss national-level challenges with local impacts, strategies for ensuring access to resources, and best practices for communicating innovation and needs to lawmakers.

Insights in Action: Innovation in the Current Climate

Innovation has become a necessity across health and community systems. This panel will highlight how different sectors are responding to emerging challenges, including public health leadership, community engagement, and creative delivery of services. Speakers will explore what it means to innovate at both a policy and practice level—identifying tangible strategies that connect communities with resources, support networks, and improved care pathways.

Youth & Justice: Leader on Leader

This Leader on Leader conversation focuses on youth, justice, and opportunity. The discussion—structured in a conversational format and designed for podcast recording—will spotlight the experiences of young leaders and advocates working at the intersection of youth development and justice reform. Panelists will share lived experiences, highlight systemic challenges, and discuss solutions for empowering youth voices and ensuring equitable pathways forward.

Keynote: The Future of Dementia Biomarkers

Dr. Dage will share groundbreaking insights on biomarker research and its potential to transform early detection and care in dementia. The session will explore scientific advances, the implications for patient care, and what it means for communities facing health disparities in diagnosis and treatment.

Leader on Leader: Advancing Research Together

A focused dialogue between two leaders in research and clinical practice. Dr. Aggarwal and Dr. Dage will discuss opportunities to bridge science and community health, and how collaboration can speed the translation of research into care.

Fireside Chat: Leadership in Action

This intimate conversation pairs CHI’s Board Chair, Julius Pryor—a seasoned leader with extensive military, corporate, and healthcare experience—with CHI’s new Executive Director, Joshua Travis. Together, they will reflect on leadership journeys, the values that sustain health equity work, and how lived experiences can inspire organizational and community transformation.

DAY 2 - SEPTEMBER 17, 2025: IN-PERSON

Insight In Action: Connecting with Community

This session explores how community engagement is helping expand reach and build lasting impact. Panelists will share how equity-driven programming and partnerships are creating meaningful connections, highlight examples of community impact, and discuss opportunities for people to get involved and contribute.

Walgreens CT* ’ Panel: Who’s Still Supporting Community?**

The landscape for equity initiatives is shifting rapidly. This speaker will bring together key current priorities, the rationale behind their moves, and what community organizations should know about securing and sustaining resources.

Keynote: Building Trust in Clinical Trials

Rochelle Williams-Belizaire will discuss strategies for improving recruitment and participation in clinical trials within historically underrepresented communities. The keynote will focus on building trust, addressing misconceptions, and ensuring that research meaningfully benefits the populations most in need.

Insights in Action: Ending HIV

This panel will highlight the urgent need to address disparities in HIV prevention, testing, and treatment. Leaders from HIV service organizations will discuss the realities of funding, barriers to access, and the importance of sustained investment in high-need communities. Panelists will share innovative models of care, advocacy strategies, and ways to ensure equitable support for those living with or at risk of HIV.

Distinguished Speakers