2025 Health Equity Conference

About the Conference

Each year, MHDI hosts a conference to create space for students, researchers, community health professionals, policymakers, and organizations to come together and share strategies and resources for advancing health equity in Nebraska and beyond. The 2025 Health Equity Conference will be held on Friday, February 28, 2025, at the Nebraska Innovation Campus Conference Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. Attendees can look forward to a variety of health equity speakers, workshops, networking opportunities, and research sharing. The event is FREE and open to the public.

*Registration for attendees and sponsors will open on Thursday, August 1, 2024.

Agenda

8:30am – 9:00am CT   Check In

9:00am – 9:15am CT   Indigenous Land Acknowledgement & Welcome

9:15am – 10:15am CT   Breakout Sessions

• Fostering Advocacy in the Disabled Community

  
  

  Carlos Servan, MPA, JD
  Executive Director of the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired

• Breaking Barriers: Achieving Equity in Reproductive Health

  
  

  Sofia Jawed-Wessel, PhD
  Associate Professor of Health and Kinesiology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha

• Advocating for Quality Healthcare in Rural Communities

  
  

  Jed Hansen, PhD, APRN, FNP-C
  Executive Director of the Nebraska Rural Health Association

10:15am – 10:30am CT   Break & Mindfulness Meditation
During the break, Madeline Wiseman, meditation and yoga instructor at UNL Campus Recreation, will lead mindfulness meditation for those who are interested.

10:30am – 11:30am CT   Poster Session
This session will showcase a multitude of projects in health equity research through brief presentations that will allow for more personal conversation and discussion. The call for abstracts will open on Monday, August 12, 2024.

11:30am – 12:30pm CT   Lunch

12:30pm – 1:15pm CT   Connect & Collaborate: Building Bridges for Health Equity Solutions
In this networking session, participants will be divided into groups and provided with a list of health equity themes to spark discussion. The session will allow attendees to foster new connections by working together to strategize ways to improve health outcomes for underserved communities in Nebraska.

1:15pm – 1:30pm CT   Break

1:30pm – 2:30pm CT   Keynote Speaker

Rita Lee, MD | "LGBTQ+ Health Inequities"
Dr. Rita Lee, a distinguished Professor and Associate Division Head of Education for General Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, will deliver a keynote address shedding light on the pervasive health inequities LGBTQ+ patients face. As the Director of the Health Equity in Action Lab for the Anschutz Medical Campus Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement, Dr. Lee brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this critical discussion.