Join us on Wednesday, May 14 at Boston Globe Media’s 2025 Health Equity Summit, where we will convene health and life sciences ecosystem leaders, medical experts, journalists, and community advocates in person to engage in critical conversations focused on reducing health disparities and fostering more inclusive care.
The summit’s programming will consist of dynamic discussions and expert-led panels that dive into the work being done across the region's healthcare systems to ensure a more equitable future for all. Attendees will engage with journalists shaping the narrative and the experts driving change in their respective industries.
View resources from the Health Equity Summit sponsors and non-profit partners below.
Join us virtually, for free! The link to join the livestream will be emailed to you the morning of the summit. Our sessions will also be posted to our Globe Events YouTube after the summit's conclusion.
Please contact Julia.Karam@globe.com
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Join two of the nation’s most influential voices in public health for a powerful and timely conversation about the future of health equity. Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Commissioner of Public Health and Executive Director of the Boston Public Health Commission, is leading transformative change by tackling entrenched health disparities with a bold, data-driven, and community-centered vision. She’s joined by Dr. Aletha Maybank, former Chief Health Equity Officer of the American Medical Association, who spearheaded efforts to confront the AMA’s historical role in racial injustice and laid the foundation for a more equitable healthcare system.
In a discussion moderated by Boston Globe columnist Jeneé Osterheldt, Dr. Ojikutu and Dr. Maybank will dig into the complex challenges shaping the field today, from the erosion of federal support to the urgent need for structural reform, and reflect on the personal convictions that fuel their leadership.
As questions around medical science, institutional trust, and personal autonomy continue to surface, healthcare leaders are finding ways to engage thoughtfully and transparently. This panel explores how to foster healthcare literacy, respond to misinformation, and create space for dialogue. Reporter Chris Serres is joined by Traci Hong, health communication researcher and professor at Boston University’s College of Communication, Stefanie Freedhof, veteran journalist and public health expert, currently serving as the Director of Strategy and Innovation at the Brown University School of Public Health, and Margarita Alegría, Chief of the Disparities Research Unit at the Massachusetts General Hospital.
An extension of the Globe’s recent in-depth reporting on pharmacy deserts, this panel examines neighborhoods where access to pharmacies is limited, impacting residents' ability to obtain essential medications and healthcare services. The coverage delves into systemic factors contributing to these disparities, emphasizing the challenges in accessing consistent pharmaceutical care. Reporter Tiana Woodard is joined by Executive Director of the Boston Public Health Commission, and State Representative Christopher Worrell, and President of the Massachusetts Independent Pharmacists Association and owner of Crawford Drug in Dorchester Michael Wilson.
As federal priorities shift and funding structures evolve, the future of grants that support health equity is uncertain. This panel will explore how institutions and community organizations can adapt to these changes, advocate for change, and support community health. Associate Editor and Columnist Marcela Garcia is joined by Joanne Suarez, founder and executive director of the Prospera Institute, Dr. Megan B. Cole, associate professor at Boston University School of Public Health and co-director of the BU Medicaid Policy Lab, and Michael Curry, President and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers.
Recent federal executive orders reshaping diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives could have significant impacts on healthcare. This panel explores how these changes influence health equity, from workforce representation to the delivery of culturally responsive care. Globe Reporter Katie Johnston is joined by Sean Cahill, director of health policy research at the Fenway Institute, and Mimi Gardner, chief equity officer at NeighborHealth.
From a primary care crisis, attacks on research and funding involving reproductive care, threats to organizations that have DEI policies, and an ever-evolving legal landscape around abortion services, the landscape for reproductive medicine is anything but certain. Join us for a fireside chat with one of the leaders on the front lines of delivering this care, discussing how the organization is sustaining and providing critical services in the face of upheaval.
Led by some of today’s leading voices in public health, policy, research, and practice, this session will explore how evolving outcome-focused policies and initiatives addressing the social drivers of health are advancing to meet the needs of underserved patients and communities—ensuring that both are designed to help people achieve optimal health.
Dr. Kevin Churchwell, CEO of Boston Children’s Hospital, makes the case for equity in health care at a time when efforts to advance equity and inclusion are increasingly being challenged. He shares how he continues to champion health equity for children and families—because to him, it’s not optional, it’s essential.
Traci Hong is a Professor at the College of Communication, a Research Fellow at Hariri Institute for Computing, and a Core Director at the Boston University Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases. Her research is on health communication, where she advances theory by leveraging new communication technologies to promote behavioral change and improve health outcomes. With funding from NSF, NIH and others, her research employs AI, machine learning, and social media analytics to deepen our understanding of the complex relationship between media and health behaviors.
Christopher Worrell serves as the State Representative for Massachusetts’ 5th Suffolk District, where he leads with a deep commitment to equity, justice, and inclusive progress across the Commonwealth. Born in Dorchester to Jamaican and Barbadian immigrants, Worrell grew up with a strong sense of family and community advocacy. With extensive experience in state and city government, his mission is to bring resources to his community and engage them in the governing process.
As a legislator, husband, and father, Worrell has emerged as a leading advocate for health equity. He played a key role in passing the groundbreaking 2024 Maternal Health Bill, which modernized care for birthing people in Massachusetts, and has championed efforts to confront chronic diseases that disproportionately affect Black communities, including sickle cell disease, diabetes, heart disease, and prostate cancer.
In the current legislative session, Worrell is tackling the structural barriers that limit access to care in communities like his own. He is advancing legislation to expand eligibility for the Health Safety Net Trust Fund to reduce medical debt, and leading efforts to identify and eliminate pharmacy deserts. These efforts are rooted in his belief that no neighborhood should be left behind when it comes to basic health resources.
In recognition of his leadership and impact across the city, Worrell was named one of the Boston Globe’s “2024 Bostonians of the Year.”
Christopher and his wife, Suzette, are raising their three children, Carter, Savannah, and Simone, in Dorchester’s Grove Hall neighborhood. His love for family and community remains the driving force behind his public service.
Dr. Cole is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management at Boston University School of Public Health and co-director of the BU Medicaid Policy Lab. She is a health policy expert whose research focuses on Medicaid policy, health care delivery reforms, and health insurance, and how these things affect quality of care, access to care, and equity of care. Dr. Cole completed her PhD in Health Services Research at Brown University and received an MPH in Health Policy from Yale University. Her work has been covered by outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR, Vox, US News & World Report, The Hill, and Forbes.
Sean Cahill, PhD is Director of Health Policy Research at the Fenway Institute, Affiliate Associate Clinical Professor of Health Sciences at Northeastern University, and Adjunct Associate Professor of the Practice in Health Law, Policy and Management at Boston University School of Public Health. He is a Faculty Member of the Harvard Medical School-Fenway Health LGBTQIA+ Health Fellowship Program, serves on the Massachusetts Legislative Commission on LGBTQ Aging, and is Associate Editor at LGBT Health. Dr. Cahill has authored nearly 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, books, chapters, and monographs on HIV, LGBTQI+ health, and LGBTQI+ policy issues.
Mimi Gardner is responsible for engaging and partnering with agencies and leaders in our communities and throughout the Massachusetts Commonwealth (and beyond) to develop and drive a health-informed community equity agenda. In her role, Mimi leverages NeighborHealth’s role as a leading health care provider to facilitate collaboration amongst multiple health and human service agencies and NeighborHealth to ensure that the health center remains engaged with community leaders and agencies and integrates community feedback into its strategic response to systemic and prevailing health equity gaps in our communities.
Representative Marjorie Decker is serving her seventh term. Throughout her tenure, Representative Decker has passed legislation addressing step therapy, expanding access to telehealth, increasing supports for youth and adolescent mental health services, and reducing gun violence. She also filed legislation that was the basis for the Legislature's response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade and passed a maternal health bill to improve birthing outcomes in the Commonwealth.
This session, Representative Decker serves as House Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Health, and again filed numerous bills to improve access to quality health care in various areas.
Bisola Ojikutu MD MPH is a nationally recognized physician leader, health equity researcher, community advocate and expert in the prevention, care, and treatment of infectious diseases. Dr. Ojikutu was appointed Executive Director of the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) in July 2021. Dr. Ojikutu is a key advisor to Boston's Mayor on health issues and builds innovative partnerships across city departments and within Boston’s communities to positively impact the health of all city residents. Among other public health priorities, she is committed to addressing racism as a public health crisis and advancing health equity. Dr. Ojikutu is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a faculty member within the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women's Hospital. She also holds an appointment within the Infectious Disease Division at Massachusetts General Hospital and is an adjunct faculty member at The Fenway Institute.
Women often face persistent barriers to accessing quality healthcare. Digital health tools present an opportunity to close these gaps by enhancing access, enabling more personalized care, and improving health outcomes. To be most effective, telehealth services, patient engagement platforms and health apps must be intuitive, culturally sensitive, and designed with women’s unique care needs in mind. In this fireside chat, Josette Gbemudu, Associate Vice President of Patient Health Innovation and Kalahn Taylor-Clark, PhD, MPH, Vice President and Head of Social Impact and Sustainability at MERCK, will speak with moderator Ned Ehrbar about how the company is advancing digital solutions to close critical gaps in care and improve outcomes.
