The WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine’s seventh-annual Conference for Health Equity and Public Good set an attendance record for the third year in a row, drawing more than 515 attendees from universities, health organizations, and local governments from coast to coast.
The two-day virtual gathering featured nationally recognized plenary speakers and a series of community-rooted breakout sessions that brought together community leaders, clinicians, researchers, educators, and others committed to building a better health care system for all.
“As a community-based medical school, this conference plays a vital role in advancing our vision of a healthy, equitable Washington for all. It reflects our responsibility to be a public good and our commitment to being accountable to the communities we serve,” said David Garcia, MEd, associate dean for health equity and community engagement at the College of Medicine, during the opening ceremony. “We are excited to be in community with you, learning, teaching, working, and healing together as we move beyond surviving to thriving.”
This year’s conference theme was Beyond Surviving to Thriving, building on last year’s theme of The Path Forward.
Featured speakers include Aisha Fukushima, an award-winning singer and TEDx speaker; Jonathan Metzl, MD, PhD, an internationally recognized psychiatrist and author; Claudine Richardson, PhD, community engagement strategist at the Washington State Department of Health, and more.
The conference also featured WSU College of Medicine faculty speaking on their efforts to promote health equity through education, research, and clinical initiatives.