< Back to All Events

2025 Health Equity Innovation Forum

  • January 30 – February 2, 2025

The US healthcare system is a model of inefficiency on a massive, public scale. Despite healthcare expenditures topping $4T —closing in on 20% of US GDP—we consistently see disparities in quality of care and health outcomes across regions and subpopulations. One model estimates that health inequities will soon account for more than $1T in annual unnecessary spending. The Downeast Digital Health Equity Innovation Forum will gather a cross-section of industry experts to explore overlooked and/or inefficiently serviced healthcare market segments. Current focus areas include supporting the overall digital innovation ecosystem, advancing digital tool accessibility, addressing birth equity, and promoting aging in place.

Agenda Highlights:

See below for a sample of the panel and discussion topics to be addressed at the Winter Forum.

    • The Role of Faith-Based and Other Community Groups  |  Led by Pamela Price
      This discussion will highlight the role of partners and communities in prioritizing health equity initiatives. 
    • The Role of Large Employers  |  Led by Orriel Richardson
      This session will focus on the role of payers and government in providing the infrastructure to successfully address health equity.
    • The Role of Artificial Intelligence  |  Led by Nelly Ganesan
      This timely session will concentrate on the role that data and analytics play in the health equity sphere.
    • The Role of the Chief Health Equity Officer  |  Led by Joneigh Khaldun
      These discussions will be led by current and former CHEOs.
    • The Business Case for Health Equity  |  Led by Jay Bhatt
      This session will focus on examples of innovative businesses that prioritize health equity.

Health Equity
Innovation Forum Innovators

Meet the attendees driving change at the Health Equity Innovation Forum, united by their commitment to healthcare equity.

view all HEALTH INNOVATORS

CEO & Founder, Health Tech for Medicaid

Adimika Meadows Arthur CEO and Founder Adimika Arthur is a visionary and strategic executive who has spent over two decades in healthcare and whose research experience in health eq

Co-Founder & Head of Legal and People, Waymark

Afia Asamoah Co-founder, Head of Legal and People Afia Asamoah is a strategic technology leader and senior executive with nearly 20 years of experience guiding companies at the con

Senior Director of Health Equity, Zimmer Biomet

Edmond Davis Senior Director, Health Equity, Zimmer Biomet Edmond Davis has over 17 years of experience within the Orthopedic MedTech space. Edmond has been instrumental in creatin

Founder & CEO, Downeast Digital

Edmondo Robinson Founder and CEO, Downeast Digital Edmondo Robinson is the founder and CEO of Downeast Digital and a national leader in digital health and innovation with over 25 y

President & CEO, Public Health Accreditation Board

Joneigh Khaldun President and CEO Joneigh S. Khaldun, MD, MPH, FACEP is a nationally recognized public health and healthcare expert and practicing emergency medicine physician. She

Partner, Transformation Capital

Julie Murchinson Partner Julie’s passion began early consulting to health systems, but after personally enduring weeks of hospital bed rest and 30 years as a caregiver for seriou

Chief Health Officer, Cityblock Health

Kameron Matthews Chief Health Officer Dr. Kameron Leigh Matthews is the Chief Health Officer of Cityblock Health, a transformative, value-based healthcare provider integrating medi

Vice President, Quality Sciences

Karen Sheares Vice President, Quality Sciences A recognized health technology executive, physician, and epidemiologist, Dr. Sheares is passionate about applying advanced analytics

Chief Commercial Officer, Mom's Meals

Kathryn Tong Chief Commercial Officer, Mom’s Meals Kathryn Tong, Chief Commercial Officer, joined Mom’s Meals in 2024. In this role, she will accelerate Mom’s Meals&#8217

Group VP, Chief Health Equity and Clinical Innovation Officer, Providence Health

Nwando Anyaoku GVP, Chief Health Equity and Clinical Innovation Officer, Providence Health Nwando Anyaoku, MD, MPH, MBA, is a physician executive, advisor, and consultant based in

President & CEO, The SCAN Foundation

Sarita Mohanty President & CEO Sarita A. Mohanty, MD, MPH, MBA, serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of The SCAN Foundation. The SCAN Foundation is an independe

Managing Director, Hummingbird Health

Sudha Meghan Managing Director, Hummingbird Health Sudha Meghan is the Managing Director of Hummingbird Health, a public health initiative focused on improving continuity of care a

Senior Program Investor, California Healthcare Foundation

Vanessa Villaverde Senior Program Investor, CHCF She has developed innovative benefit designs for Medicaid and Medicare Payers for over a decade and now finds innovative solutions

CEO, TruLite Health

Alan Roga CEO Dr. Alan Roga is Chief Executive Officer and Founder of TruLite Health. Alan is a seasoned healthcare technology entrepreneur and emergency medicine physician with mo

Senior VP of Growth, GenXys & Strategic Partnerships & Business Development Leader, Healiom

Amy Andersen Senior VP of Growth, GenXys & Strategic Partnerships & Business Development Leader, Healiom Amy M. Andersen is a senior healthcare executive and innovator with

CEO, SimpliFed

Andrea Ippolito CEO Andrea Ippolito is the CEO and Founder of SimpliFed, a maternal care home platform centered on baby feeding and breastfeeding support. Andrea served as the Dire

CEO, Rosarium Health

Cameron Carter CEO Cameron Carter is the CEO and Co-Founder of Rosarium Health (Rosarium). Rosarium is a tech-enabled platform that helps older adults and persons with disabilities

President, Yeh Innovation

Charlotte Yeh President Dr. Yeh is a passionate advocate for healthcare transformation and healthy aging. Her career has spanned the industry: providers, payers, tech companies, no

Founder, Wellville

Esther Dyson Founder Founder, Wellville, 2014-2024. Active startup investor, focusing on health, tech, and other useful things. Board seats including Avanlee Care, BAMF Health, The

Board Certified Patient Advocate, Enlightening Results

Grace Cordovano Board Certified Patient Advocate Upon recognizing significant unmet needs and challenges in patients’ experiences throughout their cancer diagnosis, Dr. Grace

Partner, Public Opinion Strategies

Jarrett Lewis Partner Jarrett Lewis is a Partner at Public Opinion Strategies, a national political and public affairs research firm, whose clients include leading political figure

VP of Outpatient Solutions, Siemens Healthineers

Jason Weshler Vice President, Outpatient Solutions Jason Weshler is the Vice President, Outpatient Solutions, Networked Care at Siemens Healthineers. Over his successful 20-year c

General Partner, Coyote Ventures

Jessica Karr General Partner Jessica Karr is Founder & Managing Director of Coyote Ventures, an early stage venture capital fund backing founders solving problems that dispropo

Founder & CEO, Guaranteed Health

Jessica McGlory Founder & CEO Jessica McGlory is the Founder and CEO of Guaranteed, a tech-forward startup transforming the end-of-life healthcare experience. Inspired to start

Founder & Chief Evangelist, F142

Jon Gordon Founder & Chief Evangelist Jon Gordon is an entrepreneur, investor and executive with 20 years of experience in healthcare at the intersection of strategy, innovatio

Secretary, NC Dept of Health & Human Services

Kody Kinsley Secretary, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Kody H. Kinsley was the 18th secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Chief Quality Officer, NYC Health + Hospitals

Komal Bajaj Chief Quality Officer Dr. Komal Bajaj is an agency-building healthcare leader, catalyzing transformation across all facets of healthcare delivery. Dr. Bajaj’s work si

Program Manager, Downeast Digital

Leigh Elko Program Manager Leigh Elko is a seasoned healthcare leader with over 20 years of experience spanning clinical care, ambulatory and acute operations, and healthcare infor

CEO, Grapevine Health

Lisa Fitzpatrick CEO Dr. Fitzpatrick is the CEO and founder of Grapevine Health, a digital health media and patient engagement organization working to improve health literacy, enga

Head of Strategy and Partnerships, Rock Health

Nelly Ganesan Head of Strategy and Partnerships Nelly Ganesan is deeply committed to ensuring that everyone receives the right care at the right time, regardless of race, gender id

Head of Policy & Advocacy, Morgan Health

Orriel Richardson Head of Policy & Advocacy, Morgan Health Orriel is the Head of Policy and Advocacy for Morgan Health, JPMorganChase. Previously, she was health counsel for th

Managing Director, Manatt

Shamiram Feinglass Managing Director Shamiram Feinglass, MD, MPH is a physician executive and public health doctor who works across the business, medical and policy domains of heal

Sales Center VP, AT&T

Sherri Nash SCVP Sherri leads AT&T’s Global Healthcare organization, which includes a team of sales professionals supporting the largest clients across the healthcare eco

VP for Health Justice, National Partnership for Women & Families

Sinsi Hernández-Cancio Vice President for Health Justice Sinsi Hernández-Cancio, JD, is the National Partnership for Women & Families’ vice president leading their Health J

VP of Digital Health Innovation, American Medical Association

Margaret Lozovatsky Vice President, Digital Health Innovation Dr. Margaret Lozovatsky is a nationally recognized leader in healthcare informatics and has a passion for using techno

Managing Partner, Sparrow Fund

Willie Williams Managing Partner, Sparrow Fund Willie Williams is a seasoned leader at the nexus of financial markets, healthcare innovation, and technology. With over 20 years of

VP of Social Impact, Advocate Health

Donald Jonas VP of Social Impact Don Jonas serves as enterprise Vice President, Social Impact with Advocate Health’s Advocate National Center for Health Equity. Don previously le

Growth Officer, Medcurio

Douglas Goldstein Growth Officer, Medcurio Douglas E. Goldstein is a senior executive, innovator, author, and speaker.  For more than 20 years Doug has integrated technology with

VP of Enterprise Health Equity, Centene

Haleta Belai VP of Enterprise Health Equity, Centene    

Deputy Director, The Balm In Gilead

Pamela Price Deputy Director, The Balm In Gilead Pamela Price serves as the Deputy Director for The Balm In Gilead managing the various faith and community-based initiatives of the

Managing Partner, Kapor Capital

Uriridiakoghene Onovakpuri Managing Partner, Kapor Capital Uriridiakoghene “Ulili” Onovakpuri returned to the Kapor Capital team in 2016. She is focused on sourcing investment

CEO, Rhia Ventures

Erika Davies CEO, Rhia Ventures Erika Seth Davies is the CEO of Rhia Ventures, which aims to transform the U.S. market for sexual, reproductive, and maternal health into a vibrant

Founder & CEO, ThriveLink

Kwamane Liddell Founder & CEO, ThriveLink Kwamane Liddell, JD, MHA, BSN is a healthcare visionary with a unique blend of expertise as a registered nurse, healthcare attorney, a

Co-Founder & CEO, Surgo Health

Sema Sgaier Co-Founder & CEO, Surgo Health Sema Sgaier, Ph.D., is the CEO and Co-Founder of Surgo Health, a behavioral AI company dedicated to improving health outcomes by deep

Managing Director, Center for Black Maternal Health & Reproductive Justice, Tuffs University

Sundé Daniels Managing Director, Center for Black Maternal Health & Reproductive Justice, Tuffs University Sundé W. Daniels is a distinguished executive and thought leader, b

Senior VP & Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Advocate Health

Fernando Little Senior VP & Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Advocate Health Fernando G. Little is Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity Equity & Inclusion

Vice Chief Academic Officer - Transformative Solutions, Advocate Health and Wake Forest School of Medicine

Terry Williams Vice Chief Academic Officer – Transformative Solutions, Advocate Health and Wake Forest School of Medicine Terry Williams, DrPH, MBA, Dip Econ, is Vice Chief A

Founder & Principal, GemariCo

Ariana Klitzner Founder & Principal, GemariCo Ariana operates at the nexus of healthcare, business, and social impact. Her career began as a health educator and community organ

Head of Business Acceleration, Atrium Health

Manwell Bynum Head of Business Acceleration, Atrium Health On November 1, 2021 Manwell Bynum joined Atrium Health as it’s first Head of Business Acceleration. In this executive r

Executive Director, Strategy & Innovation, Premier Inc.

Kari Kalgren Executive Director, Strategy & Innovation, Premier Inc. Kari is a seasoned healthcare and life sciences professional with over 25 years of experience spanning cli

Chief Solutions Officer, RozieAI

Vijay Dheap Chief Solutions Officer at RozieAI Vijay Dheap, Chief Solutions Officer at RozieAI, spearheads efforts to enable organizations to deliver AI-driven personalized experie

Managing Director, Deloitte Center for Health Solutions and Health Equity Institute

Jay Bhatt Managing Director, Deloitte Center for Health Solutions and Health Equity Institute Jay Bhatt, D.O., MPH, MPA is a physician executive, internist, geriatrician, and publi

Chief Evangelist, RozieAi

Lochlainn Byrne Chief Evangelist, RozieAi Lochlainn Byrne is the Chief Evangelist at Rozie Synopsis, bringing over a decade of experience in business development and event technolo

Executive Director, Center for Digital Equity at Queens University of Charlotte

Bruce Clark Executive Director, Center for Digital Equity at Queens University of Charlotte Bruce Clark is a seasoned executive and expert consultant adept at infusing order, urgen

Chief Medical Officer | EY Americas, Ernst & Young LLP

Akinyele Aluko Chief Medical Officer | EY Americas, Ernst & Young LLP Yele Aluko MD, MBA is Chief Medical Officer in EY Americas Health Advisory practice. He advises health sy

CMIO, Advocate Health

Matt Sullivan CMIO, Advocate Health Dr. Matt Sullivan, the Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) for Advocate Health, has dedicated his career to improving patient outcomes and

Managing Partner, Muse Capital

Rachel Springate Managing Partner, Muse Capital Rachel Springate is the co-founder of Muse Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in overlooked and untapped consume

Founder & CEO, EXO Technologies

Emily Maginn Founder & CEO, EXO Technologies Emily Maginn, Founder & CEO: the driving force behind EXO Technologies. As the Founder & CEO of EXO, Emily is a visionary l

Prasanna Mohanty

Event Sponsors

Become a Sponsor

I would like to:(Required)
Become a Sponsor
I would like to:(Required)
Close