From June 20 – 23, over 100 leading experts in healthcare, public health, policymaking, climate, tech, business, and the arts will gather in Aspen to discuss the greatest challenges and opportunities across the health landscape.
Contact: Eric Baker
Media Relations Manager
The Aspen Institute
eric.baker@aspeninstitute.org
Aspen, CO, June 12, 2024 – On Monday, the Aspen Institute announced the full agenda for Aspen Ideas: Health 2024. Aspen Ideas: Health is the Institute’s premiere health convening that features experts, leaders, and innovators who are shaping the future of health, medicine, and science. Festivities kick off on Thursday, June 20 and conclude Sunday, June 23.
The 2024 program will feature 60 thought-provoking sessions with 170 inspiring speakers, including U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, CDC Director Mandy Cohen, CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, JAMA Editor-in-Chief Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, Nobel Laureate Jennifer Doudna, Microsoft Research President Peter Lee, Governors Christopher Sununu (NH) and Laura Kelly (KS), and many more. See the full speaker list here.
See below for some agenda highlights not to miss! View the full agenda here. Disclaimer: Session dates and times are subject to change. Check the online agenda or download the Aspen Ideas app (iOS or Android) for the most up to date agenda. Journalists interested in attending Aspen Ideas: Health are invited to apply for press credentials here.
THURSDAY, JUNE 20
- Polling the Pollsters
What health issues will play a role at the ballot box this election season? And will they influence voter turnout? As the 2024 campaigns heat up, pollsters want to know what most concerns voters and whether those concerns will translate into political engagement, especially in battleground states. Featuring Executive Vice President and COO at KFF Mollyann Brodie, Director of Public Opinion Research for the Associated PressEmily Swanson, and CNN’s Director of Polling and Election Analytics Jennifer Agiesta, moderated by POLITICO Playbook Co-Author and White House Correspondent Eugene Daniels.
- What the Health: Election 2024
In a live “What the Health” podcast recording, health policy journalists discuss hot-button health issues and what they mean for the upcoming U.S. elections, from the Affordable Care Act to reproductive rights and gender-affirming care, to veteran care. Featuring CQ Roll Call Health Policy Reporter Sandhya Raman, the New York Times Health Care Correspondent Margot Sanger-Katz, and podcast host KFF Health News Chief Washington Correspondent Julie Rovner.
FRIDAY, JUNE 21
- How To Dismantle Structural Racism in Health?
Structural racism, reflected in uneven access to care, inequitable community conditions, and the wealth gap, drives persisting racial disparities in health. Confronting intentionally built racist institutions means interrogating laws and policies that place more value on some lives than others and building partnerships in communities of color to implement fair health solutions. Join as CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Richard Besser, Founding Director of the Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity at the University of Minnesota Rachel Hardeman, and Senior Vice President and Chief Health Equity Officer at the American Medical Association Aletha Maybank discuss solutions with STAT Science Reporter and Host of “Color Code” podcast Nicholas St. Fleur.
- Climate Doctors: Frontline Medical Care for Climate Change
Few physicians are yet trained to spot the visible signs of a changing climate’s effect on humans. Senior Consultant at HHS’ Office of Climate Change and Health Equity Aparna Bole, primary care physician and senior professional practice fellow at Va’a o Tautai – Centre for Pacific Health at the University of Otago Malama Tafuna’i, and Co-Director of Diploma in Climate Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine Bhargavi Chekuri join NBC News Medical contributor John Torres to discuss integrating climate change into medical curricula and helping providers recognize unexpected disease patterns and respond appropriately.
- Promise and Perils of Artificial Intelligence
AI is transforming health. It can accelerate research, refine drug development, identify disease outbreaks, and enhance remote patient monitoring. But efficiency is not a substitute for empathy, and AI cannot replicate the rapport between patients and providers. How do we embrace innovation while acknowledging the risks around bias, informed consent, and privacy breaches? This conversation will feature President of Microsoft Research Peter Lee, Fellow Physician and Research Scientist at the Johns Hopkins Hospital Shinjini Kundu, and Chancellor’s Chair and Professor of Bioethics at the University of California, Berkeley Jodi Halpern. Moderated by Chief Medical Correspondent at CBS News and Professor of Medicine at NYU Langone Health Jon LaPook.
- CRISPR 2.0, the Next Generation
Nobel Laureate and CRISPR pioneer Jennifer Doudna sits down with Co-founder and CEO of Scribe Therapeutics Benjamin Oakes and CRISPR Therapeutics CEO and Board Chair Samarth Kulkarni to discuss gene editing therapy and next-generation approaches. These innovations will make the therapy easier and cheaper to deliver, more patient friendly, and provide progress in treating blood disorders, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and infectious diseases.
- Taking Aim at Gun Violence Through Public Health
Reducing firearms injury demands that we reach across ideological divides. Public health tells us how to implement evidence-based strategies to keep communities safe. Policy and medical experts explain how treating gun violence as a public health issue can bring forth practical solutions. Featuring President and CEO of Northwell Health Michael Dowling, Deputy Director for the Office of Gun Violence Prevention at the White House Gregory Jackson, and Dean of Yale School of Public Health Megan Ranney, with the New York Times’ Margot Sangor-Katz as moderator.
SATURDAY, JUNE 22
- Getting Candid About Mental Health: Senator John and Gisele Fetterman Open Up
After his stroke, Senator John Fetterman went on to win his general election. A few weeks after being sworn in, his long standing struggle with depression intensified and he entered an inpatient mental health facility. Working together with his wife Gisele Barreto Fetterman, the two translated their experiences into advocacy for access to mental health services, investments in rural communities, and accommodations for people with disabilities. The two sit down with journalist Elizabeth Cohen to discuss.
- CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure Talks about Costs, Coverage, Access and Innovation
Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Chiquita Brooks-LaSure joins TIME’s Senior Health Correspondent Alice Park to talk about negotiating drug prices in line with Congressional mandates, issuing Medicaid eligibility guidelines, providing guardrails for prescription drug benefits and Medicare Advantage programs, and partnering to advance equity and expand access within the healthcare system.
- On the Docket: How the Courts Shape Our Health
Between the US Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade and Alabama’s top court ruling that embryos created through in vitro fertilization should be considered children, the judiciary has found itself in the middle of contentious healthcare clashes. Upcoming cases could further alter the landscape for abortion, gun rights, transgender care, environmental regulations, FDA authority, and more. Georgetown University Law Center’s Michele Goodwin and University of Texas School of Law’s Elizabeth Sepper discuss the reverberations such cases would cause across society for decades.
- Healthy Communication: How Truth Can Overpower Disinformation
From the measles vaccine to the origins of COVID, the speed at which disinformation spreads and the harms it can do have become painfully familiar. But how can informed communicators fight back and leverage the same digital tools to share scientific information, combat falsehoods, and promote trustworthy medical and public health advice? CNBC’s Senior Health Care Reporter Bertha Coombs moderates a panel featuring Dean of Yale School of Public Health Megan Ranney, Chief Medical Officer for the endoscopy business of Medtronic Austin Chang, and host of “The Dose” podcast Joel Burvell.
- Will Psychedelics Go Mainstream?
Can psychedelics treat PTSD, ease end-of-life anxiety, and address mental health challenges, including addiction? As regulators ponder, policymakers are talking about legalizing psychedelics and honoring long standing indigenous traditions. The role of psychedelics in medicine is heightening public acceptance, but the emotional risks, abuse potential, and concern for patient safety underscore the imperative of a more cautious, evidence-based approach. President of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies Rick Doblin, past president of the American Psychiatric Association Rebecca Brendel, author of Trippy: The Peril and Promise of Medicinal Psychedelics and correspondent at the New York Times Ernesto Londoño, join the Guardian’s Shayla Love to discuss the role of psychedelics’ in the future of medicine.
SUNDAY, JUNE 23
- Staying Well with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy sits down with ABC News’ Chief Medical Correspondent Jennifer Ashton to share essential information with Americans and guide the country’s response to public health challenges including social media’s impact on youth mental health, loneliness, and workplace wellbeing. Inspiring the policy and practice changes that generate results takes a leader like Dr. Murthy, who uses his platform to engage the public – all to improve the nation’s public health.
- Francis Collins on Science and Faith
Distinguished Investigator at the National Human Genome Institute at the National Institute of Health (NIH) Francis Collins discusses his newest book, The Road to Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith and Trust with the New York Times National Religion Correspondent Elizabeth Dias, and argues that harmonizing science and faith is the challenge of our times. The book explores a framework for respecting facts, healing America’s political and cultural divide, and advancing the knowledge and ethical principles that can guide us forward.
For more details about the event, visit aspenideas.org/health.
Presenting underwriters for Aspen Ideas: Health are Johnson & Johnson, MITRE, Mount Sinai Health System, and Takeda. Supporting underwriters are AARP, AstraZeneca, CDC Foundation, the Commonwealth Fund, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. Contributing underwriters are the American Psychiatric Association Foundation and the Common Health Coalition. The continuing education partner is Annenberg Center for Health Sciences at Eisenhower.
Aspen Ideas: Health is organized by the Aspen Institute with media partner NBCUniversal News Group.
Aspen Ideas: Health is the opening segment of the Aspen Ideas Festival, the Aspen Institute’s annual nonpartisan flagship event which gathers leaders and thinkers from around the globe to discuss the ideas that will shape tomorrow and help us understand today.
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The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.