Senator John Fetterman and Gisele Barreto Fetterman, White House Gun Violence Prevention lead Gregory Jackson, CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, and CRISPR pioneer Jennifer Doudna, among others, to join an exceptional lineup of speakers for the three-day forum.
Contact: Eric Baker
Media Relations Manager
The Aspen Institute
eric.baker@aspeninstitute.org
Aspen, CO, May 1, 2024 – On Wednesday, Aspen Ideas: Health, the Aspen Institute’s premiere health convening, announced nearly 100 confirmed speakers as part of its bold lineup of leaders and innovators who are shaping the future of health, medicine, and science. They will take the stage during the June 20-23, 2024, event in Aspen, Colorado.
The Aspen Ideas: Health 2024 program will feature fireside chats, expert panels, and book talks with more than 150 speakers across a range of perspectives and disciplines, including healthcare, public health, policy, tech, research, business, media, and the arts, to explore intersectional approaches for creating healthier communities and healthier lives.
A full list of confirmed speakers can be viewed here. Highlighted speakers include:
- Mandy Cohen, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will talk about her vision for the agency’s future and rebuilding trust in public health.
- U.S. Senator John Fetterman will join wife and Freestore 15104 Founder Gisele Barreto Fetterman for a candid conversation about his stroke and battle with depression, her role as a caregiver, and their joint mission of improving access to health care services for patients and families.
- Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), will share how the agency is innovating to provide affordable healthcare and prescription drug coverage to more than 150 million Americans.
- Nobel Laureate Jennifer Doudna, Founder of the Innovative Genomics Institute at UC Berkeley, will sit down with Samarth Kulkarni, CEO of CRISPR Therapeutics, and Benjamin Oakes, CEO of Scribe Therapeutics, for a deep dive into the gene-editing breakthroughs defining the CRISPR era.
- Gregory Jackson, Deputy Director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, and Megan Ranney, Dean of the Yale School of Public Health, will explain how a public health approach can help curb firearm injuries in communities across the country.
- Aletha Maybank, Chief Health Equity Officer of the American Medical Association, and Richard Besser, President and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, will address how healthcare systems and communities are confronting structural racism to improve health outcomes for all.
- Rachel Levine, Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Vanessa Kerry, Special Envoy for Climate Change and Health for the World Health Organization and CEO of Seed Global Health, will put a health equity lens on the issue of climate change and explore how vulnerable populations are taking action.
- Rick Doblin, Founder and President of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), will explain how expanded research, policy changes, and culture shifts are bringing psychedelic-assisted therapy into the mainstream.
- Peter Lee, President of Microsoft Research, and Jodi Halpern, Chancellor’s Chair and Professor of Bioethics at UC Berkeley, will debate the promise and perils of using AI in medicine.
- Christy Turlington Burns, Founder and President of Every Mother Counts, will share her perspective on the need to better support moms around the globe – from improving maternal health outcomes to advancing caregiving policies.
Additional speaker announcements will be made in the coming weeks. Learn more about key themes that will guide this year’s programming.
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.
For media: Journalists interested in attending Aspen Ideas: Health are invited to apply for press credentials here.
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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.