Vice Admiral Jerome M. Adams, U.S. surgeon general, will speak Oct. 3 at the second UNMC Health Policy in Action Conference. The conference will be held virtually via Zoom.
Dr. Adams’ talk will focus on the federal pandemic response and the nation’s rural opioid crisis. As the surgeon general of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Dr. Adams oversees the operations of more than 6,000 uniformed health officers who serve in nearly 800 locations around the world, promoting, protecting, and advancing the health and safety of the nation.
The conference, which is targeted toward students, is open to anyone within the university.
The full agenda for the second UNMC Health Policy in Action Conference is as follows:
10 a.m. – Welcome
- Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, chancellor, UNMC
- Jed Hansen, UNMC Primary Care Progress Student Chapter
Topic: Opening comments
10:10-10:45 a.m. – Federal Pandemic Response and Rural Opioid Crisis
- Jerome M. Adams, MD, MPH, U.S. surgeon general, Vice Admiral (VADM)
Topics:SARS-CoV-2 federal policy and response; opioid crisis in rural America
10:55-11:45 a.m. – Public Health Directors Panel
- Patricia Lopez, health director, Lancaster County Health Department
- Adi Pour, PhD, health director, Douglas County Health Department
Topic: Implementing health policy during COVID-19
11:55 a.m.-12:15 p.m. – Being an Advocate at UNMC and in Nebraska
- Tyler Jones, co-president, UNMC Student Delegates
12:25-1:10 p.m. – Translational Research Policy in a Pandemic
- Mary Woolley, CEO, Research!America
Topic: Navigating translational research policy as it relates to COVID-19
1:20-2:05 p.m. – Minority Health Equity and COVID-19
- Angela Palmer-Wackerly, PhD, assistant professor, Health Communication, Communication Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Minority Health Disparities Initiative Faculty
- Linda Frizzell, PhD, associate professor, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota Minneapolis Indian Health Board, Governing Board Member, Office of Minority Health Advisory Committee on Minority Health
- Keyonna King, DrPH – Assistant professor, Department of Health Promotion, Social & Behavioral Health, College of Public Health, Center for Reducing Health Disparities, UNMC
Topic: Disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on minority communities
2:15-2:55 p.m. – Rural and Urban Health Practitioners Panel
- Ann Polich, MD, vice president of quality/performance improvement, Methodist Health System
- Calla Johnson, safety office/emergency management official, Cass County Health System
- Ryan Larsen, CEO, Community Medical Center
3 p.m. – Conclude
- Tyler Kambis, co-president, UNMC Student Delegates