26th Braun Symposium: “Creating Health Equity: Transformational Opportunities in a Post-Pandemic World”

As a nation, we have suffered a long season of loss and division under COVID-19, heightened racial violence, and the divisiveness of the federal election. These events have exposed complex, too-often-ignored inequities of national and global consequence but with gravely personal impact. Mere change is insufficient. To address these traumas in equity-enhancing ways, we need to connect the dots of personal experience into a collective agenda for transformative, structural change that holds systems accountable.

UIC Law’s 26th Annual Belle R. & Joseph H. Braun Memorial Symposium will explore broad transformational opportunities and local implementation solutions to advance health equity, with a focus on the role of law. Throughout the day, we’ll integrate personal narratives and collective initiatives to chart a path toward systemic change that alters the power structures that shape our current reality.

Organized by UIC Law’s Health Equity, Law & Policy Program.

Register online

Symposium Program

8:45–9 a.m.

Welcome & Opening Remarks

• Julie Spanbauer, Interim Dean; Professor of Law, University of Illinois Chicago School of Law
• Joseph D. Ament (JD 1962), Principal, Much Shelist; Representative, Braun Fund
• Amy T. Campbell, Associate Dean for Health Law & Sciences; Professor of Law, University of Illinois Chicago School of Law

9–10 a.m.

The Policy Context for Health Equity Post(ish) Pandemic

• Facilitator: Michael Pagano, Special Assistant to the Chancellor; Former Dean, College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, University of Illinois Chicago
• Sen. Omar Aquino (D-2nd District), Majority Caucus Whip, Illinois Senate
• Toni Preckwinkle, President, Cook County Board of Commissioners

10:15–10:45 a.m.

Community Voices: Pandemic (and Previous) Experiences and Systemic Concerns

• Facilitator: Marcus Betts, Assistant Vice Chancellor for External Engagement, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs, University of Illinois Chicago
• Richard Wallace, Founder & Director, Equity and Transformation (EAT)
• Additional Voices TBA

11–11:45 a.m.

Defining Health Equity

• Facilitator: Shannon Andrews, Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer, Cook County Health
• Dr. Paula Braveman, Professor of Family and Community Medicine; Director, Center on Social Disparities in Health, University of California, San Francisco

Noon–1 p.m.

Health Equity: Situating the Work in a Post(ish)-Pandemic Context

• Introductory Remarks: Dr. Robert Barish, Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs, University of Illinois Chicago
• Facilitator: Dr. Wayne Giles, Dean, University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health
• Dr. Allison Arwady, Commissioner, Chicago Department of Public Health
• Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Director, Illinois Department of Public Health
• Israel Rocha Jr., Chief Executive Officer, Cook County Health

1–1:30 p.m.

Virtual Networking Break

1:30–2:45 p.m.

Enhancing Health Equity through Structural Transformation: The Role for Law

• Facilitator: Amy T. Campbell, Associate Dean for Health Law & Sciences; Professor of Law, University of Illinois Chicago School of Law
• Juliet K. Choi, President; Chief Executive Officer, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
• Brietta R. Clark, Professor of Law; J. Rex Dibble Fellow, Loyola Marymount University Law School
• Sarah de Guia, Chief Executive Officer, ChangeLabs Solutions
• Seema Mohapatra, Murray Visiting Professor of Law, SMU Dedman School of Law
• Sidney D. Watson, Jane and Bruce Robert Professor, Director, Center for Health Law Studies, Saint Louis University School of Law
• Mara Youdelman, Managing Attorney (Washington, DC), National Health Law Program

3–4 p.m.

Enhancing Health Equity through Structural Transformation: The Role for Public Universities & Communities

• Facilitator: Jeni Hebert-Beirne, Associate Dean for Community Engagement; Interim Director, Collaboratory for Health Justice, University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health
• Claire Laurier Decoteau, Professor of Sociology, University of Illinois Chicago
• Renee Hatcher, Professor of Law; Director, Community Enterprise & Solidarity Economy Clinic, University of Illinois Chicago School of Law
• Darlene Oliver Hightower, Vice President, Community Health Equity, Rush University Medical Center
• Amanda Lewis, Director, Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy, University of Illinois Chicago
• Keith Lewis, Senior Director, Community Collaboration, Office of Diversity, Equity & Engagement, University of Illinois Chicago

4–4:15 p.m.

Closing Remarks & Next Steps

• Amy T. Campbell, Associate Dean for Health Law & Sciences; Professor of Law, University of Illinois Chicago School of Law