Creighton News
Creighton launches Institute for Population Health with public symposium
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The symposium will feature three national speakers: Philip Alberti, PhD, left; Marijka Grey, MD, MBA, FACP, middle; and Helen Hughes, MD, MPH, right.
While the U.S. spends more per capita on healthcare than any other country, it lags behind other industrialized nations in key health outcomes. In addition, health disparities disproportionately facing certain groups of people due to social and structural imbalances are widening.
What are the solutions? That’s the challenging question that population health, a relatively new and emerging field in healthcare, looks to help answer.
Creighton University – with its tradition of excellence in healthcare education, research and patient care; longstanding community and healthcare partnerships; and Jesuit, Catholic commitment to service and justice – recently announced its establishment of the Institute for Population Health.
The University will officially celebrate the launch of the institute and invite further discussion around issues related to population health during a public symposium at its Omaha campus on Oct. 23 and 24.
Titled “Building Bridges for Healthier Communities,” the symposium will be held over two, half-day sessions at Creighton’s Mike and Josie Harper Center. The first day, Monday, Oct. 23, will include a welcome from Creighton and community leaders, including Creighton President the Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD, and Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, at 1 p.m. CDT, followed by a panel discussion by national experts in population health.
Registration information and the full schedule of events are available online.
A Collaborative Approach to Better Health
“We look forward to hosting this inaugural event and welcoming the community, healthcare and academic leaders, civic and business leaders, and others interested in making our communities healthier for all,” said Scott Shipman, MD, MPH, executive director of Creighton’s new Institute for Population Health.
Shipman, who also holds the CyncHealth Endowed Chair for Population Health at Creighton, said a goal of the Institute for Population Health is to bring together different sectors of the community – from healthcare systems to academia, industry, public health, government entities and more – to seek solutions for better health outcomes and greater health equity.
Population health looks beyond traditional patient care to social determinants of health, which include social, mental, economic, behavioral, environmental and other factors affecting an individual’s overall health. Special attention is given to improving equitable health outcomes for all people in the community.
Symposium to Feature National Speakers, Breakout Sessions
The symposium will feature three national speakers with diverse backgrounds and expertise in population health: Philip Alberti, PhD; Marijka Grey, MD, MBA, FACP; and Helen Hughes, MD, MPH.
- Alberti is a population scientist, a widely published and frequent public speaker, who serves as senior director for health equity research and policy at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). In 2021, he founded the Center for Health Justice at the AAMC.
- Grey is vice president for ambulatory transformation and innovation at CommonSpirit Health, where her work spans more than 2,000 ambulatory sites in 24 states. In 2022, she was recognized for using artificial intelligence (AI) to decrease the manual burden of the intake process on clinical and administrative staff.
- Hughes serves as medical director for the Office of Telemedicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, as well as medical director of Pediatric Telemedicine at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.
The three speakers will participate in a panel discussion on Monday, Oct. 23, at 1:30 p.m. CDT titled “How Population Health Builds Healthier Communities.”
The second day of the symposium, on Tuesday, Oct. 24, begins with a networking lunch at 11:30 a.m. CDT and will feature breakout sessions led by Creighton faculty experts and community leaders exploring a range of issues – from maternal and refugee health and well-being to barriers to access, youth violence prevention, social determinants of health and more.
