SMITHFIELD, RI—Bryant University will hold its fourth Healthcare Summit on the Smithfield campus on Friday, May 1. Public Health: Policies, Programs, and Promises will convene leaders from healthcare, public health, academia, government, and industry for a day of insight, collaboration, and forward-thinking strategy.
“Bryant University has rapidly emerged as a thought leader on some of the most important challenges facing our society, creating a platform where leaders from across sectors can engage in thoughtful dialogue and develop practical solutions,” says Bryant University Provost and Chief Academic Officer Rupendra Paliwal, Ph.D. “This year’s Healthcare Summit reflects that commitment by bringing together voices from public health, healthcare, academia, government, and industry to examine the policies, programs, and promises that will shape healthier communities and a stronger future.”
“We are at a pivotal moment in public health, where workforce pressures, behavioral health needs, health inequities, and emerging technologies are converging. How we respond will shape the future of care delivery and the health of our communities for years to come,” says School of Health and Behavioral Sciences Director Kirsten Hokeness, Ph.D. “The Bryant Healthcare Summit creates a space for conversations to occur that will spark innovation and ensure we are crafting policies that deliver the highest quality care.”
“We see the stories every day—health care institutions in distress, the need to bolster our regional talent pipeline of care providers, and the struggles to bring technological advances to all of our populations across the region,” says Joseph Trunzo, Ph.D., professor of Psychology and associate director of the School of Health and Behavioral Sciences. “The connections and conversations that take place at Bryant’s Healthcare Summit will renew the focus on improving patient outcomes, fostering ethical decision-making in a time of technological change, and enhancing the delivery of services to all of our communities.”
Bryant University’s Healthcare Summit will feature several keynote speakers:
- Dr. Scott Rivkees, a professor of practice and acting associate dean of education in the Brown University School of Public Health, where he focuses on pandemic preparedness and response, leadership training, and graduate education, and helps direct the national STAT (State & Territory Alliance for Testing) Action Network.
- Nahid Bhadelia, MD, MALD, founding director of Boston University’s Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEID) and founding director and co-founder of Biothreats Emergence, Analysis and Communications Network (BEACON), an open source outbreak surveillance program.
- Jerome Larkin, MD, director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, who previously served as the medical director of inpatient infectious diseases consultation services at Rhode Island Hospital.
- Linda Hurley, a nationally recognized leader in addiction treatment and behavioral healthcare with more than 40 years of experience, who has been with CODAC Healthcare since 1989 and served as its president & CEO since 2016.
There will be panels and breakout sessions with topics including:
- From Silos to Systems: Cross-Sector Collaboration in a Complex Health Landscape
- Bold Solutions for Rhode Island’s Greatest Public Health Challenges in 2026
- From Slides to Insights: How AI is Transforming Pathology and Biomedical Research
- The Underappreciated Public Health Crisis and The Regenerative Medicine Solution Next Door
Tickets are $75 and include a continental breakfast and a catered lunch. For more information and to register by Tuesday, April 22, visit healthsummit.bryant.edu.
Sponsors of the event are Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island, Organogenesis (Silver), CODAC (Bronze), Delta Dental of Rhode Island (Contributing), and The Boston Globe-Rhode Island and Providence Business News (Media), and CFAR and the Warren Alpert Foundation (Special Thanks).
About Bryant University
For more than 160 years, Bryant University has been at the forefront of delivering an exceptional education that anticipates the future and prepares students to be innovative leaders of character in a changing world. The university delivers an integrated academic and student life experience with nationally recognized academic programs at the intersection of business, liberal arts, and health and behavioral sciences.
Located on a 465-acre contemporary campus in Smithfield, R.I., Bryant enrolls approximately 3,800 undergraduate and graduate students from 41 states and 50 countries. Bryant is recognized as a top 1 percent national leader in student education outcomes and ROI and regularly receives high rankings from U.S. News and World Report, QS Stars, Money, Bloomberg Businessweek, Wall Street Journal, and College Factual. Bryant.edu