2026 HPM Healthcare Conference

AI with a Soul: Guardrails, Access, and the Future of Healthcare

Agenda:

8:15-9:15am – Check In and Coffee

9:15-9:30am – Welcome

9:30-10:30am – Keynote Address

The Keynote Address will be given by Professor Renée Cummings.

10:30-10:45am - Break

10:45-11:45am – Morning Panel

The Morning Panel will feature Divya Pathak, Deepesh Chandra, and Remle Newton-Dame. Moderated by Professor Thalia Porteny.

11:45am-1:00pm – Lunch & Networking Reception

Speaker Photos & Bios

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This year’s 2026 HPM Healthcare Conference will focus on AI and Humanity, exploring how artificial intelligence can advance healthcare while preserving equity, trust, and human-centered prevention and care. Through a keynote and morning panel, we will examine not just what AI can do, but how it should be implemented responsibly within public health and health systems and communities.

A central theme will be the ethical and practical guardrails needed to ensure AI does not inadvertently widen disparities. As AI tools increasingly influence diagnostics, care pathways, resource allocation, and patient engagement, it is critical that organizations address questions of bias, data representation, access, transparency, and accountability.

We are particularly interested in highlighting real-world examples of:

• Health systems or companies implementing meaningful data governance frameworks to protect underrepresented or vulnerable populations
• Organizations designing AI tools with intentional safeguards to mitigate bias or prevent exclusion
• Community-based partnerships using AI to expand access, improve outcomes, or elevate historically underserved groups
• Leaders who are thinking proactively about equity, inclusion, and human oversight in AI deployment

Our goal is to move beyond theory and showcase practical models of socially responsible AI in action. We are looking to highlight organizations that are thoughtfully bringing AI into public health and healthcare in ways that strengthen, rather than erode, trust and equity.

Sponsored by: