UToledo to Host Healthcare Symposium, Community Health Summit

UToledo to Host Healthcare Symposium, Community Health Summit

The University of Toledo will bring together thought leaders in medical education and clinical care for a pair of events next week that are focused on improving health outcomes of individuals in northwest Ohio.

The second annual UToledo Healthcare Symposium will take place on Friday, April 11, at the Glass City Center on Jefferson Avenue in downtown Toledo.

It will be followed by a Community Health Summit on Saturday, April 12, at the Delta Hotels Toledo, 3100 Glendale Ave.

Both multidisciplinary events will feature representatives from community organizations, UToledo Health physicians and other leading voices in medicine.

The Healthcare Symposium, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 11, begins with opening remarks from UToledo Interim President Matt Schroeder, followed by a presentation from Dr. Charles "Chuck" Callahan, executive vice president for health affairs at UToledo, and Dr. Dee Bialecki-Haase, chief medical officer and senior vice president for medical affairs at Medical Mutual, on a vision for individual and community health needs.

Registration for the Healthcare Symposium is open through Friday, April 4. Information on tickets is available on the symposium website.

Additional sessions will focus on social drivers of health, how artificial intelligence is being deployed in medicine, the benefits of technological advancements in surgical procedures and improving access to healthcare and building community trust.

Medical Mutual is the lead sponsor for the event, which also is sponsored by UToledo Health, Destination Toledo, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Paramount, Superior Ambulance Service, the UToledo Alumni Association and the UToledo Foundation.

The Community Health Summit, which will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., is free and open to the public, though online registration is required.

The summit will focus on reducing healthcare disparities, with sessions on addressing social drivers of health for the well-being of women and infants, enhancing access to and navigation of healthcare technology for older adults and overcoming health disparities in the community.

Each session will comprise of a 15-minute presentation, followed by a table discussion and finally a 15-minute question-and-answer session with the audience. In addition to the three panel discussions, there will be lunch and networking opportunities, and representatives from a number of local community organizations will be on hand for additional healthcare needs and resources.

The second annual student-led UToledo Healthcare Hackathon also will be held concurrently with the summit in the Collier Building on UToledo's Health Science Campus. That event, which will bring together up to 100 students from the College of Medicine and Life Sciences, challenges teams to design solutions addressing the digital divide in healthcare.

Students will present their findings at the summit at 3:30 p.m.