Turning Evidence into Impact: National Health Council Announces Reimagined Science of Patient Engagement Conference for 2026

(Washington, D.C.) The National Health Council (NHC) today announced the details of Turning Evidence into Impact, its 2026 Science of Patient Engagement Summit, to be held May 11-12, at Amazon HQ2, National Landing, in Arlington, VA. This year's event has been reimagined - with a new name, new location, and an ambitious agenda.

"Our health care system is fast-paced and ever-changing," said Randy Rutta, Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Council. "That is why the new Science of Patient Engagement Summit brings together the most influential voices in health care to collaboratively develop best practices and policies that keep patients, their needs and their dignity at the center of health."

The reimagined Summit reflects the incredible success of the event in recent years, including attendance growth, an expanding scope of health care topics and speakers, increased collaboration, and the promotion of more and better meaningful patient engagement and patient-centered solutions.

"There is no higher calling in health care than placing the needs of patients front and center in health care," said Rutta. "Successful patient engagement makes the journey more efficacious, makes the health care system better, and generates better results. That is what this conference is all about."

Adding to the excitement of this year's event, the Summit will be held at Amazon's HQ2headquarters. The new venue highlights the critical role technology plays in modern health care and the need to ensure it is applied ethically and in keeping with the needs of all patients.

The Summit agendaincludes thought-provoking examination of many key topics, including:

• An opening keynote address by David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc, Co-Founder and President of Every Cure and Co-Founder and President of the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network, and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. A researcher and author and one of the youngest faculty members to ever receive tenure at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. A physician-scientist and patient battling Castleman disease, he discovered and repurposed a treatment that saved his own life and others-a story he shared in ' Chasing My Cure'.
• An interactive workshop, "Under the Microscope: A Blueprint for Patient Engagement Success," designed to provide participants with the tools they and their organization need to strengthen patient engagement and research collaboration. Attendees will leave with the tools to translate patient engagement into better outcomes, connect with leaders in the health ecosystem that are prime to patient engagement implementation, and enhance operational procedures through effective patient engagement strategies.
• Advancing Diagnostic Equity and Quality Together (60 min): This session will explore how patients, hospitals and clinicians, manufacturers, and policymakers collaborate to build more accessible and patient-centered diagnostic practice. Panelists will discuss systemic barriers that prevent diagnostic accuracy and efficiency.
• Turning Evidence into Impact will place special emphasis on the voice of the patient and how patient engagement can enhance operational procedures in the context of innovation, clinical research, and hospital workflows. The Summit is also a premier personal and professional networking event for health care executives. More than 200 experts from patient organizations, health systems, government, research centers, academia, pharma, investors, sponsors, etc., will have numerous networking opportunities during the two-day Summit.

"The reimagined NHC Science of Patient Engagement Summit is the one health care event you cannot afford to miss. It will make all of us better and all of us smarter, together," concluded Rutta.

Visit the event page for the up-to-date agenda and to register for the event.

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About the National Health Council

The National Health Council (NHC) brings diverse organizations together to forge consensus and drive patient-centered health policy. The NHC promotes increased access to affordable, high-value, equitable, and sustainable health care. Made up of nearly 200 national health-related organizations and businesses, the NHC's core membership includes the nation's leading patient organizations. Other members include health-related associations and nonprofit organizations including the provider, research, and family caregiver communities; and businesses representing biopharmaceuticals, devices, diagnostics, generic drugs, and payers. Learn more at: https://www.nationalhealthcouncil.org