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#RIPHASUMMIT2026

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About the Public Health Summit 2026

The Rhode Island Public Health Association (RIPHA), in partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), is proud to host the 4th Rhode Island Public Health Summit, titled:

Leading Through Change: Building Trust and Resilience in Public Health

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This summit is open to anyone committed to advancing health equity and strengthening public health systems. We welcome a diverse and cross-sector audience, including public health professionals, community members, Community Health Workers, community-based organizations, patients, healthcare providers, faith-based organizations, health plans, health centers, public health officials, researchers, and students.

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Join us on April 27, 2026, for a day of meaningful connection, learning, and collaboration. The Summit will provide an engaging forum for focused dialogue on health equity, community-centered solutions, and innovative strategies to improve community health across Rhode Island.

Together, let’s lead through change—and move public health forward, collectively.

 

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AGENDA

Breakout sessions

Registration and Breakfast

8:00 – 8:30

Opening

8:30-8:40

Welcome: Larry O. Warner, DrPH, MPH: President, Rhode Island Public Health Association

8:40- 8:50

Opening Remarks: Jerome Larkin, MD: Director Rhode Island Department of Health

8:50- 9:00

Open Plenary: Keynote Speaker Dr. Amy Nunn, Executive Director & CEO, Rhode Island Public Health Institute (RIPHI)

9:00 – 9:40

Reaction Panel

9:50 –10:30

10:40–11:40

Morning Breakout Session:

  • How We Heal: Trauma Informed Care Rooted in Liberation

  • Data We Can’t See, Decisions We Can’t Make. How Data Can Improve Street Safety, Health Access, Trust, and Equity

  • Community is Public Health: Tools for Connection, Collaboration, and Structural Support

  • Meeting People Where They Are: Faith Communities As Gateways to Health

11:40– 1:00

Lunch/Visiting Vendors
Students/ CHWs Poster Session: “Public Health: The future is now”

1:00 – 2:00

1st Afternoon Breakout Sessions:

  • It will take a village! The quest for compiled local-level health data for 2026 and beyond

  • Planning for Food Security Amid Uncertainty: The Providence Emergency Food Plan as a Municipal Strategy for Resilience

  • Centering Lived Experience: A Parent-Led Model for Strengthening Newborn Screening Long-Term Follow-Up

  • Inclusion & Sustainability of Community Health Workers in Pediatric Clinical Practice

2:10 – 3:10

2nd Afternoon Breakout Sessions:

  • Behavioral Health Integration; a public health approach to whole health in LGBTQAI plus patients in primary care

  • You Good, Man?Adding Community Voice to the Suicide Prevention Toolbox

  • Global Drivers of HIV Care Discontinuity across the Carceral Cascade

  • Many Voices, One Message: Aligning Cross-Sector Efforts to Advance Unified Maternal Health Advocacy.

3:15 -3:30

Closing Remarks: Larry O. Warner, DrPH, MPH. President Rhode Island Public Health Association

3:30-4:00

Social time

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