AHEAD Symposium: Achieving Health Equity through Access for All with Disabilities

View the 2024 AHEAD Symposium by clicking on the image above

Speakers:

• Jim Brett, Chairman of the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities; CEO, New England Council
• Congressman Seth Moulton, (D-MA 6^th District), sponsor of H.R. 3380 (HEADs UP) Healthcare Extension and Accessibility for Developmentally Disabled and Underserved Population
• Kim Hill Ridley, Chief Disability Officer, NY State
• Kate Swenson, Author, Finding Cooper’s Voice; parent advocate

Panel Discussions:

• Innovative Support Services
• Models of Inter-Collaborative Healthcare for Patients with Disabilities

AGENDA

ARCHIVE: PREVIOUS YEARS' AHEAD SYMPOSIA

AHEAD 2022

The second AHEAD Symposium, "Changes in Policy and Practice," took place online on April 5, 2022, and brought together experts in the areas of health care advocacy, access, and funding at the state and federal levels for people with disabilities.  Keynote speakers were the Honorable Dr. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Dr. Natalia Chalmers. Two panel discussions covered NY State reimbursement policy and the need for a universal dental school curriculum.

^{Click on the image above to view the Zoom recording of AHEAD 2022.}

AHEAD 2022 speakers and panelists included Charles N. Bertolami, Herman Robert Fox Dean, NYU Dentistry; Andrew Hamilton, President, NYU; The Honorable Bill Cassidy (R-LA); Natalia Chalmers, Chief Dental Officer, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; Michael O’Connor, Executive Vice Dean, NYU Dentistry; Douglas Fish, Medical Director, Office of Health Insurance Programs, New York State Department of Health; Mary Foley, Executive Director, MSDA; Holli Seabury, Executive Director, Delta Dental Foundation; Alan J. Murray, President & CEO, Empire BlueCross BlueShield; Richard W. Valachovic, Clinical Professor and Director, NYU Dentistry Center for Oral Health Policy and Management; Rick Guidotti, Founder and Director, Positive Exposure; Rick Rader, Member, National Council on Disability; Allen Wong, President, AADMD, and Professor, University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry; Robert Glickman, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and Hospital Relations and Professor and Chair, Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, NYU Dentistry.

AHEAD 2020

The first AHEAD Symposium took place online on October 2, 2020, and brought together experts in the areas of health care advocacy, access, and funding at the state and federal levels for people with disabilities. A particular focus was the need to carve out a fair and sustainable funding policy predicated on value to the state. Other key areas of discussion included the family/provider relationship, the impact of COVID-19 on the disabilities community, and the importance of public-private partnerships in advancing access to care both locally and nationally.

AHEAD 2020 speakers and panelists included Charles N. Bertolami, Herman Robert Fox Dean, NYU Dentistry; Andrew Hamilton, President, NYU; Timothy Shriver, Chairman, Special Olympics; Steven Perlman, Clinical Professor of Pediatric Dentistry, Boston University, and Special Olympics Liaison, American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD); Neil Romano, Chairman, National Council on Disability; Michael O’Connor, Executive Vice Dean, NYU Dentistry; David Chiu, California State Assembly Member; Allen Finkelstein, CEO, Bedford HealthCare Solutions; Matt Holder, CEO, Lee Specialty Clinic; John McIntosh, Associate Dean for Clinical Administration & Clinical Revenue Management, NYU Dentistry; Ronald Kosinski, Clinical Director, NYU Dentistry Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities; Jo Anne Simon, New York State Assembly Member; Ann Costello, Executive Director, B. Thomas Golisano Foundation; Karen Raposa, Clinical Education Manager, Hu-Friedy Corporation; Barbie Vartanian, Executive Director, Project Accessible Oral Health, The Viscardi Center; John Kemp, President & CEO, The Viscardi Center; Marco Damiani, Chief Executive Officer, AHRC; Larry McReynolds, Executive Director, Family Health Centers at NYU Langone; Anastasia Somoza, Community Liaison – Disability, Civil, and Human Rights Division, Office of NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson; Robert Glickman, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and Hospital Relations and Professor and Chair, Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, NYU Dentistry; Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman & CEO, Henry Schein, Inc.; Rick Rader, President, American Association on Health and Disability; Steve Kess, Vice President of Global Professional Relations, Henry Schein, Inc.; Stacey Hengsterman, CEO, Special Olympics New York; Amr Moursi, Professor & Chair, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, NYU Dentistry.

Four panel discussions addressed Funding and Access Issues; the Family/Provider Relationship; the Impact of COVID-19 on the Disabilities Community; and the Importance of Public-Private Partnerships in Advancing Access to Care.