Events
The Department of Population Science and Policy hosts numerous webinars, conferences and special events focused on rural health, health policy, population health and social determinants of health. Learn more about past and upcoming events below. Register to be notified of upcoming Population Science and Policy events.
Upcoming Events
2025 Illinois Rural and Small-Town Health Summit
Health Care Workforce: Learnings and Transformation in a Post-Pandemic Environment
October 15, 2025 | 7:30am - 4:30pm
The 2025 Illinois Rural and Small-Town Health Summit will convene key stakeholders to discuss innovative solutions to sustain and enhance the rural health care workforce. This year’s summit will focus on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and strategies to move forward through collaboration, implementation and impactful change.
For more information, click here.
Past Events
Keynote Speakers Include:
- Paula Basta, MDiv, Director, Illinois Department on Aging
- Kim Hunt, MUP, MPP, Executive Director, Pride Action Tank, AIDS Foundation Chicago
- Brian C. Johnson, JD, MBA, CEO, Equality Illinois
Topics Include:
- Gender-Affirming Care
- Stigma
- Rural OB Closures
- Inclusive Education for Providers
- Stories from Those Who Lived It
Click to download the full agenda here.
Watch the recording of this event here.
The 2022 Innovating Illinois Rural Health Summit convened in Springfield on October 27, 2022, and featured a local, statewide and national perspective discussing topics such as maternal and infant health disparities, children and youth mental health, the role of rural hospitals, building a rural health workforce and rural opioid use. The Summit facilitated the exchange of knowledge, fostered innovative ideas and created a pathway for rural health improvement.
Watch the recordings of this event:
- Welcome
- Building a Healthier Rural Illinois:
- Challenges and Opportunities
Medicaid in Action: Addressing Maternal and Infant Health Disparities
- Putting Children First: Mental Health and Wellness in Communities
- The Role of a Rural Hospital: How Hospitals Impact Community Health
- The Future of the Healthcare Workforce: Educating a New Generation
- Rural Opioid Use: Where We Are and the Path Forward
- Closing Remarks
Innovative local partnerships are needed to create sustainable health improvements in rural communities. The Healthy Hillsboro model has pulled together a community hospital, an academic medical department and a health-focused corporate philanthropy to create community connection, project design and funding needed to successfully move the dial on mental and physical health. Learn how this award-winning project is improving social determinants of health and quality of life in Hillsboro, Illinois, through collaborations with local school districts and community organizations.
The Honorable Eric D. Hargan, former deputy secretary, US Department of Health and Human Services and Dr. Sameer Vohra, Chair, SIU Medicine Department of Population Science and Policy discussed chronic disease, access to care and public policy impacting rural health in Illinois.