Past Symposia

2026 Research in Health Equity Symposium

The 4th Annual Research in Health Equity Symposium brought together more than 200 health care providers, researchers, trainees, and community leaders to exchange expertise and learn how to build partnerships across disciplines and with the community. The 2026 Symposium focused on building sustainable solutions that address community needs and improve health equity.

Keynote speaker Olveen Carrasquillo, MD, MPH, associate dean for Clinical and Translational Research at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, shared his experience co-developing community health worker programs to address conditions such as type 2 diabetes. Community partners shaped research questions, clinical interventions, and the cultural alignment of health education.

Other panel presentations stressed the importance of working across institutions and sectors, from music therapists working with dentists to quell patients’ dental anxiety, to psychiatry residents riding along with law enforcement officers to better understand how they respond to mental health emergencies. A workshop featured research teams composed of University and community researchers, sharing strategies to build sustainable partnerships.

Awardees included:

Best Community Partnership Project
Karina Hiroshige, MD
“Increasing Patient Volume at a Student-Run Free Clinic: 21-Month Follow-Up of a Two-Phase Community Outreach Initiative”

Best Oral Presentation
Drea Hacker
“Adapting Individualized Care Plans for Inpatient Sickle Cell Care (I-PIC)”

Best Poster Presentation
London Smith
“Rochester Outreach Catering Dermatology Education: Outreach and Education Dermatology Initiative Serving Underserved Communities in Rochester, NY”

2025 Research in Health Equity Symposium

The 2025 Symposium brought together more than 200 people to learn about community research and engagement efforts. The event featured a keynote lecture by sickle cell expert Wally Smith, MD, of Virginia Commonwealth University, who also led a panel discussion with local community advocates.

Awardees included:

Best Community Engagement Project
Wyatte Hall, MA, PhD
“Creating Deaf Equity in Behavioral Health Measurement”

Best Oral Presentation
Ashley Jenkins, MD
“We Have to Change How We Interact with the Patient: Comprehensive Sickle Cell Care is the Anchor for Ideal Inpatient Sickle Cell Care”

Best Poster Presentation
Milena Insalaco
“Our Community is Not Appropriately Served: LGBTQ Cancer Survivors and Caregivers Have Suggestions for Providers”

Honorable Mention – Poster Presentation
Laura Perrone, PhD
“UR-Supporting Our Students: Establishing an Expanded School Mental Health Model within the Rochester City School District”

2023 Research in DEI & Healthcare Equity Symposium

The Second Annual DOM Research in DEI & Healthcare Equity Symposium was held on September 29, 2023. The event welcomed more than 150 attendees, including nurses, staff, APPs, social workers, chaplains, trainees, physicians, and community members. This year’s theme was workplace climate and culture, which was present throughout the keynote, a panel session, and many of the posters. 

The day kicked off with a keynote from Monica Vela, MD, FACP, from the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Medicine, titled "Bias in Medicine: How Did We Get Here and Where Do We Go Now?" She addressed the impact of structural racism on bias and culture in medicine. Other projects presented included research in health disparities, anti-racist clinical care, social determinants of health, community engagement, and workforce diversity. A special Lunch and Lecture offered "We Are What We Listen To, the Impact of Music on Individual and Social Health," by Patricia Caicedo, an artist-scholar who is the founder and director of the Barcelona Festival of Song. A Community Organization Panel invited speakers from local groups: Recovery Houses of Rochester, Willow Domestic Violence Center, Hillside Adult Health Homes, and EE Pathways.

Awardees included:

Best Oral Presentation
Suzannah Iadarola, PhD
“Unequal Access to Professional Supporters: The Importance of Peer Navigators to Support Historically Marginalized and Minoritized Families Build Connections and Empowerment with Service Professionals”

Best Project in Climate and Culture
Lavern Sleugh-Sharpe, MS, RN
“The Value of Mentor Training in Preparation of Black Nurses as Healthcare Leaders”

Best Poster
Brooke Levandowski, PhD, MPA
“Why won’t anyone talk? Assessing disinterest in focus group discussions about naming and addressing tokenism in the workplace”

2022 Research in DEI & Healthcare Equity Symposium

The inaugural Department of Medicine DEI & Healthcare Equity Symposium was held on May 24, 2022, with more than 170 attendees participating from across URMC departments and schools.

Hil Malatino, Ph.D., from Penn State University, delivered a keynote on trans care titled “Trans Care Within and Beyond the Healthcare Industry”.  Liz Miller, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, gave the keynote “Centering Community Voices to Promote Thriving and Health Equity” that provided inspiration for furthering URMC’s engagement with the Rochester community. 

Awardees included:

Best Oral Presentation
Al Ogawa, MS4, and Jessica Meyer, MD
“Addressing the Use of Law Enforcement Restraints on Incarcerated Pregnant Individuals”

Best Poster
Jessica Oribabor, MD, MS
“Ramadan Dietary Order Quality Improvement Initiative”

Best LGBTQ+ Project
Al Ogawa, MS4
“Pandemic Narratives of LGBTQ+ Older Adults: Community, Resilience and Grief”