Food as Medicine Agenda

Download the Agenda
  • Conference Day 1
  • Conference Day 2
Conference Day 1
8:00 AM CST

Breakfast, Networking and Registration 

Fuel up, connect, and make valuable connections during this networking session – the perfect way to kick off a day of learning and collaboration.

9:00 AM CST

Chair’s Opening Remarks & Keynote Presentation: What’s Next in Consumer Health Trends

  • Rapidly shifting topics: from functional food and food as medicine to the emerging implications of technology-driven personalized nutrition
  • Impact of weight-loss drugs on overall food consumption now and in the future
  • Shifting dietary behaviors, such as the consumer trend for protein in new forms across the store
  • Changing consumer demands: from health equity to new requirements around longevity

Sherry Frey, Vice President, Total Wellness, NielsenIQ

9:30 AM CST

Keynote Panel with Open Q&A: Framing Food as Medicine: A Storytelling Perspective 

  • What narratives have effectively framed food as medicine, and how can we leverage them to engage diverse stakeholders in advancing this paradigm
  • How can we enhance our communication of the opportunities within the Food as Medicine movement, particularly when engaging with leadership?
  • From a storytelling perspective, how do we effectively convey the promise of food as medicine to the individuals and communities it serves?

Moderated by: Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

Stacey Krawczyk, MS, RD, Director of Nutrition & Wellness, American Diabetes Association

Pamela Schwartz, MPH, Executive Director, Community Health, Office of Community Health, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals 

Tambra Raye Stevenson, Founder and CEO, WANDA

Kofi Essel, MD, MPH, FAAP, Food as Medicine Program Director, Elevance Health 

Melanie Hall, MS, RD, Director, Wellbeing and Regulatory, Kellanova

John R. Lumpkin, MD, MPH, President, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, Vice President, Drivers of Health Strategy, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina

10:30 AM CST

Morning Refreshments & Expo Tour 

Energize your morning and foster valuable connections at the morning refreshment break. This is your chance to kick off the conference by building new relationships and sharing ideas in a welcoming atmosphere. Take a look around our expo booths to trial and demo their offerings. 

11:15 AM CST

Presentation: Food as Medicine in Action: Hippocrates Goes High Tech

  • Digital tools can precisely identify foods that align with multiple and complex diet-related chronic conditions
  • This technology allows for scalable, customizable, and person-centered Food as Medicine interventions and programs
  • Real-world examples of how this technology is being using to modernize the delivery of Food as Medicine

Jessica Tea, MBA, RDN, Senior Nutrition Specialist, Sifter Solutions 

11:40 AM CST

Fireside Chat: Maximizing the Opportunity for Food as Health

Ken Erickson, CEO & Founder, IQPay 

Susan Bratton, CEO & Founder, Savor Health

Steven Jennings, Stakeholder Relations & Brand Lead, Health & Sustainability & Founder, Ahold Delhaize USA

12:10 PM

Panel Discussion with Open Q&A: Demonstrating the Value of Food as Medicine for Healthcare and the Food Industry 

  • What is the value of elevating Food as Medicine approaches in healthcare and retail? 
  • How can Food as Medicine approaches improve health outcomes for patients and consumers? 
  • What is stopping the food industry from fully buying into this movement, and how do we overcome this? 
  • What is it going to take to have buy-in from all relevant stakeholders to the Food as Medicine movement?

Shelley Turk, Divisional Senior Vice President, Illinois Health Care Delivery, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois 

Adam M. Ameele, PsyD, DipACLM, Director of Behavioral Health and Lifestyle Medicine, North Star Health 

Mark Walker, Chairman and CEO, Performance Kitchen

Jeff Zachwieja, PhD, Senior Director Global R&D Nutrition Sciences, PepsiCo 

Dwight Schultheis, Director, Instacart Health 

12:55 PM CST

Lunch & Networking 

Recharge and connect during the lunchtime networking break. Enjoy a satisfying meal while engaging in enriching conversations with your peers. Use this opportunity to nourish both your body and network in a relaxed and inclusive setting.

2:00 PM
Panel Discussion with Open Q&A: From Pantry to Prescription: Connecting Food and Health in an Applicable and Meaningful Way
  • How can we create a cohesive and connected experience for customers and patients?
  • How can we bring healthy food to patients and consumers at scale?
  • How can we bring in and nudge other stakeholders (such as CPGs, health plans, CBOs etc) to engage with the Food as Medicine movement? 
  • What is the risk of not acting, not only in terms of investment but also health outcomes?

Sarah Elizabeth Morrow, Program Director, Clinical-Community Programs, UPMC Health Plan

Brad Moore MD, MPH, FACP, Dip.ABLM, Associate Professor of Medicine and of Health Policy, The George Washington University, Director Lifestyle Medicine Program, The GW Medical Faculty Associates

Allison Delaney, MS, RD, LDN, Director of Healthy Living, Stop & Shop 

Julia Koprak, Director of Incentives, Healthcare and Policy, The Food Trust  

Suzanne Lewis, MS, RDN, CDCES, Clinical Dietitian Specialist & Nutrition Security Patient Pillar, Intermountain Health

Bradd Williams, Chief Development Officer, Homestyle Direct

Discussion: The Changing Landscape of Food as Medicine Pilots - Where we are and Where we are Going 

This interactive discussion will dive into:

  • What evidence is needed to demonstrate the value of these programs and get these pilots off the ground? 
  • How can you navigate finding the right partner to push towards your goals? 
  • What infrastructure and partnerships are required to implement and scale Food as Medicine pilot programs? 
  • What is the future for pilot programs, and how can we push forward to scale these? 

Moderated by: Jonathan Smiga, Managing Partner, KEEN Growth Capital

Shaune Lancit, Director, Community Engagement, WellCare of North Carolina

Lori Taylor, Drivers of Health Program Lead, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina

Jessica Rigler, Staff Vice President, Population Health and Innovation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona

Rhodes Amaker, CEO, Sylvan Health

2:45 PM CST
Discussion: Making Healthy Choices Easy for Patients and Consumers 

This interactive discussion will dive into:  

  • How can we increase access and affordability to healthy foods? What partnerships are required to increase resources and reach underserved populations? 
  • How can we guide consumers to make healthy choices? What education is required to change the behavior of consumers? 
  • What resonates with consumers? How can we increase our understanding of their needs to ensure we are meeting them where they are in their health journey? 
  • How can we leverage RDNs to build trust and loyalty in our community? 

Nancy Dalton, SHRM-SCP, Head of Marketing and Community Partnerships, Amazon Consumables

Kerry Hackworth, MS, RD, LDN, Director, Nutrition Affairs, National Dairy Council

Jill Davis, MSN, RN CCM, Director, Disease and Case Management, and Clinical Education, HealthPartners

Scarlet Soriano, MD, ABOIM, Executive Director, Duke Health and Well-Being, Duke University Health System 

Krista Yoder, COO, Eat Ahara 

Linda Novick O’Keefe, CEO, Common Threads

Discussion: Unlocking Funding and Expanding Coverage for Food as Medicine Programs 

This interactive discussion will dive into:

  • What is the current landscape for funding and reimbursement for Food as Medicine initiatives? 
  • What are the different funding options and pathways for Food as Medicine approaches?
  • What are the pros and cons for each of these options?
  • What evidence is needed to secure funding for these approaches? 

Holly Freishtat, Senior Director of Feeding Change, Milken Institute

Erica David-Park, MD, MBA, Market Chief Medical Officer, Community Health Choices, AmeriHealth Caritas

3:35 PM CST

Afternoon Refreshments

Recharge your energy and make meaningful connections during this refreshment break. Grab a refreshment and engage in valuable conversations with fellow attendees. This is the perfect opportunity to foster new relationships and exchange ideas.

4:15 PM CST

Presentation: To be Announced 

Ken Neumann, Founder and CEO, Youtopia

4:40 PM

Presentation: To be Announced 

Season Health

4:55 PM CST

Closing Panel Discussion with Open Q&A: The Power of Partnerships in the Food as Medicine Movement  

  • What would an ideal partner look like to you? What kind of information or evidence are you looking for from your partners? 
  • Speaking the language of your partners: how can you understand and work with the constraints of your partner to ensure you are working with each other rather than against each other?
  • What partnerships are key to expanding access and affordability to healthy foods for all populations? 
  • Fostering collaboration will be key to scaling Food as Medicine approaches. How can we create more integration between all players of the ecosystem?

Moderated by: Martin Tull, Senior Deputy Director, Strategy, Innovation and Development, ACLM

Shreela Sharma, PhD, RD, LD, Director, Center for Health Equity, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health

Austin Price, Director, Stakeholder Engagement and Impact, Social Determinants of Health, Highmark Health 

Leslie Jefferson, MS, CNS, LDN, MBA, CISM, Community Health Program Manager, Giant Food 

Elise August, MPH, Manager of Health Systems Innovation, Feeding America

5:40 PM CST

Chair’s Closing Remarks

Sherry Frey, Vice President, Total Wellness, NielsenIQ

 

5:45 PM CST

Drinks Reception

A 1.5 hr networking drinks reception, kindly hosted by NielsenIQ.

Close of Day 1 

Download the Agenda
Conference Day 2
8:00 AM CST

Breakfast, Networking and Registration 

Fuel up, connect, and make valuable connections during this networking session – the perfect way to kick off a day of learning and collaboration.

9:00 AM CST

Chair’s Opening Remarks

Sherry Frey, Vice President, Total Wellness, NielsenIQ

9:10 AM CST

Fireside Chat with Open Q&A: Power Packed Partners: Community-based Organizations in Healthy Food Rx Programs  

Moderated by: Valerie Stewart, MBA, Director, Capacity Building and Leadership for Healthy Communities, Blue Cross NC Foundation

Donyel Barber, Director of Equity Initiatives, Kintegra Health & Highland Neighborhood Association/RAMS Kitchen  

Henry Crews, Founder, Green Rural Redevelopment Organization

9:40 AM CTS

Panel Discussion with Open Q&A: Working with Policy Makers to Drive Change and Advance the Movement 

  • How is each stakeholder working with policy makers?
  • What policies are available and how can each stakeholder take advantage of them to advance their Food as Medicine efforts?
  • What policies are still needed to drive the movement? What policies are required to ensure the movement is sustainable long-term? 
  • How can we continue to inspire change, policies and investment in Food as Medicine approaches? 

Megan Bowman, MS, RD, National Nutrition Food Security Program Coordinator, VHA Food Security Program Office 

Michael Cabonagri, Regional Director, Great Lakes Region – Region V, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Sandra MacMartin, Public Affairs Specialist, United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service

10:10 AM CST

Morning Refreshments

11:00 AM CST

Presentation: Using Culture to Inform Nutrition Programming 

Akua Kathy Woolbright, PhD, Global Nutrition Program Director, Whole Foods Market

11:25 AM

Lightning Talk: Nourishing the Food as Medicine Movement: The Role of Health Professionals as Change Agents 

Stephen Devries, MD, Preventive Cardiologist, Executive Director, Gaples Institute Nutrition and Lifestyle Education; Adjunct Associate Professor of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

11:40 AM CST

Panel Discussion with Open Q&A: Transforming the System to Scale Food as Medicine Approaches

  • How can we create Food as Medicine programs at scale, suitable for all populations?
  • What do we still need to do to scale sustainable Food as Medicine programs? What gaps do we have? 
  • What partnerships can we lean into the scale Food as Medicine and increase access to healthy food? 
  • Defining clear standards, processes and outcomes measures will be key in improving interoperability and therefore scaling Food as Medicine. What needs to be done and how do we get there? 
  • What do you hope the Food as Medicine movement will look like in five years, and what will it take to get there? 

Angie Kalousek Ebrahimi, Senior Director, Lifestyle Medicine, Blue Shield of California

Wesley McWhorter, DrPH, MS, RDN, LD, CSCS, Vice President, Lifestyle Medicine, Suvida Healthcare

AK Kritt, RD, LDN, Community Nutrition Coordinator, Endeavor Health

Gideon Adams, VP – Community Health & Engagement, Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina

Randi Shubin Dresner, President and CEO,Island Harvest Food Bank

12:25 PM CST

Chair’s Closing Remarks

Sherry Frey, Vice President, Total Wellness, NielsenIQ

Close of Day 2

Download the Agenda