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More than 120 healthcare executives, policymakers, health insurance leaders, and related stakeholders convened at the University of Saint Joseph in May for The Connecticut Health Council’s Strategic Collaborations for Transformative Healthcare Summit. The event explored how strategic collaboration can drive improved health outcomes and equity across the greater healthcare ecosystem, and specifically in Connecticut.
After welcoming remarks from MetroHartford Alliance President and CEO David Griggs and USJ President Rhona Free, Ph.D., attendees tuned in to the keynote address from SmartRise Health Founder and CEO Vanessa Guzman, who spoke about the intersection of value-based care and health equity.
A policy-focused panel discussion followed, focusing expanding Medicaid’s role in health equity, reducing disparities, and fostering payer-provider community collaboration within Connecticut’s regulatory framework. Among the panelists was Fatmata Williams, DNP’25, MPH, MSN, a recent USJ graduate and Connecticut Deputy Medicaid Director, who had also delivered the graduate student address at Commencement just a few days earlier.
Thank you to the Connecticut Health Council for providing a platform for leaders to discuss evolving strategies and how to work together to create a more equitable healthcare ecosystem in Connecticut.
Ahmed Abdelmageed, Pharm.D., Dean of the School of Pharmacy and PA Studies
A second panel discussed how health plans leverage data-driven strategies, provider partnerships, and public health frameworks to close equity gaps and drive clinical transformation.
The Summit concluded with closing remarks from Connecticut Comptroller Sean Scanlon and Connecticut Health Council Executive Director Tiffany Morrissey.