FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 2, 2026
Includes update on latest research between cancer, environmental risk factors
Followed by Sussman lecture on March 12 with photojournalist KC McGinnis
DES MOINES — The Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement today announced that the 2026 Harkin on Wellness Symposium will take place on March 11, at the Olmsted Center at Drake University. This year’s theme, “The Treatment and Prevention of Cancer,” is a timely examination of Iowa’s third consecutive year of having the second highest cancer rates in the nation. The event will explore the comprehensive landscape of cancer care today – from environmental hazards that impact people’s health to lifestyle and clinical interventions that save lives.
This year’s symposium will feature keynote speakers Dr. Ricardo Salvador, co-founder and board member of the HEAL (Health, Environment, Agriculture, Labor) Food Alliance, and Dr. Jesse Bell, a University of Nebraska Medical Center expert on nitrate pollution in drinking water.
Throughout the day-long event, speakers and panelists will highlight challenges and progress in the fight against cancer, with a specific focus on environmental health and lifestyle medicine, and a deep dive into environmental challenges and the role of journalism in public health with reporters from The Washington Post and The Guardian. The event will also honor the 2026 Harkin on Wellness Award recipients who have made significant contributions to the prevention and treatment of cancer.
Building on the institute’s partnership with the Iowa Environmental Council to research Iowa’s alarming cancer rates, the event will include a preview of the upcoming report on cancer and water quality.
Learn more about the 2026 Harkin on Wellness Symposium.
Continuing the discussion about our health and environment, the institute will host the Spring 2026 Sussman lecture on March 12 with photojournalist KC McGinnis for a conversation on his travels across Iowa and the country documenting the complex relationship between people and the environment.
Learn more about the 2026 Spring Sussman lecture.
Media interested in covering either event must RSVP to mandy.mcclure@drake.edu
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
WHAT: The 2026 Harkin on Wellness Symposium: The Treatment and Prevention of Cancer
WHEN: Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. CST
WHO: U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (retired)
Keynote Speaker Dr. Ricardo Salvador, co-founder and board member of the HEAL Food Alliance
Keynote Speaker Dr. Jesse Bell, University of Nebraska Medical Center expert on nitrate pollution in drinking water
National reporters from The Washington Post and The Guardian
Medical professionals, advocates and industry leaders
Harkin on Wellness Award recipients
WHERE: The Olmsted Center at Drake University, Parents Hall
2875 University Ave. Des Moines, IA 50311
Thursday, March 12, 2026
WHAT: The Spring 2026 Sussman Lecture: Social by Nature: Environmental
Photojournalism for a More Hopeful Future
WHEN: Thursday, March 12, 2026, 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. CST
WHO: KC McGinnis, photojournalist and educator
WHERE: The Tom and Ruth Harkin Center
2800 University Ave., Des Moines, IA 50311