Harkin on Wellness Symposium

2021 Harkin On Wellness Symposium

March 8-9, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. CST

This year’s symposium will explore how food is medicine to our bodies, society, economy and environment. “Food is Medicine” solutions promote better wellbeing and lower health care costs, create resilient and sustainable practices, reduce disparities among population groups, improve economic competitiveness and lead to greater national security. Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, dean of the renowned Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University, will deliver the keynote speech. Dr. Mozaffarian is a cardiologist, nutrition scientist and public health advocate who was named one of the World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds by Thomson Reuters in 2016.

Agenda

The 2021 HOW Symposium will be available to stream on demand after the event. Please note, it may take several days to format and upload content after the symposium. All times presented are in Central Standard Time (CST).

Day 1: Monday, March 8, 2021

Day 2: Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Keynote Speakers

Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH,

Dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy, Tufts University

Dariush Mozaffarian is a cardiologist, Dean and Jean Mayer Professor at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and Professor of Medicine at Tufts Medical School. As one of the top nutrition institutions in the world, the Friedman School’s mission is to produce trusted science, future leaders, and real-world impact. Dr. Mozaffarian has authored more than 400 scientific publications on dietary priorities for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, and on evidence-based policy approaches to reduce these burdens in the US and globally. He has served in numerous advisory roles including for the US and Canadian governments, American Heart Association, World Health Organization, and United Nations. His work has been featured in a wide array of media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, and Time Magazine. In 2016, Thomson Reuters named him as one of the World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds. Dr. Mozaffarian received a BS in biological sciences at Stanford (Phi Beta Kappa), MD at Columbia (Alpha Omega Alpha), residency training in internal medicine at Stanford, and fellowship training in cardiovascular medicine at the University of Washington. He also received an MPH from the University of Washington and a Doctorate in Public Health from Harvard. Before being appointed as Dean at Tufts in 2014, Dr. Mozaffarian was at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health for a decade and clinically active in cardiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is married, has three children, and actively trains as a Third Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. The Friedman School pursues cutting-edge research, education, and public impact across five Divisions, a cross-divisional Center, and multiple academic programs. Areas of focus range from cell to society, including: molecular nutrition, human metabolism and clinical trials, nutrition data science, behavior change, community and organizational interventions, communication and media, agriculture, food systems, and sustainability, hunger and food security, humanitarian crisis, and food policy and economics. Friedman School graduates are leaders in academia, US and international government, policy, advocacy, industry, public health, community service, and entrepreneurship. The school’s unique breadth, engagement with the world, and entrepreneurial spirit make it a leading institution for nutrition education, research, and public impact.

Edward P. Ehlinger, MD, MSPH

Dr. Edward Ehlinger is a public health metaphysician who has spent his professional career working in various settings to advance health equity and optimal health for all.  He has Integrated the values, practices, and approaches of medical care, public health, community building, and social justice in his work as a Senior Assistant Surgeon with the National Health Service Corps, Director of Maternal and Child Health at the Minneapolis Health Department, Director and Chief Health Officer at Boynton Health Service at the University of Minnesota, and Commissioner of Health at the Minnesota Department of Health.  He currently chairs the federal HHS Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality, serves on several boards, provides coaching for the National Leadership Academy for Public Health, and consults and speaks on public health and community-building issues locally and nationally. Dr. Ehlinger received his BA degree in English and his MD degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and his Master of Science in Public Health degree from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.  He is a Fellow of the American College Health Association, a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar, and a Bush Fellow.  He is board certified in internal medicine and pediatrics and is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota.  He is a past president of the Minnesota Public Health Association, the North Central College Health Association, the Twin Cities Medical Society, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and the first board chair of CityMatCH.

Speakers

Alyssa Auvinen

Project Director, Washington State Department of Health

Alyssa Auvinen is manages the Washington State Department of Health’s Fruit and Vegetable Incentive program, which includes fruit and vegetable prescriptions. In her role, she collaborates with farmers markets, grocery stores, health systems, and a network of state and local organizations invested in food access and agriculture. Prior to working at DOH, Alyssa was a CDC Public Health Associate at a county health department in Montana. Alyssa is a current graduate student at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health part-time Master in Public Health program, where she is Bloomberg Fellow with a focus on obesity and the food system. She hopes to graduate in August. Alyssa received her undergraduate degree in public health from the University of Washington.

Michael Roberts, Esq.,

Executive Director of the Resnick Center for Food Law and Policy, UCLA

Michael T. Roberts is the founding Executive Director of the Resnick Center for Food Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law. He is well versed in a broad range of legal and policy issues from farm to fork in local, national, and global food supply systems. He has authored the first major treatise on food law, titled, Food Law in the United States, published by Cambridge University Press. He is also co-editor of Food Law & Policy, a new casebook published by Wolters Kluwer. He has also written several other chapters, articles, and papers on food law topics. Roberts is actively involved in the development of food law and policy. He has lectured on food-law subjects at law schools and conferences in a number of countries. He is a Research Fellow for Renmin University School of Law’s Center for Coordination and Innovation for Food Safety. He is an Adjunct Professor of Law for East China University of Science and Technology (Shanghai), where he lectures annually on food law topics. In addition to working with the Advisory Board for the Resnick Center, Roberts serves on various boards related to food law and policy. He is member of the Board of Directors for the newly established non-profit, Feed the Truth organization. He is also a founding board member and historian for the Academy for Food Law and Policy and on the  advisory board for the World Food Law Institute. Roberts teaches two courses at UCLA Law: Introduction to Food Law and Policy (for second and third year law students) and Historical Perspective: The Role of Law in the Pursuit of a Moral Food System (a “modes” class for first year law students).