Public Health at WashU Annual Conference
Monday, October 23 | 5-8 p.m. | Graham Chapel, Danforth Campus
Tuesday, October 24 | 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. | Eric P. Newman Education Center, Medical Campus
This year, the Public Health at WashU Annual Conference—Focusing on the Public in Public Health: Strengthening public health through community engagement & collaboration across disciplines—will focus on vital public health-related collaboration between the university and our community; collaboration with state, regional and local leaders on critical public health issues; and the outstanding public health work conducted by faculty, staff and students across all eight schools at Washington University in St. Louis.

Following in the 16-year tradition of the Institute for Public Health Annual Conference bringing together the existing strengths of public health in our university, community and region, the 2023 conference is a collaborative effort between Office of the Provost, WashU’s strategic vision Here and Next, and the Institute for Public Health.
Monday, October 23 | 5-8 p.m.
Join us in Graham Chapel on the Washington University Danforth Campus for a keynote, discussion and reception. Hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be provided. Registration is strongly encouraged.
More details to come. Times are tentative and subject to change.
5:00 p.m. | Check-in opens |
5:30 p.m. | Welcome, theme introduction and university announcements |
5:45 p.m. | Keynote presentation from Darrell Gaskin, PhD, MS |
6:25 p.m. | Discussion |
6:55 p.m. | Closing remarks |
7:00 p.m. | Reception |
8:00 p.m. | Event Close |

Darrell J. Gaskin, PhD, MS, is the William C. and Nancy F. Richardson Professor in Health Policy and Director of the Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Gaskin is a health services researcher and health economist. He is an internationally recognized expert in health and healthcare disparities. He seeks to identify and understand how contextual factors influence access to care, quality of care and health outcomes for minority, low socioeconomic status, and other vulnerable populations. His research strives to develop and promulgate policies and practices that address the social determinants of health and promote equity in health and well-being.
Dr. Gaskin is an international leader in health policy. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. He is a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. He serves on the Congressional Budget Office Panel of Health Advisors and the Board of Directors of the American Society of Health Economists. He has served in leadership roles in AcademyHealth, the American Public Health Association, the National Academy for State Health Policy, and the National Economics Association. He is a member of Maryland Department of Health’s Advisory Committee on Minority Health and the Maryland Health Equity Policy Committee. He is a 2019 recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.
Dr. Gaskin has a Ph.D. in public health economics from the Johns Hopkins University. He holds a MS degree in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a BA degree in economics from Brandeis University.
Free parking is available in any yellow permit spot after 5 p.m.
We recommend that couples and their guests access one of the following parking locations below. Please review parking guidelines.
- Danforth University Center (DUC) Garage located under the Danforth University Center at 6475 Forsyth Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63015; OR,
- The Simon Hall surface parking lot – located just south of Simon Hall. For GPS mapping, use the address for the Danforth University Center: 6475 Forsyth Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63105
For GPS mapping, use the address for the Danforth University Center: 6475 Forsyth Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63105.
Tuesday, October 24 | 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Join us at the Eric P. Newman Education Center on the Washington University Medical Campus for a keynote presentation by a nationally-known public health expert. The conference will include panel discussions with community and university public health professionals, community and university exhibits, and a poster session. Light fare and beverages will be provided. Registration is strongly encouraged.
More details to come. Times are tentative and subject to change.
8:00 a.m. | Check-in opens |
8:30 a.m. | Welcome and updates |
9:00 a.m. | Keynote presentation from Sandro Galea, MD, MPH, DrPH |
9:45 a.m. | Q&A |
10:00 a.m | Break |
10:15 a.m. | Panel | Leveraging Community Collaboration & Research to Achieve Equitable Public Health |
11:15 a.m. | Panel | Public Health as a Cross-Disciplinary & Equitable Endeavor: Essential Needs & Concepts |
12:15 p.m. | Closing remarks |
12:30 p.m. | Lunch, exhibitors and poster session |
1:30 p.m. | Event close |

Sandro Galea, MD, MPH, DrPH — a physician, epidemiologist, and author — is dean and Robert A. Knox Professor at Boston University School of Public Health. He previously held academic and leadership positions at Columbia University, the University of Michigan, and the New York Academy of Medicine.
He has published extensively in the peer-reviewed literature, and is a regular contributor to a range of public media, about the social causes of health, mental health, and the consequences of trauma. He has been listed as one of the most widely cited scholars in the social sciences.
He is past chair of the board of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health and past president of the Society for Epidemiologic Research and of the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. Galea has received several lifetime achievement awards. Galea holds a medical degree from the University of Toronto, graduate degrees from Harvard University and Columbia University, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Glasgow.
The Eric P. Newman Education Center (EPNEC) is located at 320 S Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO.
Those utilizing public transportation can access EPNEC from the Central West End Metrolink station or transit center (by bus). Use the Metro Trip Planner.
Upon arriving, please utilize levels 6-7 of the Metro Parking Garage located at the corner of Taylor Avenue and Nash Way [formerly Children’s Place]. The garage address is 4560 Nash Way [formerly Children’s Place], St. Louis, MO 63110. Go to level 3 to enter into the pedestrian walkway. Press handicap button to open the door. Turn left into the walkway. Make the first right (past Kaldi’s Coffee). Walk a short distance, and you will enter EPNEC at the 2nd level.
Parking validations for the Metro Parking Garage will be provided for non-WashU and non-BJC attendees only.
Watch for additional details to be released soon. Subscribe to our newsletter and continue to visit this page for all the latest information.
We invite WashU and community organizations to exhibit promotional information as part of our Public Health at WashU Conference — Focusing on the Public in Public Health: Strengthening public health through community engagement & collaboration across disciplines.
Due to limited space, we may not be able to accept all who apply. Preference will be given to those who submit early and whose work applies to our conference theme. Please complete the exhibitor form by Sunday, October 8. Applicants will be notified on a rolling basis.
Exhibiting will take place from 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on October 24, 2023 at the Eric P. Newman Education Center on the Washington University Medical Campus. Attendees will be able to visit with exhibitors prior to the conference start (8-8:30 a.m.), during the break (10-10:15 a.m.), and during the post-program networking and poster session (12:30-1:30 p.m.). You will need to have someone at your table during these times.
We invite students, scholars, faculty, community organization members, and more to submit poster abstracts that relate to public health topics or the theme of our conference—Focusing on the Public in Public Health: Strengthening public health through community engagement & collaboration across disciplines.
Upon acceptance, authors are required to fulfill the following:
- Confirm poster title and authors
- Provide PDF of your poster
- Have your poster on display at the Eric P. Newman Education Center by 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 24
- Have someone available to discuss your poster during the poster session from 12:30-1:30 p.m.
The submission deadline has been extended to Friday, September 29. Applicants will be notified by October 6.
If you have any accessibility needs, please contact Emily Hickner at ehickner@wustl.edu. We need to be notified at least five business days prior to the event to guarantee accommodation for interpretation and CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) services.