This is the schedule for GHCM 2026. Please, feel free to explore our page and learn more about previous conferences and the Great Plains Native American Health Symposium (GPNAHS).
The following schedule may be subject to change.
Session titles will be announced soon. Keynote Session #1 will focus on the science of advocacy, including topics such as environmental advocacy and immigration advocacy. Keynote Session #2 will examine the history of U.S. involvement in international health efforts, the impact of recent funding cuts, and the path forward. Keynote Session #3 will center on cultural narratives in medicine and how stories, identity, and context shape health and care. GPNAHS session topics will also be announced soon.
Friday, February 20
4:30 PM - Check-In & Refreshments Harper Center - 2nd Floor Atrium
5:00 PM - Opening Remarks Dr. Michael G. Kavan, PhD
Associate Dean, Student Affairs, Creighton University School of Medicine
Harper Center - Hixson-Lied Auditorium
5:20 PM - Keynote Speaker #1 Chronic Disease: At the Heart of Healthcare Access
Dr. Hans Dethlefs, MD
President and Medical Director, Chronic Care International
Harper Center - Hixson-Lied Auditorium
6:30 PM - Breakout Sessions
Breakout #1 Making the Case for Physician Advocacy Involvement in Soil Health as a Social Determinant of Health
Dr. Stephanie J.Y. Hartman, M.D.
Assistant Professor, UNMC Division of General Internal Medicine
Harper Center - Hixson-Lied Auditorium
Breakout #2 Public health, epidemiology, and human rights in complex emergencies: Persistent challenges in a rapidly changing global landscape
Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Scales, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor, UNMC Department of Epidemiology
Harper Center - Room 2045
Breakout #3 Title Coming Soon
Dr. Michael A. Greene, MD
Director, Residency Program Department of Family Medicine, Creighton University School of Medicine
Harper Center - Room 2072
7:30 PM - Optional Networking Session
Saturday, February 21
7:30 AM - Check-In & Breakfast Harper Center - 2nd Floor Atrium
8:00 AM - Research Symposium Harper Center - Room 2057/2058
8:00 AM - Community Fair Harper Center - 2nd Floor Atrium
9:30 AM - Opening Remarks Dr. Barbara Engebretsen, Ph.D.
Professor of One Health and Exercise Science, Wayne State College
Harper Center - Hixson-Lied Auditorium
9:35 AM - Podium Presentations Podium presenters will be selected from submitted abstracts following the deadline.
Harper Center - Hixson-Lied Auditorium
10:10 AM - Keynote Speaker #2 Crossroads in Global Health: Understanding the Past, Navigating USAID Cuts, Shaping the Future
Dr. Jason Beste MD, MPH
Executive Director, Arrupe Global Scholars and Partnerships Program; Associate Professor
Creighton University School of Medicine
11:15 AM - Interprofessional Panel Interprofessional Panel on the Impacts of USAID and Global Health Funding Cuts
Moderator Dr. Jason Beste, MD, MPH (Executive Director, Arrupe Global Scholars and Partnerships Program; Associate Professor, Creighton University School of Medicine)
Panelists
Dr. Angela L. Patterson, OTD, OTR/L, FNAP (Associate Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, Creighton University)
Dr. David Brett-Major, MD, MPH (Professor, UNMC Department of Epidemiology)
Dr. Jessica Witt, PharmD, BCACP (Clinical Assistant Professor, UNMC Department of Pharmacy)
Dr. Jennifer L. Jessen, EdD, RN, CNOR, FNAP (Associate Professor, Creighton University College of Nursing)
Harper Center - Hixson-Lied Auditorium
12:20 PM - Lunch and IPE Event Harper Center - 2nd Floor Atrium or Assigned Rooms
1:30 PM - Keynote Speaker #3 Local Stories, Global Impact: Dhulikhel Hospital’s 30-Year Journey of Access and Advocacy
Dr. Shreeya Shrestha, MBBS
Medical Doctor and Global Engagement Officer, Dhulikhel Hospital, Nepal
Harper Center - Hixson-Lied Auditorium
2:35 PM - GPNAHS Panel Session Tribal Health Services in Rural and Urban Areas
Moderator Candace Schmidt (Chair for the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska)
Panelists
Keith Morrow, MHA, MS, ATC (Chief Executive Officer, Ponca Health Services)
Dr. LuAnne Even, PsyD (Chief Behavioral Health Officer, Ponca Health Services)
Dr. Rebecca Lechner, DNP, APRN, FNP-C (Chief Medical Officer, Ponca Health Services)
Rhiannon Pitzl, MS (Chief Operating Officer, Ponca Health Services)
Harper Center - Hixson-Lied Auditorium
3:40 PM - GPNAHS Breakout Sessions
Breakout #1 Title Coming Soon
Dr. Siobhan Wescott, MD, MPH
Dr. Susan and Suzette La Flesche Professor of American Indian Health; Associate Professor, UNMC Department of Health Promotion
Harper Center - Hixson-Lied Auditorium
Breakout #2 Title Coming Soon
Kameron Runnels
Vice Chairman of the Santee Sioux Nation
Harper Center - Room 2045
4:50 PM - Closing Remarks & Research Awards Harper Center - Hixson-Lied Auditorium
