We are currently seeking speakers who are passionate about global health topics, advocacy & health policy, community initiatives, healthcare disparities, and Native American studies. If you have expertise in these areas and are interested in sharing your knowledge, we invite you to join us as a speaker for our upcoming event. Contact us at ghcmidwest@gmail.com
Keynote Speakers 2026
Dr. Shreeya Shrestha, MBBS
Local Stories, Global Impact: Dhulikhel Hospital’s 30-Year Journey of Access and Advocacy
Dr. Shreeya Shrestha, MBBS is a medical doctor and Global Engagement Officer at Dhulikhel Hospital–Kathmandu University Teaching Hospital, Nepal, an institution internationally recognized for its mission of quality healthcare for all through community partnership, academic excellence, and social accountability. At Dhulikhel Hospital, she is actively shaping models of equitable, community-centered healthcare in resource-limited settings. With frontline clinical experience and a growing leadership role in global health systems, her work embodies the intersection of access, advocacy, and accountability in today’s changing global health landscape.
Trained as an MBBS physician, holding a Postgraduate Certificate in Leadership in Medicine from Harvard University, and currently pursuing a Master of Public Health at Creighton University, Dr. Shrestha brings a rare dual perspective, deeply grounded in bedside care and informed by health systems, policy, and leadership training.
In her current role, Dr. Shrestha leads international collaborations, coordinates global health education and exchange programs, and advances quality improvement initiatives aligned with Dhulikhel Hospital’s vision of socially responsible, patient-centered care. She is a strong advocate for community-based healthcare models, with a particular focus on women’s health, mental health, and disaster-resilient systems of care that reach underserved and marginalized populations.
Recognized nationally and internationally for her leadership and social impact, Dr. Shrestha continues to bridge local realities in Nepal with global conversations on equity, access, and justice. Her work challenges global health spaces to move beyond intention toward action rooted in lived experience and community trust.
Dr. Jason Beste MD, MPH
Crossroads in Global Health: Understanding the Past, Navigating USAID Cuts, Shaping the Future
Dr. Jason Beste MD, MPH is an infectious disease and public health specialist who was named the inaugural Executive Director of the Arrupe Global Scholars and Partnerships Program, effective July 1, 2022. Dr. Beste is a two-time graduate from Creighton University receiving an undergraduate degree in the College of Arts and Sciences and his medical degree in the School of Medicine. Dr. Beste completed his residency training in Internal Medicine and Social Medicine at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, NY and an Infectious Disease fellowship and MPH at the University of Washington. Prior to coming to Creighton, Dr. Beste held faculty appointments at Harvard Medical School, the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the Department of Global Health and Division of Allergy and Infectious Disease at the University of Washington. Dr. Beste's expertise is in health systems strengthening with a particular focus on post-conflict health systems. He has worked as the Medical Director and Chief Medical Officer for Partners In Health in Liberia and Malawi and as a global health instructor and researcher for the University of Washington. He has spent the past decade working in a number of global health systems working to promote health equity and improved access to healthcare systems.
Dr. Hans Dethlefs, MD
Chronic Disease: At the Heart of Healthcare Access
Dr. Dethlefs is a family physician working at the OneWorld Community Health Center in Omaha. His undergraduate degree was from Creighton University followed by medical school at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He trained in family practice at the St. Francis Family Practice Program in Wichita, KS. He and his wife Andrea have three adult children and two grandchildren. His international work has included time in Mexico, Honduras, the Philippines, and in the Dominican Republic. He currently serves as the president and medical director of Chronic Care International, which is an Omaha-based nonprofit focused on providing chronic disease care to patients with diabetes and hypertension in developing environments.
Breakout Speakers
Dr. Stephanie J.Y. Hartman, MD
Making the Case for Physician Advocacy Involvement in Soil Health as a Social Determinant of Health
Dr. Stephanie Hartman, MD is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine for the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Dr. Hartman is a native of Missouri and obtained undergraduate degrees in Food Science and Human Nutrition and Biochemistry as well as a Master of Science in Human Nutrition at the University of Missouri, in Columbia, Missouri. She completed her medical education at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and her residency and chief residency in Internal Medicine at Creighton University Medical Center. Before joining UNMC in 2016, she was the Medical Director for Women’s Health of the Nebraska-Western Iowa Veterans Administration.
In clinical practice, she aspires to prevent and reverse diet-related chronic disease with an emphasis on improving food and nutrition for her patients. Her interests in nutrition and preventative health have led her to being involved as a member of the Nutrition Curriculum committee for the College of Medicine and the Community Health Improvement Plan (Nutrition, Physical Activity and Weight) Committee for Nebraska Medicine. She is also a co-preceptor for the Medical Humanities and Arts Enhanced Medical Education Track and personally enjoys engaging in various creative and environmental endeavors, including painting, gardening, and ecological conservation through native prairie restoration.
Dr. Hartman is passionate about health advocacy and is the current Chair of the Health and Human Policy Committee of the Nebraska Chapter of the American College of Physicians and serves as an at-large member on the Board of the Nebraska Medical Association. She was awarded the Nebraska Chapter of the American College of Physicians Advocacy Award in 2023 and the Nebraska Medical Association Advocate of the year in 2024. She is the President of the Metro Omaha Medical Society Foundation Board and is a founding Board Member of the nonprofit Nebraska Alliance for Physician Advocacy. She is especially proud of the collaborative effort with her fellow NAPA board members to produce the “Advocacy is Medicine” podcast beginning in 2023.
Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Scales, PhD, MPH
Public health, epidemiology, and human rights in complex emergencies: Persistent challenges in a rapidly changing global landscape
Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Scales, PhD, MPH, is an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology, where she is also faculty in emergency preparedness academic programs and the Water, Climate, and Health Program. Dr. Scales trained as an infectious disease epidemiologist at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and further specialized in disaster epidemiology at the University of Delaware. She has collaborated on a number of projects with the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (ASED) based in Brussels, Belgium. Her research interests are at the crux of hazards, conflict, and health. Her current research focuses on the use of epidemiologic methods to assess the human-health impacts of extreme events. She is particularly interested in the effects of disasters and conflict on the health of displaced populations. Dr. Scales hopes that her work provides tangible applications for field practitioners and contributes to evidence-informed policy and practice.
Panelist Speakers
Dr. Jennifer L. Jessen, EdD, RN, CNOR, FNAP
Interprofessional Panel on the Impacts of USAID and Global Health Funding Cuts
Dr. Jennifer L. Jessen, EdD, RN, CNOR, FNAP, is an Associate Professor in the College of Nursing at Creighton University. Her scholarship centers on perioperative nursing education, interprofessional education (IPE), and the development of assessment strategies to advance competency-based learning. She holds a Doctor of Education in Health Professions Education and an MSN in Nursing Education from the College of Saint Mary, and a BSN from Creighton University. In addition to teaching, Dr. Jessen leads a special assignment in assessment and accreditation, developing a comprehensive assessment model for undergraduate and graduate nursing programs, aligning student learning outcomes with national standards, and supporting accreditation readiness. She has secured funding for projects on IPE assessment and community-based advance care planning, with work published in Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice and Health, Interprofessional Practice and Education. A Distinguished Fellow of the National Academies of Practice, she is dedicated to preparing collaborative, practice-ready health professionals.
Dr. Angela L. Patterson, OTD, OTR/L, FNAP
Interprofessional Panel on the Impacts of USAID and Global Health Funding Cuts
Angela Patterson, OTD, OTR/L, FNAP is an Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy and Director of the Office of Faculty and Staff Development for the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. She currently serves as the Co-Director for Faculty Development in Creighton’s Center for Interprofessional Practice, Education and Research promoting IPE across 8 health science programs. Dr. Patterson is a board member and volunteer for a local safety net interprofessional healthcare clinic promoting access to occupational therapy for the underserved population. She collaborates with international rehabilitation colleagues on the development and strengthening of the global rehabilitation workforce. Her research and grant projects are coordinated with an interprofessional team completing community participatory research and access to rehabilitation services.
