It didn’t take long for Yale School of Public Health students Cecil Ehirindu and Cecilia Jiye Lee, co-chairs of the 21stAnnual Yale Health Care Conference, to decide on a central theme for this year’s event. The daylong conference, which takes place on Friday, April 11th, is titled “AI²: Shaping Health with Integrity and Intelligence.”
“Cecil and I sat down and thought about what health care means to us and how our definition intersects with the integration of AI in health care settings,” said Lee, MPH ‘25 (Chronic Disease Epidemiology). “We concluded that artificial intelligence (AI) is not only imperative for innovation, but is also crucial for transforming diagnostics, treatment, public health, and health care management.”
The conference, an annual collaboration between Yale’s Schools of Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health, brings together current and future health care leaders to think, talk, and inspire the future of health care. Over 500 students, distinguished academics, and industry leaders will come together to imagine and discover ideas to improve health care systems.
“This conference is designed to empower leaders and innovators to leverage AI's strengths while navigating its ethical concerns and practical implications,” said Ehirindu, MBA/MPH '27 (Health Care Management), “In addition to AI, we will explore a range of pertinent topics, including mental health, obesity, life sciences, digital health, vaccines, and global health.”
The morning keynote speaker is Andrew Bhak, managing director and head of the health care investment banking group for BMO Capital Markets. Bhak is currently a visiting scholar at the Yale School of Management and he is a member of the Dean’s Leadership Council at the Yale School of Public Health. Bhak will receive this year’s John D. Thompson Distinguished Visiting Fellow Award, which pays tribute to Thompson’s contributions as an educator, researcher, and mentor in health administration, including his pioneering work in health care finance and hospital quality care.
Keynote speaker Andrew Bhak, recipient of the John D. Thompson Distinguished Visiting Fellow Award.
“It is an incredible honor to receive this award,” said Bhak, who attended Yale University for his MPH. “My work as a student with Professor Thompson planted the seed in what became a nearly 30-year career in health care finance. I think that AI’s application in health care is, in many ways, a continuation of Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs) and Professor Thompson’s intent for data to inform health care, albeit with important differences in terms of speed, scale, and funding.”
Faculty members from the schools of medicine, management, and public health, as well as leading health care representatives from the private sector, are scheduled to participate in this year’s conference. Among them are Dr. Megan L. Ranney, MD, MPH, dean of the Yale School of Public Health, Amanda Skinner, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, and Katherine Heilpern, president of Yale New Haven Hospital. The afternoon keynote speaker will be esteemed alumnus Dr. Nneka Mobisson (MPH ‘98, MBA ’04, MD ’05,), co-founder and CEO of mDoc. Dr. Mobisson is at the forefront of revolutionizing health care delivery across Africa.
Breakout sessions will address AI in mental health care, vaccine policy, and balancing AI innovation with risk.
Lee and Ehirindu said they were honored to have the opportunity to lead such a highly respected conference. “Organizing this conference has been an incredibly rewarding journey, particularly as Cecil and I transitioned from undergraduate studies directly into our first role on the logistics and marketing committee, respectively, and now co-chair status,” Lee said. “The most profound reward has come from the personal growth we've experienced and the leadership skills we've developed along the way.”
For Ehirindu, the decision to join the Yale Health Care Conference leadership team was influenced by his previous experience as chair of the Minority Health Sciences Conference during his undergraduate studies. "That role not only offered me profound fulfillment but also sparked my passion for contributing to vital conversations around health equity and the power of mentorship," Ehirindu said.
As a dual degree student pursuing both an MBA and an MPH simultaneously, Ehirindu concedes his academic path can be challenging at times. But he also said the experience has been "the most rewarding part" of his Yale journey.
After graduation, Ehirindu hopes to apply this cross-disciplinary expertise in health strategy roles within leading health care organizations or by spearheading initiatives that leverage cutting-edge technologies like data analytics and AI. "These tools have the potential to revolutionize healthcare systems, making them more efficient and effective," Ehirindu said. "And I am particularly motivated to tackle projects that improve access to care and manage chronic health conditions."
Lee said she became interested in the annual health care conference after taking a health care operations course at the Yale School of Management and realizing the complexities surrounding health care delivery and innovation. "As I became more involved with the conference and immersed myself in its mission to foster dialogue among students, academics, and industry leaders, I felt naturally inspired to take on a greater leadership role," she said.
Lee called her leadership role at the conference "an incredibly rewarding experience" that allowed her to curate meaningful conversations about the potential of artificial intelligence in health care and related concerns about equity and ethics. "Through this leadership role, I was able to bridge public health research with the business sector and gain invaluable insight into health care innovation, delivery, and policy. Most importantly, this leadership experience has truly shaped me in ways no other opportunity could. It has been a defining part of my time at Yale, shaping both my professional perspective and personal growth," Lee said.
An MPH student in the YSPH Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology with a concentration in public health modeling and a focus on implementation science, Lee said that after graduation, she hopes to pursue her passion for implementing evidence-based interventions that utilize cutting-edge technology to improve health outcomes and advance health equity. "Ultimately, I aspire to harness the “intelligence and integrity” of AI innovations to drive meaningful change in public health."
Faculty advisor Dr. Howard Forman, MD, said the student leaders never fail to impress.
“Once again, we are very fortunate to have two amazing co-chairs in Cecil and Cecilia leading this mammoth effort along with the team of students that they have assembled, and an incredibly devoted advisory board made up of alumni and passionate supporters from across the health care, public health, and life sciences industries,” said Forman, a professor of radiology and biomedical imaging, economics, management, and public health (health policy) at Yale.
Ehirindu said the goal of the conference is to offer a nuanced and balanced perspective on how AI can advance health responsibly and sustainably. “We believe the topic is not only timely but also urgent and deeply relevant to the challenges and opportunities of our current era.”