Healthcare Diversity Council to Host Inaugural National Diversity Conference Promoting Equity and Inclusion in the Healthcare Industry

HOUSTON, June 19, 2019 /3BL Media/ The Healthcare Diversity Council, an initiative of the National Diversity Council,  will host an inaugural conference focused on equity in the healthcare system on Wednesday, July 24, 2019 from 7:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at MD Anderson Cancer Center. The 2019 National Healthcare Diversity Conference will engage participants  in conversations focused on equitable practices in the healthcare space on the theme, “Diversity Transcending: Many Faces in the Mission of Inclusion.”

“I am deeply committed to establishing this inaugural conference as the center of future and positive change in the healthcare industry,” said Dennis Kennedy, the Founder and Chairman of the National Diversity Council.

“Our challenges are extraordinary opportunities to assist healthcare organizations to become more inclusive, while strengthening our unwavering commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity in our workplaces,” said Angeles Valenciano, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Diversity Council.

Panels and workshops will be conducted by speakers from healthcare organizations across the nation including Nkem Okafor, the Vice President of Strategy and Planning at Methodist Health System;Delanor Damon Doyle, MD, the Chief Medical Officer of Texas Health Aetna; and Ashley Ridgeway-Washington, the System Director, Human Resources of Christus Health.

The conference will feature a keynote by the President of MD Anderson Cancer Center, Peter W.T. Pisters, MD and a welcome presentation by the Senior Vice President, People and Business Operations at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Shibu Varghese and the Healthcare Diversity Council Board Chairwoman, Dr. Tiffany Love.

“At MD Anderson, we find ourselves being very global in our inclusion strategy with employees in our institution speaking 54 languages on any given day and our patients from all over the world,” said Larry D. Perkins, Ph.D, the Associate Vice President, HR Talent and Diversity at MD Anderson Cancer Center. “It’s important for us to be a part of the national diversity agenda in partnership with the Healthcare Diversity Council and to model the inclusion strategies presented for the world.”

Registration, breakfast and networking will begin at 7:30 a.m., with sessions beginning at 9:00 a.m. Individual ticket cost is $299.00. Registration is currently ongoing and can be completed at: healthcarediversitycouncil.org/hcdc. To learn more information about the event or sponsorship opportunities, please contact kanetra.hights@nationaldiversitycouncil.org.

About the Healthcare Diversity Council

The Healthcare Diversity Council promotes culturally competent care, inclusiveness and equity in healthcare institutions in an increasingly global community. For more information about the Healthcare Diversity Council, visit, healthcarediversitycouncil.org.

Media Contact

​Jasmine Mack
Communications Manager
National Diversity Council
jasmine.mack@nationaldiversitycouncil.org