A Recap of HLC 2024

By: Bhriana Onuoha, Senior Manager, Communications

Last month, over 150 patient organizations, partners of patient organizations, business and industry representatives, and thought leaders networked in the sunny desert of Scottsdale, AZ, for the National Health Council’s (NHC’s) 2024 Health Leadership Conference. This three-day conference was held at Hotel Valley Ho and sessions centered on the theme, The Urgency of Now: “Think Patient. 

The conference kicked off with a conversation on the State of the Sector, where Independent Sector CEO Akilah Watkins, PhD, shared invaluable information as one of the leading voices in the country’s nonprofit community. Great ideas and topics to consider included the importance of thought-diversity, navigating the complexities of multi-generational workplace, and how to manage the current economic dynamics of the nonprofit sector. 

In keeping with the theme, Chief Medical Officer of Amazon Health Services and NHC Board Member Dr. Sunita Mishra talked about increasing transparency and Amazon’s goals in the health care space. A conversation between NHC CEO Randy Rutta and newly named CEO of the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI), highlighted the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care, announcing a partnership between CHAI and the NHC, and how NHC patient organization members can participate in CHAI workstreams, to help ensure AI use in health is patient-centered. 

With three days full of sessions, attendees’ schedules were packed, but there was still time for fun! Many attendees took advantage of on-site massage therapists while others took to exploring the streets of Scottsdale or touring the Museum of the West. There were also myriad of networking opportunities: from sunrise yoga to nighttime and partner networks receptions.  

If you missed the Conference this year, we hope you will join us next year. From Feb. 4-6, 2025, the Health Leadership Conference is headed to Ft. Lauderdale, FL!  

For more detailed information about this event, check out the meeting summary.