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Overview
The US health care system continues to reckon with deep-rooted inequities that disproportionately impact millions of people. From oral health to maternal health to mental health, in recent years, we’ve made notable progress in identifying root causes of disparities, measuring the true impact of inequity, and advancing antiracist initiatives and policies that seek to eliminate these disparities and transform lives.
While this progress is critical, we know it is not enough. We must remain committed to achieving health equity, especially through times of political change.
Today, we bring together community leaders, industry experts, and Congressional policymakers to discuss the opportunities and challenges ahead and reaffirm our commitment to advancing positive change.
Featured Speakers
Myechia Minter-Jordan, MD, MBA
Senior Advisor, CareQuest Institute for Oral Health
Myechia Minter-Jordan, MD, MBA, serves as a Senior Advisor for CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. Myechia plays a key role in shaping strategic initiatives aimed at improving oral health through advocacy, policy development, and philanthropic efforts. Prior to her current role, Myechia served as President and CEO of the organization from 2021-2024. Under Myechia's leadership, CareQuest Institute awarded more than $70 million to organizations that are advancing equity through oral health. She spearheaded efforts to integrate medical and dental care and elevated community voices to improve health equity. In the spring of 2024, she testified before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) about the dental care crisis in America.
Before joining CareQuest Institute, Myechia served as chief medical officer and CEO of the Dimock Center, one of the largest community health centers in Massachusetts. Myechia also serves on several boards and committees, including BlueShield of California, Yawkey Foundation, Penn Dental Medicine, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
Myechia earned her doctor of medicine degree from Brown University School of Medicine and a master of business administration degree from Johns Hopkins University Carey School of Business. She also received honorary doctorates from Northeastern University and Newbury College.
Nicole Austin-Hillery
President & CEO, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
Nicole Austin-Hillery serves as the President & CEO at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF). In this role, Austin-Hillery will lead and inspire a team of high-performing leaders and staff as they create and implement plans to carry out the organization’s mission and achieve strategic goals. Prior to joining to the CBCF, Austin-Hillery led Human Rights Watch’s efforts to end violations in abusive systems within the United States. Her work focused on addressing and combatting systemic racism, improving the U.S. immigration system, tackling rights problems within the domestic criminal justice system and advocating for policies to address poverty and inequality informed by international human rights standards.
Prior to joining Human Rights Watch, Austin-Hillery was the first Director and Counsel of The Brennan Center’s Washington, D.C. office. At the Brennan Center, she oversaw the growth and development of the Center’s advocacy and policy development work in Washington and served as its chief representative before Congress and the Executive Branch. Prior to her time at the Brennan Center, Austin-Hillery litigated at the law firm of Mehri & Skalet, PLLC as part of the firm's civil rights employment class action practice and as the George N. Lindsay Civil Rights Law Fellow at the national office of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in Washington, D.C. where she focused on housing litigation and policy.
With Special Guests
Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14)
Congresswoman Lauren Underwood serves Illinois’ 14th Congressional District and was first sworn into Congress on January 3, 2019. She is the first woman, the first person of color, and the first millennial to represent her community in Congress. Rep. Underwood is a registered nurse and co-founder and co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, which addresses America’s Black Maternal Health crisis in Congress and advances policy solutions to improve maternal health outcomes and end disparities. Rep. Underwood is Co-Chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee and serves on the House Committee on Appropriations.
Congresswoman Katherine Clark (MA-5)
Since 2013, Katherine Clark has proudly represented Massachusetts’ vibrant Fifth District, which stretches from the coastal communities of Revere and Winthrop through the northern Boston suburbs to the thriving towns of MetroWest. In the fall of 2022, Clark was elected by her colleagues to serve as Democratic Whip – the second most senior position in the House Democratic Caucus. She previously served as Assistant Speaker of the House, as Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, and as a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. One of only two women to ever serve as Whip, she currently has the distinction of being the highest-ranking woman in Congressional leadership.
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell
On January 18, 2023, Andrea Joy Campbell was sworn in to be the 45th Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, pledging to build economic prosperity and stability for all residents, prioritize the mental health and well-being of children, stop cycles of incarceration and violence and ensure the people across the state have access to the AG's Office regardless of their zip code, language or ability.
Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester
Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester represents Delaware in the U.S. House of Representatives and serves as an Assistant Whip for House Leadership. Lisa sits on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The committee has broad jurisdiction over health care, the environment, commerce and trade, energy policy, telecommunications, manufacturing, and consumer protection. As the Energy and Commerce Committee’s only former statewide health official, Lisa understands health care from a number of different perspectives – as an implementer at the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, negotiator while serving as State Personnel Director, and advocate as CEO of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League.
Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-3)
Congresswoman Joyce Beatty is a native Ohioan with a strong history of connecting people, policy, and politics to make a difference. Since 2013, Beatty has proudly represented Ohio’s Third Congressional District. In the 117th Congress, Beatty served as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. In the 118th Congress, Beatty serves on the exclusive House Committee on Financial Services as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions. The Financial Services Committee oversees the entire financial services industry, including the nation’s banking, securities, insurance, and housing industries, as well as the work of the Federal Reserve, the United States Department of the Treasury, and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
Congressman Gabe Amo (RI-1)
Congressman Gabe Amo proudly represents Rhode Island’s First District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman Amo has spent most of his career in public service in Rhode Island and Washington, D.C. In the Biden White House, he served as Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, where he worked as the principal liaison to mayors and local elected officials. In that role, he connected state and local leaders across the country with the federal resources made available to them through historic legislation like the American Rescue Plan, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and Inflation Reduction Act. He also coordinated responses to major national crises including gun violence, extreme weather, and public health emergencies.
Event Sponsors
CareQuest Institute for Oral Health® is a national nonprofit championing a more equitable future where every person can reach their full potential through excellent health. CareQuest Institute does this through their work in philanthropy, analytics and data insights, health transformation, policy and advocacy, and education as well as their leadership in dental benefits and innovation advancements. CareQuest Institute collaborates with thought leaders, health care providers, patients, and local, state, and federal stakeholders, to accelerate oral health care transformation and create a system designed for everyone.
The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) is a non-profit public policy research and educational institute founded in 1976. For more than four decades, CBCF’s programs and events have supported our focus on eliminating health, economic, and education disparities impacting the global Black community.
CBCF’s mission is to advance the global Black community by developing leaders, informing policy, and educating the public. CBCF is achieving its mission by: facilitating the exchange of ideas and information to address critical issues affecting our communities; providing leadership development and scholarship opportunities to educate the next generation of leaders; promoting public health and financial empowerment for all communities through innovative programs; and developing strategic research and historical resources for the public, academics, educators, and students. To learn more, visit cbcfinc.org.