Course Description:

Caring for our Communities and Climate
This is a challenging time to be a health professional. Whether it's vaccines, healthcare access, affordable healthcare, or decision-making, our ability to care for communities using the best scientific evidence feels increasingly under threat. Institutions are being dismantled, and our patients’ freedom to be healthy is eroded by compounding crises, especially climate change. Many of us are still recovering from a pandemic that tested our resilience and eroded public trust. We feel isolated, burnt out, and disconnected from the purpose that brought us to this work. We and our institutions—face a choice: retreat into narrower definitions of care or reconnect with each other and our shared values of compassion, empathy, integrity, and service. By doing so, we can help society emerge stronger.

This conference is a call to action to embody our shared values. It begins with connection: meeting fellow public health and healthcare professionals from across Wisconsin and growing together. We’ll explore the challenges ahead and the steps we can take to protect the foundations of health—climate change, housing, food, energy, transit, natural resources, clean air and water—and the role of health systems and professionals in advancing solutions. Through panels, case studies, and collaborative discussions, you’ll reconnect to your mission with a blueprint for building community resilience in a warming world.

Rooted in our values and standing with our communities, we can weather the storm of climate change and societal fracture. Bring your ideas and connect with others who care, are curious, and ready to advocate for a healthier future.