Leadership Development to Advance Equity in Health Care
Program Overview
Date: November 17–20, 2026
Modality: Live Online
Certificate of Specialization eligibility:
Advance Health Equity for All
Develop and refine your leadership skills through a health equity lens in this online program. You’ll examine how racism and unconscious assumptions, structural faults in the health care system, and avoidable differences in the drivers of health shape outcomes—and how leaders can sustain action over the long term. In particular, you will:
- Analyze factors impacting patients and health care providers—identity, “minority tax,” imposter syndrome, unconscious assumptions, work-life integration, and secondary stress—through a systems lens, using practical equity decision questions to surface benefits and burdens
- Examine how policies, incentives, and resource allocation can disadvantage populations made most vulnerable—and learn to center their needs in decisions
- Strengthen your ability to lead equity-centered conversations using shared values and plain language (not jargon) to align stakeholders across roles and sectors
Program Details
- Deepen your knowledge of health equity to include social determinants and root causes—and how historical factors and policy agendas shape power and produce unfair gaps
- Learn how to address complex topics like microaggressions, tokenism, the “Diversity Tax,” and more to identify specific, tangible opportunities to operationalize strategies to advance health equity in your work or practice
- Apply innovative leadership frameworks—adaptive, authentic, and transformational—to make substantial and lasting change in an organization
- Strengthen your change-management toolkit: analyze major drivers of organizational change, communicate equity using shared values across sectors, and make managerial decisions informed by data and metrics
- Examine personal and professional challenges of sustaining this work—work/life integration, leadership responsibilities, and career aspirations
- Learn from leading clinicians and scholars, including Dr. Joan Reede, Dean for Diversity and Community Partnership at Harvard Medical School, and Dr. David Williams, a globally recognized expert on social influences on health
- Develop leadership skills for creating positive change in your organization’s policies, practices, and delivery of health care—and for managing resistance to change
- Gain actionable steps to make a collective impact by centering those with the worst outcomes, engaging community partners, and building trusted external partnerships
- Enjoy dynamic and interactive sessions in a personal environment with expert faculty
- Foster personal and organizational growth through small-group discussions with like-minded peers across the health care system
- Build meaningful relationships with a community of colleagues to sustain your journey beyond the course
Program Outcomes
After you complete this dynamic leadership development program, you will:
- Understand how you fit into your organization’s staffing and know how to identify allies, mentors, and partners who can help you transform your organization from within
- Have a deep understanding of the bias that negatively impacts health equity and its history in the American healthcare system
- Be empowered to facilitate crucial conversations around health equity that can affect change in your organization and community
Program Logistics
All Times are Eastern Time (ET).
| Tuesday, November 17, 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 10:00–11:30 am | Forming and Norming for Health Equity | |
| 11:30–11:45 am | Break | |
| 11:45 am–12:15 pm | Breakout Groups | |
| 12:15–12:45 pm | Lunch Break | |
| 12:45–2:15 pm | Art & Practice of Leadership | |
| 2:15–2:30 pm | Break | |
| 2:30–4:30 pm | Road to Implementation: Process Improvement, Alignment and Communication | Wednesday, November 18, 2026 |
| 9:30–10:00 am | Optional Coffee Chat | |
| 10:00–11:30 am | Understanding Current US Policy | |
| 11:45 am–12:15 pm | Breakout Groups | |
| 12:15–12:45 pm | Lunch Break | |
| 12:45–2:15 pm | Leading Organizational Teams: Case Studies | |
| 2:15–2:30 pm | Break | |
| 2:30–3:30 pm | Leading Organizational Teams: Case Studies | Thursday, November 19, 2026 |
| 9:30–10:00 am | Optional Coffee Chat | |
| 10:00–11:30 am | Public Narrative for Equity | |
| 11:30–11:45 am | Break | |
| 11:45 am–1:00 pm | Health Equity Leadership: Prioritizing and Creating Opportunities | |
| 1:00–1:30 pm | Lunch Break | |
| 1:30–3:00 pm | Setting the Context | Friday, November 20, 2026 |
| 10:00–11:00 am | Managing Change and Transition in Organizations | |
| 11:00–11:15 am | Break | |
| 11:15 am–12:15 pm | Fireside on Current Events | |
| 12:45–2:15 pm | Managing Self and Leading and Coaching Others | |
| 2:15–2:45 pm | Wrap up |
This agenda is subject to change.
The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health designates this live activity for a maximum of 15 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
The American Medical Association (AMA) has an agreement of mutual recognition of continuing medical education (CME) credit with the European Union of Medical Specialties (UEMS). Additional information regarding this agreement may be found on the American Medical Association (AMA) website.
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health will grant 1.5 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for this program, equivalent to 15 contact hours of education. Participants can apply these contact hours toward other professional education accrediting organizations.
All credits subject to final agenda.
This program also contributes to the Leadership in Health Care Certificate of Specialization, among others. While each program can be taken independently, completing multiple courses in our portfolio earns the Certificate of Specialization.
Current faculty, subject to change
Jabbar R. Bennett
Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer
Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion
Michigan State University
Professor of Medicine
College of Human Medicine
Michigan State University
Piia H. Brown
Principal Consultant and Owner
Ph Solutions LLC
Renee Crichlow
Chief Medical Officer
Codman Square Health Center
Karen A. Curley
Senior Vice President
Client Solutions
The Leadership Development Group, Inc.
Instructor
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Mary E Fleming
President
Reede Scholars
Garth Graham
Director and Global Head
Healthcare and Public Health
Google / YouTube
Natalie D. Hernandez
Interim Director
Morehouse School of Medicine
Assistant Professor
Morehouse School of Medicine
Alden Landry
Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Assistant Dean, Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership
Harvard Medical School
Kimberlyn Rachael Leary
Executive Vice President
Urban Institute
Associate Professor of Psychology
McLean Hospital
Harvard Medical School
Associate Professor
Department of Health Policy and Management
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Joan Y. Reede
Dean, Culture and Community Engagement
Harvard Medical School
Louise Weed
Instructor
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
David R. Williams
Chair, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
From Our Alumni
“This is program is highly beneficial as it brings awareness, validation and suggestions in doing this difficult, changing work. I greatly recommend this program to everyone who’s seriously curious about what they can do in eradicating health disparities.”
— Yolanda Frazier, Health Equity Director at Elevance Health
Certificate of Specialization
Earn a Leadership in Health Care Certificate of Specialization
Take this program to earn a Certificate of Completion, or take 3 to earn a Certificate of Specialization. Learn more here.
