Health issues like reproductive rights and mental health are taking center stage in the public arena, and that's attracting big names from sports, entertainment and philanthropy to major healthcare conferences.
Just this week, HLTH 2024, which will kick off in Las Vegas in three days, announced that first lady Jill Biden will hit the main stage as a speaker on Wednesday, Oct. 23 to talk about advancing women’s health research. Biden plans to discuss the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, formally announced in February of this year. This initiative fundamentally changes how our nation approaches and funds women’s health research, because, historically, research on women’s health has consistently been underfunded and under-studied despite women making up more than half the population.
HLTH 2024 is scheduled for Oct. 20-23 at the Venetian Expo Center in Las Vegas.
Chelsea Clinton, political advocate and daughter of Hillary and former U.S. President Bill Clinton, also is slated to speak at HLTH this year. On Monday afternoon, Clinton, vice chair of the Clinton Foundation and co-founder of Metrodora Ventures, will join White House Gender Policy Council Director Jennifer Klein on stage to discuss the state of reproductive rights, the challenges around access to abortion care and the critical role healthcare leaders play in shaping the future of women’s health, according to the HLTH agenda.
While still about five months away, HIMSS25 also made some flashy announcements about its keynote speaker lineup. Olympic gold medal gymnast Simone Biles is slated to close out the conference, which is scheduled March 3-6, 2025, also in Las Vegas.
Biles, often referred to as the "greatest of all time," or GOAT, is the record holder for most gold medals at a single Olympics. Biles advocates for mental health and supports initiatives that provide education and assistance for children and young adults associated with adoption and foster care.
Another HIMSS25 session will feature Gabby Thomas, an American track and field athlete and five-time Olympic medalist.
Informa Markets struck a deal last year to buy the HIMSS Exhibition from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.
At HLTH next week, there will be a slew of musical artists and actors taking the stage to advocate for public health issues.
On Sunday afternoon, Lance Bass, a singer (*NSYNC), actor, podcaster and film and television producer, will join a panel discussion about how technology is supporting diabetes care. Bass, who was diagnosed with diabetes during the COVID-19 lockdown, advocates for diabetes awareness.
On Monday afternoon, Halle Berry, an actor, director, product and entrepreneur, will speak to the HLTH audience about menopause and female longevity. In recent years, Berry has focused on changing the cultural dialogue around women's health, particularly menopause. She also advocates for better menopause care legislation, proactively partnering with a bipartisan group of U.S. senators to promote the Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act.
Berry also is the founder of Respin, a female longevity brand that empowers women through their midlife journey.
Later that afternoon, John Legend, singer, songwriter, philanthropist and entrepreneur, will chat with Vanessa Broadhurst, Johnson & Johnson’s executive vice president of global corporate affairs, about supporting health equity through education and accessibility.
And, on Tuesday afternoon, musician and activist Lenny Kravitz will take the stage to talk about systemic care. Kravitz is the founder of the Let Love Rule Foundation, an organization that provides care, raise funds and develops services for a variety of causes around the world. It has a long-standing partnership with Glo Good Foundation to bring free dental care clinics and education to the underserved in the Bahamas.