Innovating with Integrity at the Yale Healthcare Conference
Cecil Ehirindu ’27, a joint-degree student at Yale SOM and the Yale School of Public Health, and public health student Cecilia Jiye Lee reflect on their experience co-chairing a hallmark student-led conference.
The Yale Healthcare Conference isn’t just an annual event; it’s also a catalyst for progress. A graduate student-run collaboration between Yale SOM, the Yale School of Medicine, the Yale School of Nursing, and the Yale School of Public Health, the conference convenes current and future healthcare leaders to think and talk fearlessly about the industry’s future. This year, we had the honor of serving as co-chairs—and what a journey it has been.
From the start, our vision was to create a space where people from all corners of healthcare could engage with the most pressing issues facing the field. Inspired by the electrifying AI breakout session from last year’s conference, we knew our 2025 theme had to build on that momentum. That’s how we landed on this year’s theme, “AI²: Shaping Health with Integrity × Intelligence.” We wanted to gesture at the idea, originally coined by public health scholar and Wharton professor Ingrid Nembhard, of “amplified intelligence”—the combination of technology with human insight and intention to elevate the entire field.
We opened the conference with over 512 registrants, a record-breaking number. Standing before the audience to kick off the day was a surreal moment. We reflected on the months of planning, late-night emails, biweekly meetings, and the extraordinary work of our teams. We also took the opportunity to thank our generous sponsors, faculty and staff advisors, volunteers, and student leaders who brought the vision to life.
We began the day by honoring our keynote speaker, healthcare investment banker Andrew Bhak, with the John D. Thompson Distinguished Visiting Fellow Award, which pays tribute to a pioneering Yale public health scholar. Andrew delivered a powerful address that set the tone for the day, speaking about Professor Thompson’s legacy in shaping healthcare reimbursement through Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs), the importance of data in policy, and the evolving political economy of healthcare. Andrew also offered timely insights from his own position at the intersection of Wall Street and healthcare, examining how AI can shape, disrupt, and inform healthcare systems in both policy and practice.
Following the keynote, attendees broke out into sessions exploring a broad range of topics including AI in mental health, the obesity epidemic, workforce dynamics, and health policy at local and federal levels. Each conversation challenged us to think more critically about where healthcare is headed. These sessions, masterfully curated by our content committee, sparked thoughtful discussions that carried into lunch and networking.
The afternoon kicked off with a panel of executive leaders led by Yale medicine and public health policy professor and former John D. Thompson awardee Dr. Robert Galvin. Rather than diving into technical jargon, the panel focused on practical questions: How do we evaluate the trustworthiness of AI tools in healthcare? How do we distinguish between high- and low-risk applications? And how do we ensure that transparency and accountability are not just afterthoughts, but built into the system? From “garbage-in-garbage-out” data issues to AI hallucinations and security concerns, the conversation underscored that integrity must be central to innovation.
Dr. Howard Forman, the event’s faculty advisor, talked about his experience throughout the conference and gave us some insights. “This conference represents some of the best things about Yale: amazing students who collaborate across schools; faculty who are subject matter experts and thought leaders; and attendees who are eager participants as well as listeners,” he said.
We closed the day with a deeply inspiring keynote from Dr. Nneka Mobisson, CEO and co-founder of the digital health social enterprise mDoc. She shared how her organization is transforming chronic disease care across Africa through digital platforms grounded in behavioral science, data, and community-based solutions. Her story reminded us that innovation isn’t confined to labs or boardrooms; it’s happening on the ground, where lives are being changed in real time.
Behind the scenes, leading this conference was one of the most transformative experiences of our lives. We both came to graduate school directly from undergraduate programs, and joined the logistics and marketing committees soon after arriving at Yale. Over time, we grew into our roles as co-chairs, overseeing the marketing, content, logistics, and finance committees. Each decision, from sponsor outreach to catering schedules, from content strategy to branding campaigns, reflected a collective mission to create something meaningful.
Our goal was never to micromanage, but to empower—to help our committee members grow into confident leaders. And based on the love and gratitude we received throughout the day, we believe we succeeded. Along the way, we learned the humbling lesson that leadership isn’t about titles, but about the energy you bring and the community you build. We also learned that we’re both capable of far more than we initially believed.
For both of us, this experience ties directly into our broader career goals. We came to Yale with a passion to drive change in healthcare—and this conference affirmed that we are exactly where we’re meant to be. It gave us a platform not only to lead but to learn, to stumble and rise again, and to walk away feeling proud of the impact we made.
As we hand the reins to next year’s leaders, we do so with full hearts. From the moment we stepped into the conference planning process we’ve grown tremendously—not just as leaders, but as people. Yale SOM gave us the space to grow with grace, to make mistakes and learn from them, and to create something lasting.
Our hope is that every attendee walked away with at least three things: a new idea they hadn’t considered before, a meaningful connection that expanded their thinking, and a spark of inspiration to shape our shared field with integrity. As the conference starts production for next year, we both leave wiser and more optimistic about the future of healthcare. We hope that important conversations and actionable change continue to take place in and beyond SOM.
