1. 2015 National Leadership Conference
**Preliminary Agenda**
(last updated 9/28/15)
Main Conference: October 10-11, 2015
Grand Hyatt, 1000 H St NW, Washington, DC
Pre-Conference Leadership Training for State Leaders: October 9, 2015
Doctors for America, 1333 H St NW, Washington, DC
Featured Speakers:
Stan Brock
President and Founder
Remote Area Medical®
ZDoggMD (Dr. Zubin Damania)
Internist, Rapper, and
CEO of Turntable Health
Wendell Potter
Journalist, Author of Deadly Spin,
former Cigna PR executive
Aletha Maybank, MD MPH
Associate Commissior,
NYC Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene
Phillip Martin
Senior Investigative Reporter
WGBH Boston
Janine Janosky, PhD
Dean, Professor
University of Michigan
College of Education, Health,
and Human Services

2. Adam O’Neal
Mayor of Belhaven, NC
Medicaid Expansion Advocate
DeRay Mckesson
Activist, Organizer, Educator
Campaign Zero
Jamar R. Brown
Assistant State’s Attorney
for Baltimore City
Ari Lipman
Senior Director for Organizing,
Leadership for Educational Equity
Romila “Dr. Romie” Mushtaq
Neurologist, Mindfullness
Expert, Yoga Instructor
Brendan Saloner, PhD
Researcher on Health and
Social Policy, Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Health
Saturday, October 10, 2015
7:30-8:30am Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30-11:00am
OPENING
PLENARY
SESSION:
SOCIAL
IMPACTS
Welcome from Doctors for America Leadership
Celebrate six years of success, learn about what the Doctors for America movement
has in store for the coming year, and meet your fellow conference attendees.
Social Impacts on Health: The Connection
Moderator: Manisha Sharma, MD – DFA Director of Leadership Cultivation
Keynote Speakers:
Aletha Maybank MD MPH – NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene
Phillip Martin – WGBH/NPR Reporter
Jamar Brown – Assistant State’s Attorney for Baltimore City
Janine Janosky PhD – Akron Accountable Care Community
Many of our patients – especially those in poverty – do not have access to basic
resources to take care of their own health. From food deserts to racial disparities to

3. unsafe neighborhoods, these impact our ability to take care of our patients. We will
explore these challenges and opportunities with leaders in the field.
Food is Medicine: Introduction to Food Insecurity
Rita Nguyen, MD – former DFA MA State Director
One in seven of our patients suffers from food insecurity. Learn how food insecurity is
impacting the health and lives of our patients. On conference day 2, we will work
together to build a national campaign to combat food insecurity.
11:00-
11:30am
Wellness Break: Doctors Walking the Walk
The Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, recently launched “Step It Up! The Surgeon
General’s Call to Action on Walking and Walkability.” So come Step It Up for our first
break of the day!
11:30am-
12:30pm
BREAKOUTS
Prioritizing Prevention: Investing in Our Nation’s Health
Maura Calsyn – Center for American Progress
Rich Hamburg – Trust for America’s Health
America spends 3% of our health care dollars on prevention even though 75% of our
health care costs are due to preventable conditions. Evidence-based preventive
programs like the Home Visiting program for low-income new moms are threatened.
The Prevention Fund, created by the ACA, has been cut multiple times since 2010.
Learn how you can promote investments in prevention.
Gun Violence: A Public Health Issue (Declaration A)
Nina Agrawal, MD – DFA Gun Violence Campaign Chair
Greg Waples – Center for American Progress
It may be a controversial topic for elected officials, but doctors know that gun violence
is, indeed, public health issue. Learn about the latest updates in gun violence
prevention. Identify ways to protect patients and communities from gun violence in
clinical settings and communities.
Health Care Innovation: Delivering Care in the 21st Century (Declaration B)
Ali Khan, MD MPP – Iora Health
Julien Pham – RubiconMD
America spends more on health care than any other country and has incredible
disparities in care. It doesn’t have to be this way. Hear from health care innovation
companies that are rethinking how we provide care to the people who need it the
most.
12:30-1:50pm Networking Lunch with DFA Leaders and Guests
Learn from fellow attendees, share your ideas, and pick the brains of the Doctors for
America leadership and special guests!
1:50-2:00pm Wellness Break

4. 2:00-4:10pm
AFTERNOON
PLENARY
SESSION:
ACCESS
Remaining Obstacles to Access
Moderator: Don Nguyen, MD – DFA Ohio State Director
Featured Speakers:
Stan Brock – Remote Area Medical
Wendell Potter – Author of Deadly Spin
Brendan Saloner PhD – Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
Adam O’Neal – Mayor of Belhaven, NC
As we celebrate having a higher portion of insured people in America ever, we need to
redouble our efforts until everyone in America has access to affordable, high-quality
health care. We will explore remaining challenges and opportunities from Medicaid
expansion to high-deductible plans to health insurance literacy.
Medical Reserve Corps: How You Can Serve Your Community
Tom Ellison, MD – Project H.E.L.P. and DFA Alabama State Director
4:10-4:30pm Wellness Break
4:30-5:30pm
BREAKOUTS
Building a #Movement Online (Tiber Creek A)
Shalini Pammal – Leadership Team of #StandwithVivek
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more. Social media is playing an increasingly
powerful role in advocacy. Join fellow attendees in planning how we can use social
media to get our messages across.
Enrollment 3.0: Reaching the Remaining Uninsured (Tiber Creek B)
Lisa Carr -- U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services
Abrar Quader – Compassionate Care Network
Open Enrollment 3.0 starts November 1. Are you ready? Every community has people
who should be enrolled in health insurance but have missed the first two enrollment
periods – or who newly became eligible and don’t know how to sign up. Hear about the
latest developments and learn how to find hard-to-reach parts of communities to get
them covered.
Mental Health: Med-Free Techniques for Helping Patients (Declaration A)
Dora Wang, MD – DFA New Mexico State Director
If we can prevent heart disease and cancer, we certainly prevent mental health
conditions such as anxiety and mood disorders. Medications for these conditions are
the most widely prescribed of all. Yet evidence-based, med-free techniques can work
faster and better, for most people. Learn med-free techniques that can stop panic
attacks, decrease anxiety and depression, help insomnia, stop nightmares and
eliminate phobias. Most of these techniques can be administered or explained to
patients in less than 3 minutes.

5. Prescription Drugs: Fighting Rising Costs (Declaration B)
Bruce Rector, MD – DFA New York State Director
Wendell Potter – Author of Deadly Spin
Generic medications suddenly increased to many times their normal price. Wide price
variation between the U.S. and Canada. Patients suddenly priced out of getting the
medications they need. Learn what’s happening with drug pricing and brainstorm what
we can do to fix it.
5:30-6:30pm Evening Break
Time to freshen up for the evening events!
6:30-8:30pm Evening Reception with Special Guests
Plus Poster Session
Enjoy drinks and hors d’oeuvres as we celebrate progress made and lessons learned
nationally and through local efforts. Hear from Doctors for America’s partners and
friends about the important role you play in shaping the health of the nation.
8:45-10:15pm Film Screening: Remote Area Medical
With Stan Brock
Get inspired as we screen this 2014 documentary looking at Stan Brock’s efforts to get
care to the poorest people in America. The film is 88% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes!

6. Sunday, October 11, 2015
Location: Grand Hyatt, Washington, DC
6:30-7:30am Doctors Getting Fit: Chair Yoga and Meditation with Dr. Romie
7:30-8:30am Continental Breakfast
8:30-9:30am
BREAKOUTS
Medical Students: Building the Next Generation of Physician Leaders
(Declaration A)
Dana Canfield, Madhuri Nishtala, and Case Western Student Doctors for
America
Medical students are getting together to meet one another, share experience,
discuss best practices, and brainstorm how to turn more medical students into DFA
advocates!
Communicating with Patients: A Key to Better Care (Tiber Creek A)
Rab Razzak, MD – Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Palliative care physician and DFA leader, Rab Razzak, leads this workshop that will
give you new tips and insights into how you can maximize communication to get your
patients what they truly need.
Substance Abuse: A Pressing Public Health Epidemic (Declaration B)
Jamar Brown – Assistant State’s Attorney for Baltimore City
Don Mathis – Father Martin’s Ashley and DFA Board Member
Substance abuse is exacting a rising toll on communities across the country. Heroin
and prescription drug abuse are ravaging small towns and big cities. For too many
people, substance abuse is treated solely as a crime – not a public health issue.
More and more people end up in prison instead of treatment programs. Learn how
you can play a role in shaping drug policy in your community and the nation.
Winning Your Campaigns Through Everyday Conversations (Tiber Creek B)
Patrick Cannon – DFA Board Member
Being effective when speaking to engage in your campaign or persuade people to
your position requires identifying and understanding your audience. How you talk
about issues needs to be tailored to the people you’re addressing. In particular, it’s
important to appeal to their values, vision for the world, and counter their
misconceptions. By the end of the workshop, you will acquire tools to increase your
chances of success in whatever you do, regardless of the specific issue or
campaign.

7. 9:45-11:00am
PLENARY
SESSION:
Doctors Leading
Change (Part 1)
Taking Care of You with Dr. Romie
How can we change the world and take care of patients without getting burnt out?
Come learn from wellness expert Dr. Romila “Romie” Mushtaq.
Lessons from Building a Movement with DeRay McKesson
#BlackLivesMatter evolved from a hashtag to being one of the most talked-about
national movements in America. They are working to change longstanding racial
inequities in communities across the country. Hear from movement leader DeRay
McKessen about lessons learned in building this grassroots movement.
11:00-12:00pm
PLENARY
SESSION:
Doctors Leading
Change (Part 2)
Doctors for America is launching two major campaigns this fall. We will unveil
these campaigns, answer questions, and gather feedback before we all roll up
our sleeves and get to work.
Making Medicaid Work
Medicaid saves lives and provides health care for low-income Americans. Yet far too
many elected officials seek to win political points by cutting Medicaid, refusing to
expanding Medicaid, and working to dismantle the program. In a new campaign to
be unveiled at the conference, Doctors for America will play a major role in
transforming how the country thinks about Medicaid so we can work together to
make it a program of pride for all Americans.
Food is Medicine
What would happen if physicians stood up with one voice to say that hunger is a
health issue? What would happen if lawmakers understood that it’s not okay when
our diabetic patients have no access to affordable healthy food? That a hungry child
will become an adult with chronic health conditions that could have been
prevented? Doctors for America is launching a new initiative to tackle one of the
most basic social determinants of health: food.
12:00-1:45pm Working Lunch: Time to Take Action!
This is where we make the magic happen. In this interactive, facilitated session, you
will come together with attendees either who want to work on the same campaign as
your or who are from your state or region. We will plan and take action and also get
ideas and inspiration from what Doctors for America members are planning and
doing from coast to coast.
1:45-2:00pm Wellness Break
2:00-3:00pm ZDoggMD Keynotes

8. Pre-Conference Leadership Training: Friday, October 9, 2015
Center for American Progress, 1333 H St NW, 10th Floor, Washington, DC 20005
By Invitation
8:30am
-9:00am
Breakfast
9:00am
-11:30am
Doctors for America Annual State Directors In-Person Meeting
Meeting of DFA board members, state leaders, local chapter leaders, and staff
12:00pm
-6:30pm
Interactive Leadership Development with Ari Lipman
CLOSING
SESSION AND
KEYNOTE
Dr. Zubin Damania, MD, a.k.a., ZDoggMD – Internist, Rapper, and CEO of
Turntable Health
Being a physician advocate takes creativity, passion, and a willingness to think
outside the box. It is only fitting that our closing keynote is one of medicine’s most
creative, talented, and entertaining voices. ZDoggMD leads primary care innovation
by day and makes viral videos by night that tackle tough and controversial issues
with pizazz.
Closing Remarks from Doctors for America Leadership