A diverse panel of women will headline the Women+ in Health Care Leadership Symposium organized by students in the Sloan Program in Health Administration at the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy.

The keynote speaker is Dr. Kecia Gaither, M.S./MBA ’22, Director of Perinatal Services and Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine for NYC Health and Hospitals/Lincoln in the Bronx, New York. Gaither is also Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology with Weill Cornell Medicine.

Other speakers include Liebe Meier Swain, MHA ’08, MBA ‘22, Cornell’s Student Health Compliance and Administration director; Marla Beyer, MBA/MHA ’20, CEO of the telehealth firm Hopscotch; Lori Evans Bernstein, CEO of the digital health firm Caraway; and Chinomnso Nnodum ’10, MHA ’12, Executive Director of Access at Stamford Health.

The theme of the event is “Be Bold, Be You” and participants will explore what that means in the health care field through small group conversations and reflective exercises. Registration for the March 17-18 event is open to Cornell University students and students at other universities. Participants can attend the sessions in person, in Ithaca, or remotely.

This is the eighth annual symposium organized by the Women+ in Health Care Leadership Club. "Across the health care spectrum, we will all find ourselves leading others,” said club president Victoria Bent, MHA ’23. “Whether we’re a part of the c-suite, an administrator, an analyst, or partner at a firm, being able to achieve success isn’t by luck or at random. Rather, it is a methodical process with trust lying within its core. The number one way of building that type of rapport is by showing up as your authentic self-100% of the time. By the end of this year's Symposium, we hope students walk away with a deeper understanding of self."

Jim Hanchett is assistant dean of communications for the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy.