Women’s Global Leadership Conference Focuses on

Inclusive Health Equity

In October, Agnes Scott College held its fifth annual Women’s Global Leadership Conference, and like the others before it, deep dialogue about a pressing issue impacting the world was front and center. This year’s theme was inclusive health equity, and some of the most influential thought leaders in the healthcare industry contributed to the conversation in a live, interactive forum on the historic campus.

More than 600 attendees packed into a stunningly decorated (mostly in Agnes Scott purple) Gaines Chapel, inside Presser Hall, to claim their place at Agnes Scott’s marquee event. A distinguished lineup of speakers that included both local and global leaders participated in panels that engaged an inquisitive audience of students, staff, faculty members and community members with a passion for advocacy.

Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and awardwinning journalist and radio show host Rose Scott kicked off the day-long event with a discussion on best practices in global health equity, with a particular emphasis on women and maternal health.

“[Fixing imperfect systems] does take time and consistent effort and leadership,” Cohen said. “We are never done with that, but we are never going to be done with making things better, more equitable. That should be an ongoing journey.”

Valerie Montgomery Rice, president of Morehouse School of Medicine, stressed the importance of a holistic medical approach in a discussion on culturally responsive and person-centered care.

“[Person-centered care] forces you to look beyond the chief complaint … [to] think about the other factors that may be going on in a person’s life at a time when they are asking you for assistance or for care or a question,” Rice said.

Tracey Veal ’84, senior health innovation consultant with Kaiser Permanente, agreed with Rice’s sentiment during a panel on strategic approaches to health equity. Veal and other speakers spoke of the importance of education in improving health equity. “You have to start at the beginning [teaching] and work together with these healthcare entities to start looking at people as people. For health plans and healthcare to be successful, they really have to look at the person holistically and take it into consideration,” Veal said.

Donna Hubbard McCree, owner of NXLS4 HEALTH LLC and retired CDC associate director, made a key point when she spoke in a session on envisioning a healthier world at home and abroad. “No matter how much knowledge we have, we as scientists are not to take our knowledge and tell people how to live,” she said. “We are to integrate our knowledge into their lives and help them live their best life.”

The conference concluded with a conversation between Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Simbo Ige and Agnes Scott President Leocadia I. Zak. The two discussed Ige’s leadership in addressing health disparities in underserved communities, her innovative approaches to community health and her vision for a more equitable healthcare system.

“People have to see that you care about them,” Ige said. “People have to know that it is true. It’s not just a script that you’re reading … When we talk about trust, it’s not just trust through a third party; it’s trust in you as a person that you truly care about the people you’re serving. I think that that is vital to the work that we do as healers or as public health champions.”

For the first time, Agnes Scott offered a conference app to make it easy for attendees to access the schedule, speakers’ bios and more. The event also featured a Q&A session that brought to light issues that were weighing on attendees’ minds.

Generous sponsor support played a huge role in the success of the day. Presenting sponsor Amazon, Wellstar, PNC Bank, Northside Hospital, Truist Bank, Kaiser Permanente, Georgia Health Initiative and Children’s Hospital of Atlanta all made this year’s conference possible.

The event concluded with roaring applause and a warm invitation to next year’s conference, scheduled for Oct. 8, 2025.