Keynote Speakers

Daniel E. Dawes, JD
Senior Vice President and Executive Director
Institute of Global Health Equity
Meharry Medical College

AUPHA is pleased to announce the 2023 pre-conference speaker, Daniel E. Dawes, JD. Professor Dawes is a widely respected healthcare and public health leader, health policy expert, educator, and researcher who serves as the Senior Vice President and Executive Director for the Institute of Global Health Equity at Meharry Medical College.  He is the author of two groundbreaking books, 150 Years of ObamaCare and The Political Determinants of Health, both published by Johns Hopkins University Press. His many achievements include being an instrumental figure in developing and negotiating the Mental Health Parity Act, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act, and the Affordable Care Act’s health equity-focused provisions, among other landmark federal policies, as well as serving as the principal investigator for the nation’s first health equity tracker.  Professor Dawes was also co-founder of the Health Equity Leadership and Exchange Network (HELEN),  and co-principal investigator of the HHS National COVID-19 Resiliency Network. Professor Dawes is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and an elected fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine. He serves as an advisor to The White House COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, an appointed member of the CDC’s Advisory Committee to the Director and co-chair of the CDC’s Health Equity Working Group, as well as the NIH’s National Advisory Council for Nursing Research.

We are grateful to the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE) for sponsoring this pre-conference event.

Michael Rao, PhD
President
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University Health System

AUPHA is pleased to announce that Michael Rao, PhD, President, Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, will be the 2023 AUPHA Annual Meeting's Andrew Pattullo Lecturer. The Andrew Pattullo Lecture officially opens the Annual Meeting, and will be on held on Thursday, June 29th, 1:00 - 2:15PM. The lecture is a major contribution to the professional education of health services administrators, and is designed to enrich the perspectives of educators. The lecturer is someone who health administration educators are not likely to be otherwise exposed, and brings perspectives from outside of the usual focus areas of the health administration field. 

About Michael Rao

Michael Rao, PhD, currently serves as the fifth president of VCU and VCU Health System, and is also a tenured professor in the VCU College of health Professions. President Rao leads this nationally premier, urban public research university with an academic health system whose flagship hospital, VCU Medical Center, is ranked among the top 100 hospitals in the nation. VCU educates more than 29,000 students from 101 countries in more than 220 degree and certificate programs. As the largest employer in the Richmond, VA area and among the largest in the commonwealth, VCU has an economic impact on Virginia of $9.5 billion. Additionally, VCUarts Qatar — located in Doha’s Education City — is internationally recognized for excellence in art and design.

President Rao’s mission to put students and patients first is reflected in VCU’s recalibrated strategic plan. Revised to meet the needs of the VCU community post-pandemic, the plan allows the university to better meet the needs of the university and academic medical community, while focusing on improving the experience of students and patients, strengthening educator and researcher compensation, and increasing national prominence through research.

President Rao serves as chair of the Virginia Bio+Tech Partnership Authority, and is a member with the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities, Northern Virginia Technology Council, and American Council on Education. Additionally, he is past chair of the Virginia Council of Presidents, a consortium of leaders serving the Commonwealth's colleges and universities. President Rao holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida and a PhD from the University of Florida. His career in higher education began in California in 1992, when he became president of Mission College. He then went on to serve as chancellor of Montana State University, Northern and president of Central Michigan University. [Click here to learn more about President Rao]

Victoria ("Tori") Bayless, FACHE
Chief Executive Officer
Luminis Health
 

We are pleased to announce that Victoria (“Tori”) W. Bayless, FACHE, Chief Executive Officer of Luminis Health, will be AUPHA’s keynote speaker focusing on healthcare delivery on Friday, June 30th, 8:00 – 9:15AM. Victoria W. Bayless serves as the chief executive officer of Luminis Health (formerly Anne Arundel Health System, AAHS), a regional health system headquartered in Annapolis, MD. Tori joined Anne Arundel Health System in 2005 and advanced to president and chief executive officer in 2011.
 
During her tenure, the organization has achieved several milestones and accolades including Magnet designations, multiple Leapfrog “A” safety grades, numerous Most Wired awards, CMS 5 Star hospital, a U.S. News & World Report top Maryland hospital, and an exemplar hospital by the Institute for Patient and Family Centered Care. The American Hospital Association has recognized Luminis Health with 2 NOVA awards for innovation in community partnerships. The organization has been a Quest for Quality finalist and received the Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award for excellence in improving health equity and reducing disparities.  
  
Tori is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has served on several boards including the United Way of Central Maryland, the Johns Hopkins Home Care Group, the Maryland Hospital Association, and CareFirst/Blue Cross Blue Shield. She also serves Maryland’s Health Services Cost Review Commission (the 7-member all-payer hospital rate setting body). Bayless recently completed her term on the Board of The Joint Commission, and is currently serving on the American Hospital Association (AHA) Board and chairs AHA’s Region 3 Policy Board.  [Click here to learn more about Tori Bayless]

AUPHA is pleased to announce an expert panel for the AUPHA Forum session. This panel will focus on Policy's Role in Health Equity, and includes Christopher King, Georgetown University, Joy Lewis, American Hospital Association, Laura Magaña, Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, and Robert Valdez, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Click the panelists below to learn more about them.