Keynote Speaker:
Tracie D. Hall
Public Scholar, Strategist, and Librarian Tracie D. Hall is the currently Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at the University of Washington Information School. Hall is the immediate past Executive Director of the American Library Association (ALA), the oldest and largest library association in the world, serving library and educational institutions throughout and beyond the US. The first Black woman to helm ALA in its nearly 150-year history, Hall is currently at work on a comprehensive study of the history of book censorship in the United States.
Hall’s other posts have included Culture Program Director at The Joyce Foundation where she was recognized for creating numerous programs in support of arts-based community and economic development; Deputy Commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events where she received citations for her work to expand arts, fresh food, and social services access; Vice President of Strategy and Organizational Development at Queens Library where during her tenure she founded the NYC Early Learning Network; Community Investment Strategist and Community Investor for the Boeing Company’s Global Corporate Citizenship division; Assistant Dean of Dominican University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science; and positions at the Hartford Public Library, New Haven Free Public Library, and Seattle Public Library and non-profit and public sector roles across the country.
Holding dual bachelor’s degrees from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and master’s degrees from the Yale University School of International and Area Studies and the University of Washington Information school, Hall’s work in library and arts administration has focused on advancing early and adult literacy, expanding broadband access, advocating for library and literacy services for people who are incarcerated. In 2022, Hall became only the second librarian to be honored with a National Book Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2023, TIME Magazine named Hall to its annual TIME100 list of the most influential people in the world and the Medal for Freedom of Speech and Free Expression from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Institute for her work defending intellectual freedom and the right to read.
Plenary Speaker:
Raj Sundar
Dr. Raj Sundar is a family medicine physician at Kaiser Permanente Washington with a commitment to patient-centered care and a passion for promoting diversity and inclusivity in healthcare. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Sundar serves as the District Medical Director of South King County, overseeing the care of over 60,000 patients and leading the Health Equity Action Team (HEAT), a dedicated group of over 500 members working to advance healthcare equity through community organizing. He hosts Healthcare for Humans , a podcast dedicated to educating others on how to care for culturally diverse communities so they can be better healers.
Making the Business Case for Equity Plenary Panelists:
Tumaini Rucker Coker, MD, MBA, FAAP
Dr. Coker is Division Head for General Pediatrics and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Seattle Children’s. As a general pediatrician and community-engaged health services researcher, her research focuses on community-partnered pediatric primary care delivery design to promote health equity and eliminate health and healthcare disparities for children and families in low- income communities. Dr. Coker leads a successful and extramurally-funded research program with a focus on community-engaged design, adaptation, testing, and dissemination of preventive care delivery models. She is the former and founding Research Director of the Health Equity Research Program at Seattle Children’s Center for Diversity and Health Equity, and serves as the Co-Director of the University of Washington’s NIH-funded Child Health Equity Research Fellowship. Dr. Coker is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, and previously served as chair for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s (NASEM) Committee on Addressing the Long-Term Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children and Families, as a committee member for the of the committee for the NASEM consensus report, Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: Rebuilding the Foundation of Health Care, and is a member of the NASEM Standing Committee on Primary Care. Dr. Coker is also a member of the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).
Devyn Nixon, ARNP, MSN, FNP-BC, CVNP-BC
Jason Deen, MD, FAAP
Dr. Jason Deen serves as Vice Chair for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington. He is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and an adjunct associate professor of Medicine in the Divisions of Cardiology. He is the founding director of the UW Medicine Center for Indigenous Health. Deen directs the Indian Health Pathway, a novel Indigenous Health curriculum, through UW Medicine’s Office of Healthcare Equity and he mentors Native premedical and medical students along with Native junior faculty. He completed a research fellowship in American Indian cardiovascular health inequities through the Center for American Indian and Alaska Native Health at the University of Colorado, and in general, has been involved in the Strong Heart Study since he was a resident. As a Multiple Principal Investigator of the Strong Heart Study, his research focuses on cardiovascular risk stratification in American Indian youth.