Global Symposium - Integrating Health Systems: Policies And Programs That Work, March 27-28, 2023 

The global symposium, Integrating Health Systems: Policies and Programs That Work, was held on March 27 and 28, 2023, in Boston, Massachusetts. The two-day event brought together academics and health leaders from all over the world to advance and discuss innovative ideas around the integration of oral health and primary care — a core academic mission of the Initiative to Integrate Oral Health and Medicine at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. The Symposium showcased innovative examples from around the globe that integrate dental care with primary and chronic care, in ways that improve equity, health outcomes and cost effectiveness. It concluded with a call to action for stakeholders to mobilize and transform local, national and global policies for holistic and universal health care access.

HSDM Leadership Forum 2021 | Data Driven Innovations and Integration: Achieving Person Centered Care

HSDM’s Initiative to Integrate Oral Health and Medicine hosted its Leadership Forum on July 20, 2021. The event, titled, “Data Driven Innovations and Integration: Achieving Person Centered Care,” will be held virtually and featured speakers and panelists from CVS Health, Walmart Health, Families USA, the Health Policy Institute at the American Dental Association, and more. View the event agenda to delve deeper into topics related to medical-dental integration, such as promoting integration through value-based care, building effective strategies for integration, integrated care for special populations, and others!

2018 Leadership Forum in Review

Leaders in academia, business, and health care gathered for the third Leadership Forum, which was hosted by Harvard School of Dental Medicine’s Initiative to Integrate Oral Health and Medicine in late September. The two-day event, held at the Joseph Martin Center in Boston’s Longwood Medical Area, offered a thought-provoking lineup of speakers and panels on the topic of “Achieving Quality and Value in Healthcare through Integration.” This year's Forum focused on innovations in how oral health care is taught, delivered, and funded. Keynote speaker, Don Berwick, MD, MPP, founder of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, kicked off the event by discussing the power shift in health care from provider to patient and how this could improve quality and value across the industry. By taking a patient-focused approach, Berwick advocates for what he calls the quadruple aim of a better patient care experience, better population health, better per capita cost, and finding joy in the work of health care. Dr. Berwick drew comparisons to the approach to patient care from when his father worked as a general practitioner, to his own experiences treating patients throughout his career. He urged attendees to embrace this shift in the health care system, saying, “You have to change more than is comfortable. New care is better care.”

For a full recap of the 2018 Leadership Forum, click here!