Global Leaders Convene for Salzburg Seminar to Address Women’s Health Inequities as They Age

Forty-five leaders from 10 countries convened at the Salzburg Seminar to create an action plan to address the inequities women face as they age.

Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) and Women's Health Activist Movement Global (WHAMglobal) convened a Salzburg Seminar "Women as They Age: Addressing the Next Inequity Frontier" January 16-19 at Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego, California to initiate an enduring and committed network of leaders to work together on the issues surrounding women's health inequities as they age.

Forty-five participants from across the globe with expertise in health care, public health, social welfare, public and private insurance, employers and workforce, federal and local government, academia, research, communications, technology innovation, advocacy, international development and global health participated in the fully immersive program to connect, take inspiration from various global perspectives, and develop relationships to coalition build, while engaging in candid, safe, and open exchanges with peers working on the issue of women's health as they age.

The Salzburg Seminar included: Small "fishbowl conversations" on women's participation in decision making, gender-based violence, and health promotion and well-being; problem-solving labs on caregiving, diversity, equity, and inclusion, shifting the narrative about women's aging and role in society, and ensuring healthcare curriculums keep pace with the latest evidence in women's health.

During the seminar, a fireside chat was held with JHF President and CEO Karen Wolk Feinstein, PhD, bestselling author and regular NBC Today show commentator Judith Reichman, MD of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and The Conrad Prebys Foundation CEO Grant Oliphant, formerly of The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments. The discussion centered on how to get the media engaged in the topic and what those messages look like.

The leaders present represented the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdon, South Korea, Germany, Serbia, Chile, Switzerland, and Singapore.

"These experts from a range of countries from around the world answered the call to this seminar without a lot of explanation because it isn't needed. When you say it, they get it. We have major issues that need to change in terms of training about women's health, the roles women play in society, the structures in society that aren't set up to accommodate older women," said JHF Chief Operating Officer and Chief Program Officer Nancy Zionts, MBA.

"This seminar is oriented toward action. We left with an action platform and the enthusiasm of gathering with people who are as passionate as we are," Feinstein said.

Karen Feinstein addresses members of the Salzburg Seminar in a small group.

Participants in the seminar included: Heather Altman, executive director, Health Sciences Health Innovations Group and the North Carolina Serious Illness Coalition; Ramsey Alwin, president and CEO, The National Council on Aging, USA; Bettina Borisch, professor and executive director, World Federation of Public Health Associations, Geneva, Switzerland; *Jamile Camacho, Professor of Surgery and Breast Pathology, Universidad Del Desarrollo, Clinica Alemana, Chile; *Debra Caplan, MPA, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation and Board Chair of WHAMglobal; Janet Catov, associate professor Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Epidemiology, Clinical and Translational Sciences, University of Pittsburgh; Debbie Chang, president and CEO, Blue Shield of California Foundation; Leesa Chesser, non-executive director, Neami National and Australian Physiotherapy Association, Australia; Moon Choi, associate professor, KAIST Graduate School of Science and Technology Policy, South Korea; Marie-Therese Connolly, author, researcher and consultant, Elder Justice Lab, University of Southern California; Cindy Cox-Roman, president and CEO, HelpAge; Lorena Dini, senior health systems researcher and designer, Charité – Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany; Karen Donelan, Professor of US Health Policy, Brandeis; Julie Dubick, Chief of Staff & Strategic Partnership Advisor, Conrad Presbys Foundation; Vijeth Iyengar, director of global aging, AARP; Hyobum Jang, medical officer, Ageing and Health Unit, WHO, Switzerland; Christopher Langston, president and CEO, Archstone Foundation; *Amanda Lenhard, vice president, clinical care coordination & hospital medicine, UPMC and associate professor of medicine, University of Pittsburgh; *Wendy Leonard, executive director, TIP Global Health; *Della Lin, senior fellow, Patient Safety Leadership, Estes Park Institute; *Sue Matthews, chief executive officer, The Royal Women's Hospital, Australia; *Kathryn McDonald, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Health Systems, Quality and Safety, Johns Hopkins University; Jelena Milic, scientific consultant, Institute of Public Health, Serbia; *Judy Monroe, president and CEO, CDC Foundation; *Julie Morath, president and CEO, Hospital Quality Institute; *Beverly Morrow, chair, Arkansas Community Foundation and Arkansas Children's Hospital; *Anne Newman, director, Center for Aging and Population Health; Paul Ong, president and CEO, Blue Shield of California Foundation; Laura Rath, vice president of programs, Archstone Foundation; *Judith Reichman, bestselling author, speaker, tv correspondent and gynecologist, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; *Fleur Sack, family physician, Fluer S. Sack LLC; *Lisa Simpson, president and CEO, AcademyHealth; Diana Skeete, founder, Meno assess; Rani Snyder, vice president of programs, The John A. Hartford Foundation; *Terrence Starz, clinical professor of medicine, Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Cara Tannenbaum, scientific director, Institute of Gender and Health, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research; Lina Walker, senior vice president, Global Thought Leadership, AARP; and Teresa Younger, president and CEO, Ms. Foundation for Women. The Seminar was the first in-person meeting of the WHAMglobal Board members, of which 12 were present (marked with a * by their name).

The seminar was sponsored by the Archstone Foundation, Blue Shield of California Foundation, Cambria Health Foundation, The Conrad Prebys Foundation, Elsie H. Hillman Foundation, The Heinz Family Foundation, Jewish Healthcare Foundation, The John A. Hartford Foundation, and WHAMglobal.