Patient Insight Congress 2025: Agenda

Navigating Together

Day 1:

Thursday, November 6th

  • Rebekah Angove, Executive Director, Patient Insight Institute

    Executive Vice President, Research and Evaluation, Patient Advocate Foundation

  • Financial and social challenges often go unseen yet deeply shape the care experiences for patients and caregivers. This panel highlights three studies that examine these hidden burdens across diverse populations, emphasizing the need to integrate financial and social support into healthcare.

    Moderator: Austin Waters, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard LGBTQ Health Center of Excellence

    Rhea Khurana,Research Associate, Columbia University School of Nursing

    John Scott,Associate Professor of Surgery, University of Washington

  • Sponsored by Merck

    This poster session showcases research that elevates patient voices and community partnerships that tackle barriers to care. Posters span innovations in behavioral health, pediatric navigation, rural cancer treatment, food access, and patient engagement—underscoring the need for equity-driven, patient-informed solutions across the care continuum.

  • Experience the unseen realities patients and caregivers shoulder each day. This interactive installation along the room’s perimeter invites you to reflect on financial, emotional, and systemic burdens through five brief stations.

  • Sweeping policy changes enacted through HR1—the 2025 budget reconciliation package passed in July—are already reverberating across the healthcare landscape, affecting patients and caregivers, research enterprises, the healthcare workforce, and insurance markets alike. Led by NPAF’s health policy and grassroots teams, this dynamic forum will unpack the law’s implications for access and care, while inviting participants to explore how research and advocacy can work together to shape its implementation and mitigate potential harm.

    Moderator: Melissa Williams,Director, Grassroots Advocacy and Community Partnerships, National Patient Advocate Foundation

    Rebecca Kirch, Executive Vice President, Policy and Program, National Patient Advocate Foundation

    Marian Grant, Policy Consultant, National Patient Advocate Foundation

  • Melissa Williams, Director, Grassroots Advocacy and Community Partnerships, National Patient Advocate Foundation

Day 2:

Friday, November 7th

  • This opening session lifts up the voices and stories of caregivers—those who provide care to others while managing their lives at the same time. Through shared photos, brief reflections, and micro-storytelling, we’ll explore the realities of caregiving, from moments of strength and connection to the unseen burdens so many carry.

  • Kate Gallagher, Executive Director, Patient Insight Institute & Executive Vice President, Research and Evaluation, Patient Advocate Foundation

  • As care grows more complex, engaging patients and caregivers as informed partners is essential. This panel shares research on strengthening trust, communication, and shared decision-making—especially for those facing serious illness or complex choices—highlighting the need for transparent, responsive, and equitable approaches across the care continuum.

    Moderator: Melissa Beauchemin, PhD, RN, CPNP, CPON, FAAN, Assistant Professor of Nursing, Columbia University School of Nursing

    Kiran Correa, MPP, Research Scientist, NORC at the University of Chicago

    Ashley Freeman, MPH, Manager, Stakeholder Outreach and Engagement

    Catherine Schofield, BS, Senior Project Coordinator, Ariadne Labs through Brigham and Women’s Hospital at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health

  • Sponsored by Merck

    This poster session examines cost-related barriers to care, from disparities in medication adherence to financial hardship, cost-sharing tradeoffs, and formulary design. Poster presenters will highlight strategies to advance transparency, affordability, and equity for patients and payers.

  • In this fireside chat, patients together with researchers will reflect on what it means to navigate together in today’s healthcare landscape. By breaking down silos and building authentic partnerships, they’ll show how collaboration can drive lasting change for patients and communities.

    Moderator: Cate Lockhart, PharmD, PhD, Chief Science Officer, Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy

    Ashlyn Burns, PhD, MPH, Postdoctoral Fellow, Indiana University School of Medicine

    Bobby Wiseman, Expert by Experience, Patient Insight Institute

  • Effective healthcare begins with clear communication and patient-centered innovation—especially in communities that have long faced barriers to quality care. This panel explores two critical dimensions of improving patient engagement and outcomes: ethical implementation of AI in cancer screening and the urgent need for plain-language communication in underserved regions. Together, these talks underscore the importance of new tools and a commitment to listening, simplifying, and co-designing with patients.

    Rina Dhopeshwarkar, MPH, Principal Research Scientist, Health Implementation Sciences Center, NORC at the University of Chicago 

    Natalie Minton, Research Assistant, University of Mississippi

    Ann Meagher, PharmD, Research Assistant, University of Mississippi

  • Rebekah Angove, Executive Director, Patient Insight Institute & Executive Vice President, Research and Evaluation, Patient Advocate Foundation