Why is U.S. health care so complicated? Would European-style universal health care be more desirable? Or is our approach better than we think? What is being done here in Connecticut to make access to quality health care more equitable? And to what degree are federal changes affecting our health care system here at home? Jillian Gilchrest, the Connecticut Representative who Co-Chairs the Human Services Committee in Hartford, provides perspective in a discussion moderated by Ben Wade, Senior Vice President of Strategy & Marketing at Stamford Health, also responsible for government affairs and community relations. This discussion will be the first of a series of Presidents’ College conversations in which we call upon different experts to provide insight on the important topic of health care—which has the power to sway everything from elections to the quality of our lives. Both experts draw on their experience navigating the wilds of the health care bureaucracy at state and federal levels to explore two driving questions: to what degree does our system need repair? and how capable are we of achieving it?
Jillian Gilchrest was elected to represent the 18th District of West Hartford in the Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) in 2018. She serves as House Chair of the Human Services Committee and member of the Appropriations, Public Health, and Judiciary Committees. Jillian also chairs MAPOC, the Trafficking in Persons Council, and the Endometriosis Working Group. Prior to becoming a state representative, Jillian served as the Director of Health Professional Outreach for the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut, and Director of Policy & Communications for the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence. She has extensive experience advocating for women’s health and safety, in particular influencing public policy at the CGA. Jillian was elected to the West Hartford Board of Education in 2013. She holds an MA in Social Work with a focus in Policy Practice from the University of Connecticut School of Social Work, where she has taught Political Advocacy, and currently teaches for the University of Saint Joseph and University of Hartford.
Ben Wade is Senior Vice President of Strategy & Marketing at Stamford Health, where he is responsible for executive leadership in government affairs and community relations, alongside strategy, marketing and communications. Before joining Stamford Health, Wade served as Assistant Vice President of Strategic Planning for Montefiore Medical Center, a progressive integrated academic health system serving the Bronx and New York’s Hudson Valley. At Montefiore, Wade was responsible for leading regional planning with senior clinical and administrative executives, including service line development, ambulatory access expansion, and innovation strategies, as well as provider engagement, network development and strategic partnerships. Wade has also worked as a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group in New York and at The Advisory Board Company in Washington, D.C. He holds a Masters in Business Administration from Columbia University and received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College.
Thursday, Feb. 12 | 11 a.m.–12:15 p.m. | Wilde Auditorium/Harry Jack Gray Center
Free for Fellows and Non-Fellows alike, but we ask that you please register to attend.
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