SHINE: Symposium for Health

Symposium for Health Innovation and Neighborhood Engagement

The College of Nursing at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) is proud to host the second annual Symposium for Health Innovation and Neighborhood Engagement, previously known as the Health Equity Symposium. This statewide and national gathering of changemakers is designed to confront today’s most urgent healthcare disparities and light the way toward healthier communities.

SHINE empowers, supports, and connects healthcare professionals, elected officials, nonprofit leaders, and community stakeholders to share best practices, spark innovation, and drive actionable change.

This symposium is more than a single day of dialogue. It’s part of a larger movement, one that champions community voice and actionable change in healthcare.”

- Dr. Karen Frith, Dean, UAH College of Nursing

Keynote Speaker

Tisamarie Sherry is Vice President of the Health Policy Division at the Urban Institute. In this role, she oversees a team of healthcare coverage, financing, and population health experts whose work seeks to improve access to high-quality, affordable healthcare that empowers all communities to thrive. Dr. Sherry brings to this position a background in health policy research, clinical medicine, and public service.

Before joining Urban, Dr. Sherry performed the duties of the Assistant Secretary for Planning & Evaluation (ASPE), the principal advisor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on policy development, and also served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary leading ASPE’s Office of Behavioral Health, Disability & Aging Policy. In this role, she guided the department’s evidence-based policy development on critical issues such as mental health, substance use, aging, disability, and long-term care.

Before her tenure at HHS, Dr. Sherry was a physician-researcher at the RAND Corporation, where she focused on health care delivery, financing, and policy strategies to improve the health and economic status of adults with chronic medical conditions. A general internist and health economist, Dr. Sherry completed her residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She holds an A.B. in molecular biology and public policy from Princeton University, and both an M.D. and a Ph.D. in health policy (concentrating in economics) from Harvard University.

Program