8th Annual Latino Health Conference

Uniendo Nuestras Voces | Uniting Our Voices

Resilience. Solidarity. Collective Care.

October 16-17, 2026
Loyola University Chicago Health Sciences Campus

The following program details are subject to change.

Friday, October 16, 2026

Time
Program
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Welcome & Opening Program

Opening remarks, conference logistics, light lunch/coffee, and student/community cultural programming.

1:00-5:30 p.m.
Concurrent Featured Symposia (A & B)

Cancer Inequities Symposium and Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) Health Symposium.

5:30-6:00 p.m.
Break & Exhibition Fair
6:00-6:30 p.m.
Welcome from Loyola & MOLA Leadership
6:30-8:00 p.m.
Academic Poster & Networking Event

Poster presentations, networking, and reception-style gathering.

Symposium A: Connected Systems, Collective Care: Advancing Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) Health

1:00-1:15 p.m.Welcome & Introduction

Speakers: Geraldine Luna, MD and Maria O'Connor, PA-C

1:15-2:45 p.m.Keynote: Understanding the CKM Continuum: From Prevention to Heart Failure

Speaker: Carlos Vergara, MD, Mayo Clinic

2:45-3:15 p.m.Prevention, Risk Identification & Early Intervention

Speaker: Edgar Torres Fernandez, MD, Northwestern University

3:15-3:45 p.m.Emerging Therapies Across the CKM Continuum

Speakers: Rod Marianne Arceo-Mendoza, MD, Loyola University Medical Center and Monica Bianco, MD, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

3:45-4:00 p.m.Break
4:00-4:30 p.m.Case-Based Management of CKM Disease

Speakers: To Be Confirmed

4:30-5:15 p.m.Interdisciplinary Panel: The Future of CKM Health with Q&A

Speakers: Carlos Vergara, MD; Edgar Torres Fernandez, MD; Rod Marianne Arceo-Mendoza, MD; and Monica Bianco, MD
Moderator: To Be Confirmed

5:15-5:30 p.m.Closing Remarks

Symposium B: From Screening to Survivorship: Addressing Breast Cancer Inequities in LHS+ Communities

1:00-1:10 p.m.Welcome & Introduction

Speaker: Jonathan Moreira, MD

1:10-2:00 p.m.Keynote: The State of Breast Cancer Equity in LHS+ Communities: Challenges, Progress, and Opportunities

Speaker: Chantal Reyna, MD, Loyola Medicine

2:00-2:35 p.m.Advancing Equity in Breast Cancer Screening, Early Detection, and Diagnosis

Speaker: Patricia Robinson, MD, Northwestern Medicine

2:35-3:10 p.m.Closing the Gaps: Advancing Breast Cancer Equity Through Public Health, Policy, and Community Partnerships

Speaker: Abigail Silva, PhD, MPH, University of Illinois Chicago

3:10-3:20 p.m.Break
3:20-3:50 p.m.Beyond Treatment: Breast Cancer Survivorship and Life After Chemotherapy

Speaker: Paola Gonzalez, DMSc, MPAS, PA-C, MD Anderson Cancer Center

3:50-4:20 p.m.Supportive Care and Pain Management in Breast Cancer Survivorship

Speaker: Judith Paice, PhD, RN, Northwestern University

4:20-5:15 p.m.Panel: Beyond Treatment - Survivorship, Navigation, and Community-Centered Models of Care with Q&A

Speakers: Chantal Reyna, MD; Patricia Robinson, MD; Abigail Silva, PhD, MPH; Paola Gonzalez, DMSc, MPAS, PA-C; Judith Paice, PhD, RN
Moderator: To Be Confirmed

5:15-5:30 p.m.Closing Remarks

Saturday, October 17, 2026

Time
Program
8:00-9:00 a.m.
Mentorship Breakfast hosted by LMSA
9:00-11:30 a.m.
Opening Plenary

President's welcome, keynote speakers Dr. Lilia Cervantes, Colorado School of Medicine and Senator Celina Villanueva, Illinois State Senate, and members of the Illinois Latino Legislative Caucus.

11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Concurrent Breakout Sessions
  • LMSA's Blueprint for Community Healing, Advocacy, and Collective Power
  • Health Management & Leadership Symposium Part 1
  • Immigrant Health: Where Medicine, Law, Policy & Advocacy Meet
1:30-2:30 p.m.
Lunch
Annual MOLA Board Meeting and Conference Awards Ceremony
2:30-5:00 p.m.
Concurrent Breakout Sessions
  • Nursing Track: Latinx Nurses Advancing Healthcare: Research, Leadership & Career Pathways
  • Health Management & Leadership Symposium Part 2
  • Mental Health: Caring for Ourselves While Caring for Others
  • LMSA House of Delegates Meeting (invitation only)
5:00-6:00 p.m.
Networking Reception hosted/led by NALHE and Concluding Remarks

Health Management & Leadership Symposium

The second annual symposium brings together healthcare professionals, executives, educators, researchers, students, policymakers, and community leaders around leadership, management, innovation, mentorship, and health equity.

11:00-11:10 a.m.Opening Remarks: Leadership Across Generations

Speaker: Oscar Ivan Zambrano, MPH, MBA

11:10-11:45 a.m.Keynote

Speaker: Iris Romero, MD, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine

11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m.Leadership Across Generations

Speakers: David Martinez Vicenttin, Cleveland Clinic; Ana Victoria Ortiz, Cleveland Clinic; Jose Escalante, Northwestern Medicine; Mervin Dino, Chicago Department of Public Health; Iliana Mora, Advocate Condell Medical Center; and Jose R. Sanchez, Humboldt Park Health

1:00-2:00 p.m.Lunch
2:00-3:20 p.m.Leading Systems, Shaping Futures with Q&A

Speakers: Francisco Iacobelli, Loyola University Chicago; Erick Tarula, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Iliana Mora, Advocate Condell Medical Center; and Jose R. Sanchez, Humboldt Park Health

3:20-3:30 p.m.Break

Speakers: To Be Confirmed

3:30-5:00 p.m.Panel: Managing the Future of Healthcare

Speakers: To Be Confirmed

MOLA 2026 Annual Latino Health Conference • Preliminary Program