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ACDC 2026 Call for Sessions
Chronic disease is the defining health crisis of our time.
90¢
Of every U.S. health care dollar is spent on people with chronic and mental health conditions.
The Case for Action
Eight of the ten leading causes of death in the United States are chronic diseases, driving most of the country's $4.9 trillion in annual health care spending. Despite significant investment in prevention and management over the last decade, the crisis continues to grow.
The tools to change that trajectory already exist. The challenge isn't a lack of effort. It's fragmentation.
A person living with Type 2 diabetes may have to navigate a primary care doctor, an endocrinologist, a dietitian, a PBM, a food pantry, a Medicaid plan, and a mobile health app, none of which are designed to work together. The professionals trying to help face the same disconnect. Researchers publish. Policymakers legislate. Providers treat. Payers reimburse. Community organizations serve. Too often their meaningful efforts happen in disconnected silos, and collectively they rarely come together to share and build practical solutions.
ACDC is here to change that.
How ACDC Addresses the Challenge
Connections that don't happen anywhere else
A Medicaid director, a health system CMO, a PBM strategist, a community-based organization, and a health tech founder in the same conversation, by design. ACDC is structured around the cross-sector dialogue that doesn’t often happen in traditional settings and brings the leaders driving these conversations into one room at a critical moment.
Leveraging the moment we're in
The chronic disease landscape is evolving quickly. Medicare and Medicaid are advancing new models with greater focus on rural health, prevention, and lifestyle interventions. Food is Medicine has moved from pilot to policy, and AI-enabled supports are reshaping prevention and care management. States are tackling chronic disease in ways that did not exist five years ago.
Partnerships & strategies that outlast the event
This is not a once-a-year speaker showcase. ACDC is built specifically to foster collaborative innovation between partners and to drive concrete, actionable strategies. We’re developing momentum that will continue long after you fly home, with practical models you can put to use Monday morning.
How ACDC works
The convention is meant to do just what it says, to convene partners from across the ecosystem to tackle our collective challenges. ACDC will have four primary content tracks with detailed sub-themes across three days. Every session will include at least two market segments to ensure the collaborative innovation that drives solutions with great impact.
The Case for Action
Eight of the ten leading causes of death in the United States are chronic diseases - including heart disease, cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, kidney disease, chronic lower respiratory disease, and chronic liver disease. These conditions are among the leading drivers of the nation’s $4.9 trillion in annual health care costs.
The challenge is not a lack of effort. It’s fragmentation.
A person living with Type 2 diabetes does not navigate a single system. They may interact with a primary care physician, an endocrinologist, a dietitian, a pharmacy benefit manager, a food pantry, a Medicaid program, and a mobile health app - none of which are designed to work seamlessly together.
That same fragmentation affects the professionals trying to help. Researchers publish. Policymakers legislate. Providers treat. Payers reimburse. Community organizations serve. But too rarely do they come together in ways that create aligned, practical solutions.
ACDC's mission is to change that.
It’s Time for a More Connected Approach
We have brilliant researchers. Innovative technologies. Dedicated clinicians. Committed advocates. The science, in many cases, exists. What’s too often missing is the connection between the people, systems, and sectors working to address chronic disease.
What’s missing is the collaboration.
ACDC brings together leaders across healthcare, public health, policy, technology, research, and community organizations to build more connected approaches to chronic disease.
Guided by an Advisory Council of Cross-Sector Leaders
ACDC is being shaped with input from leaders across healthcare, public health, policy, research, technology, and community-based organizations. Their perspectives are helping ensure the conference reflects the real challenges, emerging opportunities, and cross-sector collaboration needed to address chronic disease more effectively.
No speakers found
We couldn't find any speakers that match your filters. Please adjust the filters or check back soon.
Call for Sessions | ACDC 2026
A Program Built for Collaboration
Every session at ACDC features voices from at least two industry sectors because that's where real solutions get built.
Over three days in New Orleans, leaders from government, health systems, nonprofits, academia, pharma, health technology, and food and wellness stop presenting at each other and start building with each other. The goal is not to leave with more slides, but to leave with a strategy, a network, and the momentum to use both.
Our call for abstract submissions is open through August 28, 2026.
Guided by an Advisory Council of Cross-Sector Leaders
ACDC is being shaped by leaders across healthcare, public health, policy, research, technology, and community organizations.
Carladenise Edwards, PhD
Chief Administrative Officer, Miami-Dade County
Carladenise Edwards, PhD
Chief Administrative Officer, Miami-Dade County
Carladenise Armbrister Edwards has served in executive leadership roles across health systems, government, and nonprofit governance, including Henry Ford Health System, Providence St. Joseph Health, Alameda Health System, and Georgia’s Department of Community Health. She now oversees major operational functions for Miami-Dade County and brings deep experience in health transformation, strategy, public systems, and innovation.
Marti Macchi, DrPH, MPH
President & CEO, Project Angel Heart
Marti Macchi, DrPH, MPH, M.Ed.
President & CEO, Project Angel Heart
Dr. Macchi leads Project Angel Heart and brings more than 25 years of public health experience focused on chronic disease prevention and control. Her work spans strategy, fundraising, public engagement, and the advancement of medically tailored meals and Food is Medicine as practical, community-based interventions.
J.T. Lane, MPH
Managing Director & Public Health Practice Lead, Premier, Inc.
J.T. Lane, MPH
Managing Director & Public Health Practice Lead, Premier, Inc.
J.T. Lane brings 25 years of leadership across public, private, and nonprofit sectors, with expertise in population health, public-private partnerships, data modernization, Medicaid engagement, and health system transformation. His career includes senior leadership at ASTHO and Louisiana’s Department of Health.
Anne Zink, MD
Senior Policy Fellow, Yale School of Public Health
Anne Zink, MD, FACEP
Senior Policy Fellow, Yale School of Public Health
Dr. Zink is an emergency physician, former Alaska Chief Medical Officer, and co-founder of PopHIVE.org. Her work centers on rebuilding trust in public health, improving government effectiveness, integrating data for action, and creating systems that better connect public health, healthcare, and policy.
Calder Lynch
Vice President, Regional Medicaid President, Humana
Calder Lynch
Vice President, Regional Medicaid President, Humana
Calder Lynch has nearly two decades of public and private sector healthcare leadership experience, including senior roles at CMS and as state Medicaid director in Nebraska. He brings deep expertise in Medicaid policy, managed care, health plan operations, and the practical realities of transforming systems at both the state and federal levels.
Alyia Gaskins, MPH, MURP
Mayor of the City of Alexandria, VA
Alyia Gaskins, MPH, MURP
Mayor of the City of Alexandria, VA
Alyia Gaskins, a tenacious fighter for families, communities, and health equity, is the first African American woman to serve as the Mayor of Alexandria. She was elected in 2024 and is dedicated to building a healthier, more prosperous Alexandria for all. The same issues that motivate Alyia as an elected official—health, housing, education, public safety, and the economic, social, and physical vitality of cities—have motivated her professional career as a public health strategist and city planner. She has worked on hunger policy at D.C. Hunger Solutions and health issues at the National League of Cities, managed an affordable housing investment program at the Center for Community Investment, and was most recently a Senior Program Officer at the Melville Charitable Trust, a national philanthropic organization devoted to ending homelessness. Currently, Alyia runs her own consulting business, CitiesRX, which focuses on building physical, social, and economic health through community partnerships.
Elizabeth Goodman, JD, MSW, DrPH
Senior Managing Director, Healthcare & Life Sciences, FTI Consulting
Elizabeth Goodman, JD, MSW, DrPH
Senior Managing Director for the Healthcare & Life Sciences practice at FTI Consulting
Elizabeth Goodman is a Senior Managing Director for the Healthcare & Life Sciences practice within the Strategic Communications segment at FTI Consulting. Dr. Goodman has more than 30 years of experience in healthcare, health insurance, law and policy at the state and federal levels, such as Medicare, Medicaid and long-term services and supports. She holds a unique blend of legal, public health and business expertise with a deep understanding of regulatory and operational challenges facing healthcare payers and providers.
Event Registration
Every Partner in the Fight Against Chronic Disease in One Room
If you're involved in preventing, managing, or living with chronic disease, you belong here.
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Early Bird Pricing Available Through September 4
Healthcare Providers & Health Systems
You’re already doing the work. ACDC connects you with the policymakers, payers, and technologists who can help remove the barriers making that work harder.
Government & Public Health
See how your population-level strategies translate in practice, and connect with the partners who can help scale what is working.
Payers
The future of prevention and chronic care will not be built in isolation. ACDC brings you into conversation with the providers, innovators, and community organizations helping reshape the landscape.
Industry & Employers
From pharma and medical devices to retail, consumer health, and employer strategy, your work intersects with a broad ecosystem. ACDC helps you engage the decision-makers, partners, and end users who influence access, adoption, and impact.
Health Technology
The best interoperability solution fails without clinical buy-in. The best AI tool fails without workflow integration. Build with the people who will actually use what you create.
Nonprofits & Patient Advocates
Your mission lives at the intersection of everything ACDC addresses. This is the room where your voice helps shape the agenda and the action that follows.
Academia & Research
Your findings deserve to be implemented, not just cited. ACDC puts you in front of practitioners, policymakers, and private-sector leaders who can help move evidence into practice.
Food is Medicine & Wellness
The mainstream healthcare system is finally listening. ACDC is where you help ensure those conversations lead to durable change.
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Call for Sessions Deadline is April 22, 2026
Sponsorship Opportunities
Put Your Organization at the Center of the Chronic Disease Conversation
ACDC offers sponsors access to a uniquely cross-sector audience working across prevention, care delivery, policy, research, technology, and community health. If your organization wants to be part of the conversations, partnerships, and strategies shaping the future of chronic disease, this is the room to be in.
Who You'll Reach
Providers, payers, public health leaders, policymakers, researchers, advocates, innovators, and industry partners.
Why It Matters
This is not a passive audience. ACDC is built around practical models, real collaboration, and the systems-level conversations shaping prevention, care, payment, and policy.
Strategic Positioning
Show your organization’s commitment to improving chronic disease outcomes through collaboration and systems change.
Flexible Opportunities
From prominent branding to curated engagement moments, ACDC sponsorships are designed to create value for partners and attendees alike.
Why New Orleans, Why Now
Book Hotel
New Orleans is known for culture, connection, resilience, and some of the best food in the country. It is a city that brings people together - and that matters for a conference designed to spark collaboration across sectors.
But this setting is not just appealing, it's meaningful. Louisiana and the Gulf South continue to face a heavy burden of chronic disease, making New Orleans an especially relevant place to convene leaders across healthcare, public health, policy, research, technology, and community organizations.
ACDC is gathering in a city that reflects both the urgency of the challenge and the importance of coming together to address it.
Airport
Louis Armstrong Intl (MSY)
~15 miles / ~25 min by rideshare
Hotel Address
Hyatt Regency New Orleans
601 Loyola Ave, New Orleans, LA 70113
Hotel Block
Secure your room at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans through the official ACDC hotel block. Last day to book at the discounted rate is Friday, November 13, 2026.
Book Hotel
New Orleans
A city of culture, complexity, hospitality, and urgency - a fitting setting for a more connected conversation about chronic disease.
Hyatt Regency New Orleans
In the heart of downtown and designed for large-scale events, the Hyatt Regency gives ACDC the space and setting to bring this community together.
Join the Leaders Changing How We Fight Chronic Disease
ACDC 2026 · New Orleans · December 7–9
Why New Orleans, Why Now
New Orleans is known for culture, connection, resilience, and some of the best food in the country. It is a city that brings people together - and that matters for a conference designed to spark collaboration across sectors.
But this setting is not just appealing. It is meaningful. Louisiana and the Gulf South continue to face a heavy burden of chronic disease, making New Orleans an especially relevant place to convene leaders across healthcare, public health, policy, research, technology, and community organizations.
ACDC is gathering in a city that reflects both the urgency of the challenge and the importance of coming together to address it. The Hyatt Regency New Orleans puts you in the center of it - steps from downtown, with everything a high-demand event requires.
Louis Armstrong Intl (MSY)
~15 miles / ~25 min by rideshare
Hotel Block
Room block open. Rate and booking link coming soon.
Location
601 Loyola Ave, New Orleans, LA 70113
FAQS
Yes, you’ll need to fill out our registration form to gain access to the event. Please fill in the registration form with some basic information to get started.
The information you provide upon registration will only be used to establish you as a user on the platform and to create your login credentials. It will not be used for any other purposes.
Yes, the vFairs platform is compatible with any computer or mobile device and any browser.
Yes, this event is completely free to attend. We encourage you to login and have a look around at your convenience.
The event will be on demand indefinitely, however we may make updates and changes to the platform periodically. Make sure to keep checking back in to see our newest features in action!
Event Sponsors
TechNova Solutions
TechNova Solutions is a global leader in cloud infrastructure and enterprise software. As a Platinum Sponsor, TechNova supports innovation by empowering organizations with cutting-edge AI and automation tools that drive digital transformation across industries.
Omnex Connect
Omnex Connect delivers seamless communication infrastructure for large-scale digital events. Their sponsorship powers reliable connectivity and meaningful interactions among attendees, exhibitors, and speakers alike.
HelixCore Technologies
HelixCore Technologies leads the charge in next-generation analytics, automation, and data security. Their role as Innovation Partner reflects their passion for redefining what’s possible through intelligent systems.
Lunaris Digital
Lunaris Digital crafts immersive digital ecosystems for enterprises seeking innovation at scale. As the Gold Sponsor, they champion creativity, technology, and collaboration across the global tech landscape.
Aureon Dynamics
Aureon Dynamics pioneers intelligent automation platforms that blend data, design, and decision-making. Their Platinum Sponsorship underscores their mission to empower industries with smarter, faster, and more sustainable technologies.
Verdantia Labs
Verdantia Labs develops eco-smart technologies that connect innovation with sustainability. As the Bronze Sponsor, they promote responsible tech design and environmentally conscious innovation.
QuantumEdge Solutions
QuantumEdge Solutions develops advanced software and infrastructure systems designed to enhance performance, scalability, and security. As the Technology Partner, they bring cutting-edge innovation and technical expertise that power the digital backbone of the event.
Event Agenda
No agenda found
We couldn't find any agenda that match your filters. Please adjust the filters or check back soon.
