Global Prevention Symposium: Charting the Future of Oral Health and Medicine
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Registration details, speaker announcements, and agenda updates will be available in the coming weeks. Interested in attending? Sign up to be notified when registration opens and to receive updates.
Overview
The Global Prevention Symposium: Charting the Future of Oral Health and Medicine will bring together leading clinicians, researchers, educators, students, public health experts, and industry innovators to explore how prevention can transform healthcare and improve health outcomes across populations.
As healthcare systems increasingly shift from treatment to prevention, advances in early detection, precision diagnostics, artificial intelligence, and oral-systemic health are creating new opportunities to reduce disease burden and improve quality of life. Through expert presentations and interdisciplinary discussion, participants will examine emerging research, innovative technologies, and collaborative approaches that support earlier diagnosis, more effective intervention, and improved patient care.
Designed to foster collaboration across medicine, dentistry, public health, and industry, the symposium will connect leaders working to advance prevention science and translate innovation into real-world impact.
Key topics
- Cancer prevention and early detection
- Cardiometabolic disease and systemic health
- Oral-systemic health and microbiome science
- Artificial intelligence, diagnostics, and precision prevention
- Workforce development and population health
- Breaking the oral systemic barrier
Why attend
Participants will gain insights into:
- Emerging prevention science and translational research
- AI-enabled diagnostics and precision prevention strategies
- The growing connections between oral health and overall health
- Innovative approaches to workforce development and care delivery
- Collaborative models that advance population health and health equity
- Opportunities to build partnerships across academia, healthcare, industry, and public health
Who should attend?
- Dentists, dental hygienists, and oral health professionals
- Physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals
- Students, residents, fellows, and trainees in the health professions
- Researchers and clinician-scientists
- Public health professionals
- Nutrition professionals
- Healthcare executives and administrators
- Industry leaders and innovators
- Faculty and educators
- Healthcare policymakers
Keynote speakers
The symposium will feature internationally recognized leaders in medicine, public health, diagnostics, oral health, and healthcare innovation.
Dr. David R. Walt
Dr. David R. Walt is the Hansjörg Wyss Professor of Bioinspired Engineering at Harvard Medical School, professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, an associate member of the Broad Institute, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute professor.
Walt is the scientific founder of Illumina and Quanterix and has co-founded several life sciences companies, including Ultivue, Arbor Biotechnologies, Sherlock Biosciences, Vizgen, and Protillion Biosciences. His research has advanced the fields of optical microwell arrays and single-molecule detection, leading to numerous scientific and clinical applications.
He has received many national and international honors, including the Kabiller Prize in Nanoscience and Nanomedicine and the National Academy of Engineering's Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize. Walt is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Philosophical Society, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Academy of Inventors. He is also an inductee of the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
In 2025, Walt received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Joe Biden.
Dr. Rifat Atun
Dr. Rifat Atun is the Julio Frenk Professor of Public Health Leadership, professor of global health systems, and director of the Health Systems Innovation Lab at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He also serves as vice dean for non-degree education and innovation.
Atun is a faculty affiliate at the Center for International Development at the Harvard Kennedy School and serves on the Harvard University Asia Center Steering Committee and Council. He is also a visiting professor at Imperial College London and a distinguished visiting professor at Fukushima University in Japan.
Before joining Harvard, Atun was professor of international health management and head of the Health Management Group at Imperial College London. From 2008 to 2012, he served on the executive management team of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, where he led strategy, performance, and evaluation and helped oversee multibillion-dollar global health investments across more than 120 countries.
Atun has advised governments, international organizations, and leading companies on health systems, innovation, strategy, and leadership. He has designed and led executive education programs and undertaken assignments for organizations including Novartis, Medtronic, GSK, AbbVie, Merck, Pfizer, Vodafone, Roche, BCG, and Kearney.
HSDM faculty and invited speakers
Speakers include faculty and experts from Harvard University and leading institutions across healthcare, research, public health, and industry. Additional speakers and program details will be announced as they are confirmed
- Dr. Magda Feres, Harvard School of Dental Medicine
- Dr. Sukirth Ganesan, University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics
- Dr. Brian Mealey, American Board of Periodontology
- Dr. Lisa Simon, Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Contact us
Have questions about the symposium? Please contact:
Jakob Fjeldsted
Development Coordinator