Health Evolution is gearing up for 2026 Connect, which will take place Sept. 27-29 in Nashville, Tenn. As we prepare to welcome leaders from across the health care industry for our fall gathering, I sat down with Health Evolution Executive Vice President Rob Lazerow to discuss why 2026 Health Evolution Connect is a must-attend event for influential senior executives and what dynamic experiences participating leaders can look forward to this year.
Read on to discover how 2026 Connect will empower executives to think more clearly, engage more honestly, and act more wisely together than they could apart.
What makes 2026 Connect a standout gathering for health care executives?
We are delighted to convene the Health Evolution community in Nashville this fall. It is a consequential time for health care, making this year an especially important moment for leaders to gather and engage in candid, cross-industry dialogue.
Our time together is designed to build stronger relationships, unearth new insights, and give leaders the conviction to act boldly. Across a series of main stage and small-group discussions, executives will dig into the key issues defining this moment in health care, especially the policy implications of the upcoming midterm elections, the Medicaid shifts reshaping coverage for millions, and the continued adoption of AI across the health care ecosystem.
The Connect agenda will feature a thought-provoking main stage program, and just as important, expanded time and space for executives to engage with their peers in small-group conversations throughout our time together. And as always, we will have ample unstructured time for leaders to guide the conversation and forge new relationships. 2026 Connect is designed to be highly interactive, built on our community’s expertise, insight, and commitment to driving positive change.
What can leaders expect from the main stage program this year?
Our main stage Big Discussions explore four overarching themes shaping the industry right now: health policy, consumer experience, AI and biotech, and leadership.
Monday centers on health policy, opening with a fireside chat on where bipartisan ground may stand after the midterms. We will also examine how the new Medicaid rules are already reshaping coverage and care. We will unpack the firsthand experiences of health plan and health system CEOs in the same major market to see what it takes to serve a shared community when the stakes are this high.
Our Confab for Advancing Women in Leadership Big Discussion welcomes Dr. Janice Nevin for a fireside chat on building a legacy, not just a career. As she closes a distinguished chapter of service, she shares her philosophy of leading with love and the leadership lessons behind it.
Tuesday morning focuses on consumer experience and AI. We will open with a conversation on how payers and providers can strip friction out of the system and deliver better care. Next, we will turn to how AI is transforming biotech to unlock new cures—and how leaders are confronting the bottlenecks preventing those breakthroughs from reaching patients.
We’ll close the main stage program with a special, off-the-record conversation with Amy Walter, who pairs unmatched access to campaign insiders and Washington decision-makers with objective analysis that cuts through the noise to unpack the forces shaping health policy. This will be a phenomenal capstone to the main stage on Tuesday afternoon—leaders won’t want to miss it!
We’ll cover a lot of terrain in two full days, and we’re deeply grateful to the Discussion Leaders bringing it to life. We’re honored to welcome top CEOs and influential leaders to the main stage, including:
- Amy Abernethy, MD, PhD, Co-founder, Highlander Health; Former Principal Deputy Commissioner, FDA
- Brian Alexander, MD, CEO, Valo Health; CEO Partner, Flagship Pioneering
- Rafid Fadul, MD, CMO, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)
- The Hon. William Frist, MD, Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader; Founding Partner, Frist Cressey Ventures
- Julian Harris, MD, Chairman & CEO, ConcertoCare
- Nzinga Harrison, MD, Co-Founder and CMO, Eleanor Health
- Tommy Ibrahim, MD, EVP and Chief Transformation Officer, Sanford Health
- Kevin Mahoney, CEO, University of Pennsylvania Health System
- Kelly Munson, President and CEO, Independence Health Group
- Steve Nelson, EVP and President, Aetna
- Janice Nevin, MD, President & CEO, ChristianaCare
- Kavita Patel, MD, Professor of Medicine, Stanford Medicine
- Amy Walter, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Cook Political Report with Amy Walter
Looking beyond the main stage, what can leaders expect for the interactive breakout sessions this year?
Much of the 2026 Connect agenda is dedicated to interactive, small-group discussions to create valuable time for executives to engage directly with peers and bring their expertise to the forefront. Leaders can expect this to take shape in different formats that are all designed to spur genuine, candid, off-the-record dialogue.
We’ll have our Brass Tacks Discussions, which get straight to the heart of the issue at hand and engage executives in interactive discussion with industry peers. This year’s Brass Tacks will explore a range of topics, including the latest in AI, consumer trust, primary care, behavioral health, and more.
We’ve also expanded our member-led breakout sessions, and we’re excited to unveil a variety of new formats for these highly interactive discussions. Health Evolution Members will debate, pressure-test, and reframe the core themes reshaping health care: AI and data, affordability, care redesign, public health and the safety net, and transformative therapeutics. These are certain to be lively conversations animated by our community’s passion and expertise.
Connect will also offer plenty of unstructured time for executives to build relationships and interact with peers through receptions, meals, and extended breaks. The Member Lounge continues to serve as a natural gathering point for peer conversation (and caffeination).
For the grand finale of 2026 Connect, we’re especially excited for the Confab for Advancing Women in Leadership “Get Real” Dinner on Tuesday evening. The Confab community will gather to reconnect and reflect together. This intimate, off-the-record setting offers a perfect sendoff to our time together in Nashville.
What are you most excited about for 2026 Connect?
Seeing our community join together is truly a privilege, and this fall will be no exception. Every day of Connect, executives engage in real conversations about the issues that matter. I’m always proud of the caliber and sincerity of the conversations on the main stage, in the breakout rooms, and in the hallways, and I’m especially excited that this will be our most interactive Connect yet. And that’s fitting since the community itself is what makes Connect so special.
So, I’m excited for three days of community, honest dialogue, and genuine connection among the leaders who can make bold change happen at a consequential moment. I can’t wait to gather with this incredible community in Nashville!
