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E.R. Brown Symposium

E.R. Brown Symposium

E.R. Brown Symposium

The E.R. Brown Symposium is an annual event that honors the life of the late UCLA CHPR founder Rick Brown, a passionate advocate for health care reform.

E.R. Brown Symposium

We host...forums for discourse on critical issues in public health.

Each year, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research brings public health experts, community leaders, policymakers, advocates, researchers, media, and the general public together for discussions on some of the most urgent issues facing public health — from gun violence, to housing and homelessness, to the impact of COVID-19 on our health systems, to universal health care.

The E.R. Brown Symposium, named after UCLA CHPR founder E. Richard "Rick" Brown, is an annual event that honors the life of Rick Brown, who spent his life building evidence and advocating for a health-care-for-all system and improving social factors that assure equitable opportunities for people to achieve the best health possible.

2026 E.R. Brown Symposium registration is now open:

Nourishing the Future: Reimagining Nutrition Security in an Era of Change
Tuesday, November 17, 2026
9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
In person (Sacramento) and Zoom

Food is more than fuel. It is a foundation for health, educational success, economic mobility, and community well-being.

At a time of significant change in federal nutrition and social service programs, California stands at a crossroads. The 2026 E.R. Brown Symposium, Nourishing the Future: Reimagining Nutrition Security in an Era of Change, will bring together experts and changemakers to explore how the state can respond to growing challenges and help close gaps in access to nutritious food.

From climate-smart food systems and food-as-medicine interventions to stronger safety nets, better data, and support for students, the symposium will spotlight innovative strategies and partnerships that can advance nutrition security for all Californians. 

Join us as we examine not only the challenges ahead, but the opportunities for California to chart a healthier and more equitable path forward.

The E.R. Brown Symposium is free and open to the public. Registration is required. The symposium will be held in person: 

UC Student and Policy Center
1115 11th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814


Register to attend the symposium in Sacramento.

The symposium will also be livestreamed on Zoom. Register to join us virtually.
 

Full agenda and program will be available soon. Presenters and panelists include:

Richard Ayoub, CEO, Project Angel Food

Haleta Belai, Vice President, Enterprise Drivers of Health, Centene Corporation

Dan Birman, Emmy award-winning executive producer and director 

Dr. Steven Chen, Chief Medical Officer, Recipe4Health, Alameda County Health, Public Health Department, Community Health Services Division

Paula Daniels, Executive Director, Los Angeles County Office of Food Systems

Kayla de la Haye, PhD, Professor, Community Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health

Jamie Fanous, Policy and Organizing Director, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF)

Lauren Hansen, Staff Attorney, Public Interest Law Project

Jamiah Hargins, Founding Executive Director, Crop Swap LA

Christina Hecht, PhD, Senior Policy Advisor, Nutrition Policy Institute

Ken Hecht, Director of Policy, Nutrition Policy Institute

Joe Incandela, PhD, Yzurdiaga Chair in Experimental Science, UC Santa Barbara, and Former Lead, CMS Experiment, European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)

Michelle Lee, Policy Advocate, Nourish California

Suzanna M. Martinez, PhD, Associate Professor, Lifecourse Division, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, UC San Francisco

Fabiola Moncerrat Perez-Lua, PhD, Chancellor’s Post-Doctoral Fellow, UCLA, and Post-Doctoral Scholar, UC Berkeley 

Ninez A. Ponce, PhD, MPP, Director, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, and Professor and Fred W. & Pamela K. Wasserman Endowed Chair, Department of Health Policy and Management, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health

AJ Scheitler, EdD, Director, UCLA Data Equity Center, and Director, Development, Engagement, and Strategic Planning, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research

Maxwell Titsworth, Chief Data and Technology Officer, San Francisco-Marin Food Bank

Oliko Vardishvili, PhD, Assistant Professor, Economics, UC Irvine

Jun Wu, PhD, Professor, Environmental and Occupational Health, Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health, UC Irvine

*Subject to change. The full agenda and program will be available soon.

Interested in partnering with us as a sponsor? Download our sponsorship package.

 

Building a Better Future of Health Policy and Research
October 24, 2024
Hammer Museum

In celebration of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research's 30th anniversary, the 2024 E.R. Brown Symposium featured panels and presentations on the innovations and impact that have made CHPR one of the nation’s leading health policy research centers. 

UCLA CHPR researchers, faculty, and staff shared exciting new projects advancing equity locally with the Health Equity Challenge and nationally through our Data Equity Center; innovations in survey science and our constantly evolving and award-winning California Health Interview Survey (CHIS); expertise in evaluating the impact of federal programs, statewide demonstrations, local initiatives, environmental disasters, and state and legislative policies through our Health Economics and Evaluation Research (HEER) Program; community-centered projects like our groundbreaking Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) Data Policy Lab; policy-driven research and analysis on food insecurity, breast cancer, older adult care, health insurance, and more. 

The symposium also included a keynote address on Defending the Future of Health Policy Research by Dr. Aaron Carroll, 
president and CEO of AcademyHealth, and special remarks by Ritu Sadana, ScD, head of ageing and health at the World Health Organization ‍(WHO).

 

Addressing Gun Violence as a Public Health Epidemic
February 13, 2023

Near daily coverage of another shooting event has everyone asking: “What can be done?” The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research brought together an outstanding group of researchers, advocates, and community leaders working to understand and stem gun violence, and sharing new research and perspectives to inform policy and programs to increase public safety.

Attendees heard from some of the voices leading this important work: researchers working to build the evidence base to bring a better understanding to this complex issue and its perspectives in different communities, community leaders with frontline views of programs and policies that show promise in stemming the rising tide of violence, and policymakers working to make a difference in the state.

Keynote Speaker: California Attorney General Rob Bonta shared his vision for how policy can make a difference.

Featured panelists and speakers:

  • ​Joan Asarnow, Professor, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
  • Kerith Conron, Research Director, Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law
  • Christian Heyne, Vice President of Policy and Programs, Brady
  • Chris Knoepke, Assistant Professor, Research, University of Colorado Denver – Anschutz Medical Campus
  • Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz, Assistant Professor, Violence Prevention Research Program, UC Davis
  • Brian Malte, Executive Director, Hope and Heal Fund
  • Julie Nagasako, Deputy Director, Office of Policy and Planning, California Department of Public Health
  • Jesenia Pizarro, Editor, Homicide Studies, and Professor, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University
  • Fernando Rejón, Executive Director, Urban Peace Institute
  • Refujio “Cuco” Rodriguez, Chief Equity and Program Officer, Hope and Heal Fund
  • George Tita, Professor, Criminology, Law, and Society, UC Irvine
  • Andrea Welsing, Executive Director, Los Angeles County Office of Violence Prevention

UCLA CHPR Director Ninez Ponce provided opening and closing remarks and moderated the event.

The symposium also featured a session exclusively for students and youth. Presenters included: Gabriel Garcia, Youth ALIVE!; Wilson Hammett, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health; and Jason Madison, RYSE Center. Moderated by Cuco Rodriguez.

Interesting in learning more about some of the gun violence research going on at UCLA CHPR? Read our recent fact sheet.

 

Opening Doors for All: Improving Health in Housing and Homelessness
October 4–5, 2021
Download the program.

The 2021 symposium brought public health leaders, community advocates, policymakers, and other thought leaders together to discuss one of the most pressing public health issues facing Californians: housing and homelessness. Throughout two days, speakers from around the country shared past successes and lessons learned, discussed some of the underlying economic and social factors contributing to homelessness, and identified opportunities so that California can invest effectively with evidence-based solutions to creating a healthier, more prosperous California for all.

Speakers and panelists included:

  • Bill Purcell, Former Mayor, Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County
  • Libby Schaaf, Mayor, Oakland
  • Phil Ting, California State Assembly member, District 19
  • Isaac Bryan, California State Assembly member, District 54
  • Philip Mangano, President and CEO, The American Round Table to Abolish Homelessness
  • Donald Whitehead, Jr., Executive Director, National Coalition for the Homeless
  • Kathryn Monet, CEO, National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
  • Margot Kushel, Director, UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations
  • Michelle Cabrera, Executive Director, County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California
  • Leepi Shimkhada, Director of Housing and Services, Housing for Health, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
  • Gary Painter, Director, USC Sol Price Center for Social Innovation and Homelessness Policy Research Institute
  • Suzette Shaw, Poet and Advocate, Skid Row from a Women's Perspective
  • Eva Thibaudeau, CEO, Temenos Community Development Corporation
  • Nadereh Pourat, Director, Health Economics and Evaluation Program, and Associate Director, UCLA CHPR
  • Dana White, Program Officer, True Colors United

UCLA CHPR Director Ninez A. Ponce provided opening and closing remarks.

Read the policy paper, featuring findings from the symposium.

 

Healing a Fractured Society: Health Care as a Right
October 14, 2020

Can we heal our broken health care system? What role does social justice and equity play in achieving health care for all? Leading experts from around the country discussed the fractures the COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare in our health systems and the strategies for change in addressing health equity.

The symposium brought together public health leaders, community advocates, policymakers, researchers, faculty, students, and more for critical discussions on the past, present, and way forward.

Speakers included:

  • Lanhee Chen, David and Diane Steffy Fellow in American Public Policy Studies, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
  • Michael V. Drake, President, University of California
  • Sandro Galea, Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor, Boston University School of Public Health
  • J. Nadine Gracia, Executive Vice President and COO, Trust for America’s Health
  • Sandra Hernández, President and CEO, California Health Care Foundation
  • Robert K. Ross, President and CEO, The California Endowment
  • Lisa Simpson, President and CEO, AcademyHealth
  • Anthony Wright, Executive Director, Health Access California

 

Universal Health Care in California
March 1–2, 2019

The inaugural E.R. Brown Symposium on universal health care brought leading experts from around the world to discuss the origins of universal health care systems in other countries, how they operate, and whether one could be implemented in California.

Spotlight