FIMCON: Food is Medicine unites in Washington D.C in June

We’re proud to support #FIMCON2026, a national Food is Medicine conference coming to Washington, D.C. from June 1–2.

For the first time, leading organizations advancing Food is Medicine are joining forces to launch FIMCON, the Food Is Medicine Conference, a national event uniting the full ecosystem transforming how America thinks about health, nutrition, and care.

More than 750 healthcare professionals, FIM practitioners and program participants, researchers, policymakers, community leaders, and funders will gather for a unified, large-scale convening of the entire Food is Medicine field.

This is Food is Medicine by #FoodisMedicine people.

See the full agenda.
Learn more: fimcon.org

Looking for CHLPI and FLPC at FIMCON? Here are the panels our expert team members will be speaking on:

Monday, June 1
Plenary Session: Venue: Independence Ballroom, Independence Level
Welcome Remarks from FIMCON Steering Committee  – 8:45 a.m. -9:30 a.m.

• Emily Callahan, MPH, RDN, Director of Policy Strategy, Food is Medicine Institute, Tufts University
• Katie Garfield, JD, Clinical Instructor & Director, Whole Person Care, Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation, Harvard Law School
• Sam Hoeffler, Coalition Director, National Produce Prescription Collaborative
• Colin Schwartz, Senior Advocacy Advisor, Health Care by Food™, American Heart Association
• Alissa Wassung, Executive Director, Food is Medicine Coalition

2:00 – 3:15 p.m.
CHLPI will host a State Policy Implementation Closed Door Session
Venue: Franklin/McPherson, Independence Level

3:45 – 5:00 p.m.
Panel: Farm to FIM: Scaling Values-Aligned Purchasing in Practice
Venue: Penn Quarter, Declaration Level
Moderator:

• Nicole Tichenor Blackstone, PhD, Associate Professor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy, Tufts University

Panelists:

• Cathryn Couch, Founder & CEO, Ceres Community Project
• Merry Davis, Director, Health Through Food, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation
• Joshua Faller, Co-Executive Director, Just Roots
• Brian Hillmer, Chief Culinary Officer, Community Servings
• Heather Latino, JD, Clinical Instructor, Food Law & Policy Clinic, Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation, Harvard Law School
• Erin Martin, Founder & CEO, FreshRx Oklahoma Tom McDougall, Founder & CEO, 4P Foods

3:45 – 5:30 p.m.
CHLPI will host a State Policy Implementation Closed Door Session
Venue: Franklin/McPherson, Independence Level

Tuesday, June 2
Plenary Session: Venue: Independence Ballroom, Independence Level
Food is More than Medicine: Nourishing Communities, Food Systems, & Economies – 9:05 AM – 10:05 AM

Moderator:

• Hilary Seligman, MD, Professor, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco

Panelists:

• Dion Dawson, Chief Dreamer & President, Dion’s Chicago Dream
• Michelle Howell, Farmer, Writer, & Community Organizer, Need More Acres Farm
• Edil ‘Junior’ LeBron, Chef, Cambridge Health Alliance & Boston City Cruises
• Emily Broad Leib, JD, Clinical Professor of Law & Director, Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation, Harvard Law School
• Dorella Walters, MPA, Chief Program Development Officer, God’s Love We Deliver

4 p.m – 5:15 p.m.
Food is Medicine: Charting a Path Forward Across Sectors & Systems
Venue: Independence Ballroom, Independence Level

Featured Talk
Moderator:

• Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH, Director, Food is Medicine Institute, Tufts University

Panelists:

• Sarah Downer, JD, State & Population Health Group, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation
  Rachel Fisher, Senior Advisor, Office of Disease Prevention & Health Promotion, Department of Health & Human Services

Panel Discussion Moderator: Michael de la Guardia, Senior Policy Director, The Health Initiative

Panelists:

• Haleta Belai, Vice President, Enterprise Drivers of Health, Centene Corporation
• Megan Bowman, RDN, National Nutrition Food Security Program Coordinator, Office of Food Security, Veterans Heath Affairs
• Erika Hanson, JD, Clinical Instructor, Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation, Harvard Law School
• Erin McDonald PhD, MPP, Senior Director, Food is Medicine Initiative, Arizona State University