Leading With Confidence In A Changing World, ASPHN’s 2026 Annual Meeting, was held June 14–16, 2026 in Indianapolis, IN. We picked up where we left off in the 2025 Annual Meeting with a continuation and deeper dive into AI as well as an exploration of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines, and important information about the GLP-1 revolution that every public health nutritionist needs.
ASPHN ANNUAL AWARDS
Every year, ASPHN celebrates excellence and leadership among its members for their contributions to the field of public health nutrition. Congratulations to the 2026 Award Winners and thank you for your leadership, vision, passion and determination!
LIGHTNING ROUND PRESENTATIONS
Instead of poster sessions, this year ASPHN tried something new: Lightning Round Oral Presentation Sessions. This new format was perfect for showcasing cutting-edge, innovative work in a concise, engaging way.
Presentations & Resources
SUNDAY, JUNE 14
THE POWER OF CONNECTION IN PUBLIC HEALTH LEADERSHIP
Katharine Manning, JD, President and Founder, Blackbird LLC, Washington, DC
THE ADAPTIVE PRACTITIONER: LEVERAGING AI & TRANSFERABLE SKILLS FOR THE NEW PUBLIC HEALTH LANDSCAPE
Maija Braatten, Assistant Director of Career Services, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
MONDAY, JUNE 15
AI Part II
Toni Marie Gist, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign
FEDERAL UPDATE – MCHB
Meredith Morrisette, MPH, Nutrition Advisor and Project Officer, HRSA, MCHB
DEVELOPING GUIDELINES: WHY REPRESENTATION MATTERS
Hollie Maynor, PhD, RD, LDN, Professor, Department of Nutrition and Executive Associate Dean of Research and Operations, College of Education, Health, and Human Services, University of Tennessee Knoxville
TUESDAY, JUNE 16
NAVIGATING GLP-1 REVOLUTION: WHAT PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS NEED TO KNOW
Kristina H. Lewis, MD, MPH, SM, Associate Professor, Epidemiology and Prevention, Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University
ASPHN Annual Meeting Headliners
THE POWER OF CONNECTION IN PUBLIC HEALTH LEADERSHIP
Katharine Manning has spent more than 25 years helping people and organizations navigate trauma and crisis with compassion and effectiveness. At the U.S. Department of Justice, she served as a Senior Attorney Advisor, guiding professionals through some of the nation’s most sensitive and high-profile matters, including the Boston Marathon bombing, the Madoff fraud scheme, and the South Carolina AME Church shooting. Today, Katharine partners with companies, nonprofits, and public institutions to strengthen workplace cultures of empathy, resilience, and trust. She is the author of The Empathetic Workplace: 5 Steps to a Compassionate, Calm, and Confident Response to Trauma on the Job (HarperCollins Leadership, 2021), a practical guide for leaders on supporting employees during times of challenge and upheaval. A frequent speaker and educator, Katharine teaches at American University and serves as a Senior Fellow at the Center for Excellence in Public Leadership at George Washington University. She is a graduate of Smith College and the University of Virginia School of Law, and is admitted to the bar in Washington, D.C., and California.
AI DEEP DIVE – PART II
Toni Gist is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she teaches in the areas of nutrition, food science, and exercise science. Known for her innovative approach to teaching, Toni brings learning to life by incorporating Artificial Intelligence, creating immersive virtual reality videos, collaborating with international partners, and designing interactive online modules that enrich the learner’s experience. In recognition of her impact, she was honored with the UIUC Office of the Provost Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award in 2023. Toni is also the author of several texts, including Nutrition for U, and led study abroad programs that explore the connection between lifestyle and health. Her work bridges instructional design, entrepreneurship, and emerging technologies to investigate real-world opportunities.
Navigating the GLP-1 Revolution: What public health professionals need to know
Kristina Lewis, MD, MPH, SM, is an Associate Professor in Public Health Sciences at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. She is a practicing physician board certified in both internal medicine and obesity medicine, but also has a public health focus, with degrees in epidemiology and health policy and management. Dr. Lewis leads an active research program focused on understanding the real-world effectiveness and safety of different treatments for obesity, as well as how best to implement health system-based tools to promote healthy eating and lifestyle changes. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the American Board of Obesity Medicine and currently serves as the Clinical Research representative on the Governing Board of The Obesity Society.
Developing Guidelines: Why Representation Matters
Hollie Raynor, PhD, RD, LDN, is a Professor in the Department of Nutrition and the Executive Associate Dean of Research and Operations in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences at the University of Tennessee. She holds a MS in Public Health Nutrition and a PhD in Clinical Psychology. She conducts research in lifestyle interventions for pediatric and adult obesity care, has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles, and has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, American Diabetes Association, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation for her research. She served as a member of the National Committee for Clinical Guidelines for Obesity for the American Psychological Association, a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Prediabetes and Adult Obesity Treatment Evidence Analysis Library Committee, and was a member of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Her research interests are on identifying best methods to implement behavioral dietary factors that improve outcomes in obesity care (i.e., limiting variety, reducing energy density, shifting distribution of energy intake earlier in the day), and translating lifestyle intervention into practice-based settings (i.e., integrated primary care).
