HCLI 2026 Highlights

“You don't bring people along if you shame them. When people feel shame, they dig in."

- Emily Ramshaw, Co-founder & CEO, The 19th

In a time of rapid change, growing uncertainty, and increasingly complex conversations, this year's Health Communication Leadership Institute (HCLI) centered on a simple but powerful idea: meaningful communication begins with empathy.  

Let's revisit a few moments that stood out:

• Communication starts long before words. Grace Farris, M.D. (Dell Medical School), introduced attendees to graphic medicine—the use of comics to tell personal health care stories. Using public health examples, she showed how visual storytelling can make complex information more approachable and reduce stigma. As she reminded us, "Before we all learned to read and write, we learned how to draw." Her session challenged attendees to see how visuals can build empathy and help people see themselves in a story. 

• What does strategic leadership look like in uncertain times? Jeremi Suri, Ph.D. (The University of Texas at Austin), and Aliza Norwood, M.D. (UT Health Austin's Primary Care Clinic), challenged attendees to understand the systems around them, recognize overlooked opportunities, and resist distractions. As Suri observed, "Strategy is one of those words everyone uses but no one defines," before sharing a practical framework for more intentional leadership.

• Even the best communication plans must evolve under real-world conditions. Katie Friel, M.A. (Texas Department of State Health Services), and CHC Program Manager Melanie Susswein pulled back the curtain on two Texas-sized public health campaigns. Melanie shared the challenge of aligning messaging across the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium's 12 regions and extensive statewide partner network. Katie described her team's ambitious statewide video campaign showcasing the agency's impact across Texas—and how she adapted it after unexpected funding changes while keeping its core message intact. Both shared how they were able to preserve feasibility without sacrificing impact.

• As communication channels continue to evolve, Brooke Thadeus, MHA (HealthAdminLife, LLC), and Jordann Thomas, MBA, MPH (National Health Administration Network), encouraged attendees to approach emerging digital platforms with curiosity and intention rather than trying to be everywhere at once. As they put it, "The best health communication happens at the edge of what's comfortable."

• Sharing meaningful memories isn't a typical conference activity—but Bryan Sexton, Ph.D. (Duke Center for the Advancement of Well-being Science), turned the unexpected exercise into a memorable reminder that well-being is contagious. Challenging attendees to think beyond work-life balance and instead consider work-life climate, Sexton reminded us, "The burnout of others can pull you down, but the well-being of others can lift you up." His closing message was equally hopeful: "When it comes to positive emotions, frequency—not magnitude—matters more.”

• Returning to HCLI for a second year, Mike Devlin, Ph.D. (Mosaic Creative Solutions), expanded on his Six Thinking Hats framework with an interactive exercise demonstrating how multiple perspectives lead to stronger creative solutions. His key takeaway: the most overlooked step in the creative process is preparation.

• HCLI concluded with an inspiring keynote from Emily Ramshaw (Co-founder and CEO of The 19^th), who challenged attendees to think differently about trust—how it's earned, how it's lost, and why empathy remains one of the most powerful communication tools we have. "You don't bring people along if you shame them," she said. "When people feel shame, they dig in." She encouraged attendees to think beyond today's headlines and invest in lasting narrative change. "If we don't invest in the long game, we're not going to move the needle." It was a fitting conclusion to three days centered on meeting people where they are, communicating with intention, and building trust one conversation at a time.

To everyone who joined us for HCLI 2026, thank you for helping make this year's Institute such a thoughtful, engaging, and inspiring experience. We're grateful to our outstanding speakers for sharing their expertise, honesty, and generosity, and to our sponsors—Texas Department of State Health Services & Whole Communities—Whole Health—for making HCLI possible every year.