Pillar Events
Pillar Events
Events to inspire and empower
At the Parkinson School, one of our fundamental beliefs is that we cannot solve complex problems alone. Crafting sustainable solutions to systemic challenges requires open dialogue and earnest collaboration among people who touch an issue from various angles. At three annual events—Health Equity Quest, Salon: Data Science for Social Thinkers, and Loyola Stands Against Gun Violence—we bring together diverse stakeholders representing different disciplines, sectors, and life experiences. With open hearts and minds, we strengthen our collective resolve to address pressing issues related to health equity and quality of life.
Loyola Chicago Health Equity Quest
Hosted by the Parkinson School’s Center for Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CHIE) in conjunction with MATTER, a Chicago-based incubator, Loyola Health Equity Quest is an annual challenge to catalyze innovation and jumpstart ventures committed to reducing long-standing health inequities and improving population health. The event includes a “Shark Tank”-styled pitch contest before an audience including venture capitalists and philanthropists.
Each year, Health Equity Quest focuses on a topic related to society’s changing needs. In its debut year, 2021, the event looked at health equity and emerging infectious diseases. In following years, themes turned to topics such as the intersection of health and rapid climate change as well as justice within health care systems and the natural environment. In fall 2024, Health Equity Quest will explore mental health for early career professionals in partnership with Alight, a leading cloud-based human capital technology and services provider for employee benefits administration.
Loyola Stands Against Gun Violence
Since 2020, the Community Advocacy and Violence Prevention Summit hosted by Loyola Stands Against Gun Violence has invited students, faculty, and community leaders to discuss ways to curtail gun violence—a national public health crisis that continues plaguing the Chicago area.
The annual summit promotes education, advocacy, and dialogue, blending keynote speeches with panel discussions highlighting strategies and methods to reduce violence. Previous keynote speakers have included Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx, activist Fred Guttenberg, and Brady president Kris Brown.
In 2024, the summit shifted to Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus and added an exhibitor hall showcasing local organizations working to combat gun violence.
Salon: Data Science for Social Thinkers
Seeking to advance health data science, improve health outcomes, and advance health equity, the Center for Health Outcomes and Informatics Research (CHOIR) introduced Salon: Data Science for Social Thinkers in 2023. Salon promotes informatics and data-driven research in an accessible way, leaning into first-person perspectives, impactful narratives, and energized personal conversations around data’s role in health care decision-making and action.
Leaning into areas like social justice, diversity, global health, and community engagement, past Salon speakers have included professionals from the Parkinson School, Northwestern University, the Chicago Department o f Public Health, the American Medical Association’s Center for Health Equity, and nonprofit agencies like Guitars Over Guns.
Through these key events at the Parkinson School, we connect with the broader community and work toward solutions rooted in equity, innovation, and compassion.”
– MICHAEL BLOOM, FOUNDING DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR HEALTH INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Loyola Chicago Health Equity Quest
Hosted by the Parkinson School’s Center for Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CHIE) in conjunction with MATTER, a Chicago-based incubator, Loyola Health Equity Quest is an annual challenge to catalyze innovation and jumpstart ventures committed to reducing long-standing health inequities and improving population health. The event includes a “Shark Tank”-styled pitch contest before an audience including venture capitalists and philanthropists.
Each year, Health Equity Quest focuses on a topic related to society’s changing needs. In its debut year, 2021, the event looked at health equity and emerging infectious diseases. In following years, themes turned to topics such as the intersection of health and rapid climate change as well as justice within health care systems and the natural environment. In fall 2024, Health Equity Quest will explore mental health for early career professionals in partnership with Alight, a leading cloud-based human capital technology and services provider for employee benefits administration.
Loyola Stands Against Gun Violence
Since 2020, the Community Advocacy and Violence Prevention Summit hosted by Loyola Stands Against Gun Violence has invited students, faculty, and community leaders to discuss ways to curtail gun violence—a national public health crisis that continues plaguing the Chicago area.
The annual summit promotes education, advocacy, and dialogue, blending keynote speeches with panel discussions highlighting strategies and methods to reduce violence. Previous keynote speakers have included Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx, activist Fred Guttenberg, and Brady president Kris Brown.
In 2024, the summit shifted to Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus and added an exhibitor hall showcasing local organizations working to combat gun violence.
Salon: Data Science for Social Thinkers
Seeking to advance health data science, improve health outcomes, and advance health equity, the Center for Health Outcomes and Informatics Research (CHOIR) introduced Salon: Data Science for Social Thinkers in 2023. Salon promotes informatics and data-driven research in an accessible way, leaning into first-person perspectives, impactful narratives, and energized personal conversations around data’s role in health care decision-making and action.
Leaning into areas like social justice, diversity, global health, and community engagement, past Salon speakers have included professionals from the Parkinson School, Northwestern University, the Chicago Department o f Public Health, the American Medical Association’s Center for Health Equity, and nonprofit agencies like Guitars Over Guns.
Through these key events at the Parkinson School, we connect with the broader community and work toward solutions rooted in equity, innovation, and compassion.”
– MICHAEL BLOOM, FOUNDING DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR HEALTH INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP