Keynote Speakers

Heather Young, PhD, RN, FAAN
Dean Emerita, Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis

A nurse leader, educator, scientist and nationally recognized expert in gerontological nursing and rural health care, Heather M. Young is a professor and dean emerita for the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis.

Young researches healthy aging with a particular focus on the interface between individuals, family and formal health care systems. She co-leads the Healthy Aging in a Digital World initiative at UC Davis Health, in which a diverse team of experts explore the use of technology to provide a bridge between independent living and access to health care across a person’s lifespan. She also is associate director for strategic partnerships and faculty with the School of Nursing’s Family Caregiving Institute, which seeks to better support family caregivers of individuals with chronic diseases while also improving the preparation of health professionals to provide that support and coaching.

Previously, her research played an instrumental role in shaping long-term care policies in Washington state and beyond and she conducted several longitudinal studies of family caregiving in the context of cognitive and functional decline. Her systems research includes medication management and safety in rural assisted-living settings and hospitals, as well as the use of technology, such as telehealth, and community-based strategies to promote healthy aging.

Young is co-director of the Latino Aging Research Resource Center, one of seven National-Institutes of-Aging-funded Research Centers for Minority Aging Research. She is the principal investigator for a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) study seeking to improve health for individuals with diabetes through technology-enabled nurse coaching.

As founding dean and Associate Vice Chancellor for Nursing for UC Davis Health, Young led the establishment of the School of Nursing, the development of five new graduate programs in Nursing Science and Health-Care Leadership, the design and construction of the 70,000-square-foot Betty Irene Moore Hall and the formation of a nursing science research program focused on healthy systems and healthy people. She served as a Commissioner on the California Future Healthcare Workforce Commission.

Mary K. Wakefield, PhD, RN, FAAN
Visiting Professor- The University of Texas at Austin Georgetown University

Mary K. Wakefield PhD, RN, FAAN is the Visiting Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Health Care at Georgetown University and also a Visiting Professor and Distinguished Fellow at The University of Texas at Austin.  Prior to these appointments, in March 2015, Dr. Wakefield was named by President Barack Obama to serve as the Acting Deputy

Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the second most senior position in the Department. She held this position through January 20, 2017.  As a senior government official, she was responsible for overseeing management and operations of HHS, a department with a $1 trillion budget and 80,000 employees. In addition, she led strategic Department-wide initiatives in key health policy areas, with a particular focus on health and human service programs for vulnerable populations.

Prior to becoming Acting Deputy Secretary, Dr. Wakefield was appointed by President Obama as the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).  From 2009 to 2015, Dr. Wakefield led and initiated program improvements at HRSA to further strengthen the health care workforce, build healthier communities, increase health equity, and provide health care services to people who are geographically isolated, economically or medically vulnerable.

Dr. Wakefield’s public service career also includes over eight years working in the United States Senate where she served as a legislative assistant and later as chief of staff to two North Dakota senators:  Kent Conrad and Quentin Burdick.

Dr. Wakefield has extensive academic experience, including serving as associate dean for rural health at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences University of North Dakota, director of the Center for Health Policy, Research and Ethics at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, and as a faculty member and area chair in the College of Nursing, University of North Dakota.  Additionally, she worked on site as a consultant to the World Health Organization’s Global Programme on AIDS in Geneva, Switzerland.

Dr. Wakefield began her nursing career practicing in medical-surgical and intensive care nursing. She is a native of Devils Lake, North Dakota.