Healthy Democracy Healthy People ia a coalition of major public health and civic engagement organizations with national and state-level membership that works to advance voting access and civic participation as a health issue. The health sector has an opportunity to both tell the story of what is necessary for health and build the collective influence and political will for the policies that support healthy communities. It remains clear that to build a bench of health sector champions committed to promoting the policies and systems necessary for a healthy multiracial democracy, we must provide opportunities to develop leaders and take action collectively. This session will focus on the critical relationship between an inclusive and representative democracy and community health and offer opportunities for health professionals and students to act as champions.

Learning objectives:

1. Examine the relationship between an inclusive representative democracy and community health.
2. Apply lessons from previous examples of public health professionals and institutions acting as champions of inclusive civic and voter participation to inform future actions and opportunities.
3. Examine ongoing efforts to promote civic health at the local, state, and national levels.

At the Horizon Foundation, Dr. Schneider leads a skilled, strategic, and talented team of program and policy staff that works side by side with the community to improve public health outcomes and eliminate structural racism. For 14 years, he has overseen the Foundation’s overall strategic planning efforts, program planning, and policy work and has been a key advocacy campaign strategist working closely with community coalitions, grantees, and partners. These coalition-led initiatives are making an impact. Howard County Unsweetened reduced soda sales in Howard County, Maryland by 30 percent compared to a control community due to a multi-year policy, media, and outreach campaign. The County’s Streets for All Coalition successfully advocated for nearly $65 million in complete streets improvements over the past 7 years with priority given to underinvested neighborhoods of color. And through determined advocacy with local partners, all 77 schools in the county began offering 1:1 mental health counseling to students during the school day greatly reducing barriers to care.  

Dr. Schneider was also a key leader in local efforts to make all Howard County public places smoke-free, pass the nation’s first board of health regulations prohibiting youth access to indoor tanning beds, and make healthy food and beverages more widely available. He’s also helped secure millions of dollars in local public health investments and was a co-creator of the Healthy Howard Health Plan, a nationally acclaimed health care access program for the uninsured.

In his faculty role at the Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy, Dr. Schneider is the Director of the Public Health Advocacy Consensus Task Force (PH-ACT) and it’s National Consensus on Advocacy Instruction. In this role, Glenn and the Lerner Center team are working with the de Beaumont Foundation, in collaboration with other national and state public health organizations to 1) Gain consensus on the definition of public health advocacy;  2) Identify the essential advocacy skills needed to operationalize it; and 3) Draft guidance that could help schools and programs.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Schneider has been a national consultant, executive director, community organizer, grassroots strategist and policy director in the government and nonprofit sectors. His work helped lead to more than 40 new state and local laws and regulations across the nation that increased access to health care, protected the public’s health, raised tobacco prices, created smoke-free public places, cut youth access to tobacco and helped secure millions of dollars in new local public health funding. 

Dr. Schneider is a nationally recognized speaker and trainer and his work is featured in the book The DeMarco Factor: Transforming Public Will into Political Power. Glenn earned his Doctor of Public Health Degree from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health and his Master of Public Health degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health where he was named a Distinguished Graduate in 2002. He and his wife, Janice, are the proud parents of two young men, Eric and Evan.

In today’s polarized climate, public health professionals and advocates are increasingly faced with resistance, skepticism, and emotionally charged conversations—especially around sensitive topics such as vaccines, reproductive rights, and health equity. Navigating these interactions requires more than data; it requires empathy, communication agility, and proven conflict-resolution strategies. 

Learning objectives: 

1. Identify common emotional and psychological triggers that escalate conflict during public health advocacy. 
2. Develop a personalized toolkit for engaging in difficult conversations with stakeholders at various levels (e.g., policymakers, community members, peers). 
3. Assess the dynamics of challenging dialogues to adapt messaging strategies and maintain advocacy effectiveness. 

Malynnda Stewart, PhD, BCPA is a board-certified patient advocate and the CEO of Compassionate Navigation, LLC. She believes that effective communication is a form of preventive medicine, reducing misunderstandings, improving health outcomes, and building trust between patients, families, and healthcare teams. 

For over 20 years, Malynnda served as a professor of health communication, cultural communication, interpersonal communication, interviewing, and persuasion. This deep academic foundation shapes her consulting and training approach today, where she equips patients, families, and healthcare professionals with practical strategies to navigate complex conversations with clarity, confidence, and compassion. 

Malynnda meets people where they are — ensuring that difficult conversations, whether in healthcare, the workplace, or everyday life, are approached with empathy and skill. She also hosts Communication Compass, a podcast dedicated to helping individuals and organizations strengthen their communication skills in challenging situations. Her work empowers people to engage in meaningful, solution-focused discussions that lead to better relationships, improved well-being, and more inclusive environments. 

To come

Brian C. Castrucci, DrPH, MA, is the president and chief executive officer of the de Beaumont Foundation. He has built the Foundation into a leading voice in health philanthropy and public health practice.

An award-winning epidemiologist with 10 years of experience working in the health departments of Philadelphia, Texas, and Georgia, Brian brings a unique perspective to the philanthropic sector that allows him to shape and implement visionary and practical initiatives and partnerships and bring together research and practice to improve public health.