Event Recap: AHE’s 2025 Leadership Dinner

This summer, Accelerate Health Equity (AHE) convened leaders and key members from across our partner institutions to reflect on our collective accomplishments and welcome new members to the initiative. AHE has recently expanded its reach by welcoming Jefferson Health Plans as an official partner, deepened our relationship and project portfolio with AmeriHealth Caritas, and invited new members to our Steering Committee to strengthen the AHE network across the city.

Dr. Keith Leaphart, Executive Vice President and Chief Health Equity and Community Impact Officer of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health, introduces Jefferson Health Plans as a new member of the AHE initiative.

During our time together, we heard from AHE grantees from Temple Health on their progress and future plans as they implement Trauma-Informed Care in the treatment of victims of gun violence at Temple University Hospital, discussed the first learnings from the new Together for West Philadelphia HEALS program which aims to streamline access to care for West Philadelphia communities, and also unveiled AHE’s 2025 Spring Impact Report to highlight and celebrate the progress we’ve made as an initiative.

Dr. Richard Snyder, AHE Co-lead and Independence Blue Cross Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, discusses some of AHE’s recent impact numbers and accomplishments.

Before ending the evening, AHE leadership walked the group through the future of the initiative — including our new focus areas that will help to guide our work moving forward — and laid the foundation for potential new partnership opportunities to help further our mission to improve health outcomes for Philadelphians and reduce health disparities in our city.

Dr. Erica Dixon, AHE Director, explains the initiative’s new focus areas — Access to Care, Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Maternal, Infant, and Child Health, and Social Drivers of Health — and how they will shape AHE’s work moving forward.

As we look ahead to the end of 2025 and beyond, our team and partners remain focused on centering our work around tangible improvements in health outcomes for Black Philadelphians and other underserved communities. We look forward to announcing new projects in the near future, and always welcome new opportunities to work with community-based organizations, researchers, and healthcare workers who are aligned with our mission.