Public Health Grand Rounds: Dr. Mehmet Oz at the Aspen Institute
On October 6, 2025, Public Health Grand Rounds at the Aspen Institute hosted Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, for a conversation on CMS under Dr. Oz’s leadership. Interviewed by Bertha Coombs, CNBC Senior Health Care Reporter, Dr. Oz shared his vision and priorities for CMS as well as the agency’s role in improving healthcare access, quality, and outcomes across the country.
Aspen Ideas Health — June 22-25, 2026
Next summer, Aspen Ideas: Health will take place from June 22-25, 2026. Join us in the Rocky Mountains for impactful conversations with big thinkers who are shaping the future of health, medicine, and science.
Register now for your 2026 pass! Early bird discount: Save $500 through December 12. No code needed; special rate reflected.
Call for Submissions: $1.5M MA3 Challenge to Modernize Academic Reward Systems
The Aspen Institute Science & Society Program, together with the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, is proud to partner with the Open Research Community Accelerator (ORCA) on the launch of the Modernizing Academic Appointment and Advancement (MA3) Challenge.
This national initiative invites U.S. colleges and universities to reimagine how they hire, review, promote, and tenure scholars.The Challenge seeks bold, creative strategies to transform academic reward systems so they better reflect the values of openness, collaboration, mentorship, community engagement, and public impact.
Public Health Grand Rounds: David Kessler Book Talk
On Wednesday, June 11, HMS hosted David A. Kessler, former Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration and co-leader of Operation Warp Speed, for a conversation about his New York Times bestseller, Diet, Drugs, and Dopamine: The New Science of Achieving a Healthy Weight, exploring his groundbreaking insights into what shapes our relationship with food and how to navigate it for better health. He will be interviewed by Vivek Murthy, former US Surgeon General. Click on the image to watch the video recording!
Film: Porcelain War: The resilience of the artistic spirit in war-torn Ukraine
On February 10, 2025, the Health, Medicine & Society Program, in partnership with Aspen Institute Kyiv, hosted a special screening of the 2025 Academy Award-nominated documentary, Porcelain War. The docufilm closely follows two artists-turned-soldiers as they craft beautiful porcelain masterpieces while fighting for their homeland’s freedom, demonstrating the powerful impact of the arts on health and well-being, including emotional resilience. As an art form itself, the film also inspires emotional resilience to all those who watch and cheer on the unyielding strength of the Ukrainian people.
Ahead of the film, the audience heard from Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States, Oksana Markarova. Following the screening, Slava Leontyev, Porcelain War film director and participant, was interviewed and entertained questions from the audience on the transformative power of art and its role in wartime. Porcelain War is playing in select theatres. Please visit https://www.porcelainwar.com/tickets to find local participating theatres.
Photo by Shannon Finney
Aspen x MIT Conference
March 10-11, 2025: The Aspen Institute Science & Society Program, in collaboration with the MIT Press, is pleased to invite you to Building Trust in Science for a More Informed Future. Learn more about this FREE one-day conference by clicking on the logo!
