More than 500 top business and civic leaders gathered at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence this past Tuesday to hear from some of the state's newest health care and higher education leaders.

The Chamber's annual Fall Economic Outlook Luncheon featured a conversation about the future of health care with: 

John Fernandez
President and CEO, Lifespan
Interim President, Rhode Island Hospital

Mukesh K. Jain, M.D.
Senior Vice President for Health Affairs 
Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences
Brown University

Marc B. Parlange, Ph.D.
President
University of Rhode Island

Michael Wagner, M.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Care New England

In a discussion moderated by Chamber President Laurie White, the featured panelists spoke about the evolution of health care delivery, disruptive technology impacting the health system, talent development, the health care landscape in the New England region and other critical topics which will shape the health care sector in Rhode Island in the coming years. 

Click here to view the event photos. 

Find out more about what they said in the following coverage:

Providence Business News: R.I.’s health care industry leaders focus on job development
Dr. Michael Wagner, CEO and president of Care New England Health Systems, said ongoing collaborations between Rhode Island’s higher education and health care systems will provide a much-needed boost to the state’s job supply.

Boston Globe: Rhode Island hospitals face new competition in tech
Lifespan’s president and CEO John Fernandez said he is putting the hospital owner’s past behind, and made it clear that there was “no” way that Lifespan and Care New England will attempt to merge again — a plan that was last blocked by state and federal regulators in early 2022.