Chris Appleton is the founder of Art Pharmacy, a healthcare services company that provides social prescribing services designed to address the dual mental health and loneliness crises in the United States.

Chris holds an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, with a certificate in healthcare leadership. He and his work have been featured in The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Fast Company, and on CNN, ABC, CBS, NPR, TEDx, and more.

As a member of the Grady Hospital Ambassador Force Advisory Board, Chris helps create awareness and provide vital support for the Grady Health System. He has served on numerous other...

Dr. Carney is a board-certified internist, geriatrician, and palliative care physician with clinical, research, administrative, and public health leadership experience. She has been at Northwell Health since 2012, and is a professor of medicine at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.  
  
Dr. Carney trained in internal medicine at Georgetown School of Medicine and The New York Hospital - Weill Cornell Medical Center and completed a research-oriented fellowship in geriatric medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. She was commissioner of the Nassau County Department of Health on Long Island from 2008 – 2011, serving...

An acclaimed author, scholar, and speaker with over 5 million views of his online videos and essays, Rabbi Creditor was named by Newsweek as one of the 50 most influential rabbis in America. He has written numerous books and recorded six albums of original music, including the global anthem “Olam Chesed Yibaneh" and the Covid-era two-volume anthology "When We Turned Within."

Sepi joined UJA-Federation with more than 20 previous years of experience in community advocacy, coalition-building, discretionary grant-making, and grant oversight.

She has worked across a diverse range of organizations, including the OneVoice Movement, the California Women’s Law Center, the NYC Business Improvement Center, and the Insure the Uninsured Project.

At UJA, Sepi oversees a portfolio of programs that includes Isolation to Connection, Small Groups Initiative, LIFaith interfaith coalition, Synagogue Villages, and numerous other community groups, coalitions, and initiatives. 

Leaving Iran and experiencing life as an immigrant gave Sepi early exposure...

Dr. Feuer completed her general psychiatry training at Drexel University and her child and adolescent psychiatry training at Hofstra/Northwell Health, where she has remained and worked on initiatives improving emergency care and youth mental health access. She has directed the Adult and Pediatric Emergency Psychiatry Services at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and led the opening of the Pediatric Behavioral Health Urgent Care, School Behavioral Health Centers, and comprehensive school mental health partnerships across Long Island, where she worked with over 50 school districts to provide child psychiatry access, consultation, community education, and professional development. She has been...

Allison Gilbert is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and one of the most influential writers and speakers on finding the inner resources to overcome life’s biggest challenges. Through research and lived experience, Allison helps audiences transform grief and loss and find connection amid the growing public health crisis of social isolation and loneliness. She is co-author of Dr. Ruth Westheimer’s final book, The Joy of Connections: 100 Ways to Beat Loneliness and Live a Happier and More Meaningful Life.

Allison writes regularly for The New York Times; has been interviewed on the Today show, Good Morning America, and NPR; and has presented...

Dr. Giurca is a British physician who has played a key role in the development of social prescribing in England. He established and chaired the NHS England Social Prescribing Champion Scheme (2015-2022), consisting of over 20,000 doctors and medical and healthcare trainees championing the subject in their own institutions.

His work has influenced national and international healthcare policy, and he has been instrumental in spreading and scaling social prescribing globally, hosting delegations and ministerial visits from over 30 countries, as well as implementing social prescribing in the core curricula for the majority of universities and medical schools within the United Kingdom.

Dr....

Adam is a public and civic engagement expert who wrote one of the first academic articles in the U.S. on social prescribing, a call to action to integrate volunteerism prescriptions in the care of older adults. Earlier in his career, Adam worked in public affairs at the Corporation for National and Community Service (now AmeriCorps), promoting volunteerism nationwide, and in business development at two leading education companies. Since 2007, he has created, organized, led, and funded major civic engagement projects and public programs for the Koret Foundation, California Historical Society, and the Commonwealth Club of California. He also covers popular television franchises for the website...

Julia Hotz is a solutions-focused journalist whose stories have appeared in publications including The New York Times, Wired, Scientific American, The Boston Globe, Time, and more. In her role at the Solutions Journalism Network, she helps other journalists report on the big new ideas changing the world. For her insights on social prescribing, she has been invited to advise health and community organizations; teach at medical schools; deliver talks at TEDx, university symposiums, and international conferences; and write editorials for media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Slate, and more. She proudly serves on the board of Walk With a Doc, and as an advisor to...

Deborah Joselow works with a team of outstanding professional and volunteer colleagues to fulfill the organizational vision to care for those in need, inspire Jewish life, and build communities of meaning and purpose in New York, in Israel, and around the world. Prior to assuming this role, Deborah was the managing director of UJA’s Commission on Jewish Identity and Renewal (COJIR). Deborah is an ordained Reform rabbi with a master's degree in Jewish education. Before joining UJA-Federation of New York, Deborah served the Union of Reform Judaism as the director of educational planning.

Dr. Leipzig is an internationally recognized leader in geriatrics and evidence-based medicine. She has received numerous awards for her work, including the American College of Physicians Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award, a Joy McCann Scholar Award recognizing her expertise in mentoring and medical education, the 2008 Dennis W. Jahnigen Memorial Award from the American Geriatrics Society, a Brookdale National Fellowship in Geriatric Medicine, and the Paula Ettelbrick Community Service Award from Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE). In 2016, she received the Jacobi Medallion, one of the highest honors from the Mount Sinai Health System.
 
Dr. Leipzig’s...

Mark has been a leader in the field of aging and nonprofit management since 2009. He was recognized as a 2024 Nonprofit Power Player by Politics NY and a Nonprofit Trailblazer by City & State New York. In 2022, he received the Empire Whole Health Heroes Award. Mark has appeared on MSNBC, CBS Morning News, The Kelly Clarkson Show, and NPR’s The Takeaway. He serves on the board of directors of Generations United and is a member of the steering committee for the Foundation for Social Connection in Washington. He has participated in Governor Kathy Hochul’s Master Plan on Aging Workgroups and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s Workgroup on Aging.

Mark...

Ha Nguyen is a strategist and policy expert specializing in Medicaid policy, social drivers of health, and New York State's 1115 Medicaid Waiver implementation. She has guided diverse stakeholders across healthcare and community-based organizations in securing over $1 billion in funding to work with historically underserved populations, translating complex healthcare policies into actionable strategies that build sustainable programs for Medicaid beneficiaries.

With extensive experience leading healthcare transformation initiatives, Ha develops innovative payment models and cross-sector partnerships that integrate social interventions and approaches into healthcare delivery. Her work...

As managing partner of The Outcomes Architect, Tracy Parris-Benjamin works to sustain support for advancing diversity, equity, accessibility, inclusion, and development and holds a distinguished record of healthcare innovation and transformation. She works across sectors to intentionally integrate services and reimagine how health is addressed and services are delivered.

Prior to this role, Tracy served as the senior director of Health Equity and Community Health at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, where she led and developed the largest community health worker program in New Jersey, centered around the intersection of hospitals, community board organizations, and a payer....

Alexandra (Alex) Roth-Kahn advances UJA’s commitment to ensuring that those struggling with life’s challenges are supported by the Jewish community. Through strategic planning, grant-making, and convening, the work of the Caring Department supports community members who struggle with poverty, unemployment, aging, disabilities, mental health, and end of life. Alex develops new models of care to respond to these challenges and stimulates innovation in New York, Israel, and around the world.

In her previous role at the organization, Alex managed the Connect to Care initiative, UJA’s comprehensive response to the 2008 recession, offering employment and career transition...

Dr. Siegel focuses on strategy, communication, and developing a community of practice while building a network of health professional champions. In 2023, he led a grant project with the California Health Care Foundation to design a social prescribing model for a county health system.

Dr Siegel began working as a family physician at Kaiser Oakland in August 2024, where he has actively promoted and expanded social prescribing practices. Previously, he spent 25 years with Contra Costa Health in the Bay Area, specializing in medical education. During his tenure there, he pioneered several innovative programs, including directing an Arts in Health program for patients and staff, serving...