Monday, March 23rd, 2026 (9 am - 3 pm)| University of Pittsburgh Alumni Hall (Connolly Ballroom) | 4227 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15260
What does it mean to truly flourish? Join us on Monday, March 23, 2026 at the University of Pittsburgh's Alumni Hall (Connolly Ballroom) for a transformative day of learning, connection, and possibility.
The Human Flourishing Symposium brings together students, faculty, staff, and community members to reimagine how we address social challenges. Rather than focusing solely on what's broken, we'll explore how to cultivate growth, resilience, and well-being in individuals and communities. Led by the Human Flourishing Research Collaborative, this symposium invites you to move beyond deficit-focused thinking and discover actionable approaches that unlock human potential.
Together, we'll explore what becomes possible when we shift our focus from fixing deficits to nurturing what helps people and communities flourish.
Visit our YouTube page to watch last year's Human Flourishing Symposium speakers and presentations
9:00-9:45: Check in, poster exhibition
9:45-10:00: Welcome by Dr. Deborah Moon, Opening Remarks by Dean Betsy Farmer
10:00-11:00: Keynote Speaker
11:00-11:10: Break
11:10-12:45: Lightning talks + Panel discussion
12:45-1:30: Lunch + Poster exhibition and networking
1:30-2:30: Policy Leaders Panel
2:30-2:35: Break
2:35 - 3:20: World Cafe + Closing remarks
Lightening Talk Presenters
John Stewart Maier
Chelsea Proulx & Aneesh Ramaswamy | Pitt Institute for Clinical Research Education
Jaime Martinez | Frontline Dignity
Dr. K. “Vish” Viswanath is Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) and in the McGraw-Patterson Center for Population Sciences at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI). He is also the Faculty Director of the Health Communication Core and Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC). Other additional administrative and scientific leadership positions held by Dr. Viswanath include: Director, Harvard Chan India Research Center and Director, Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness, Harvard Chan. He is the founding Director of DF/HCC’s Enhancing Communications for Health Outcomes (ECHO) Laboratory.
Dr. Viswanath’s work is driven by two fundamental concerns: (a) how to center equity in drawing on translational communication science to promote health and well-being for ALL population groups, and (b) to involve community-based organizations and all stakeholders through participatory research in promoting social change. The central goal of the program of research in his lab is to influence public health policy and practice through knowledge translation. His work draws from literatures in communication science, social epidemiology, dissemination and implementation, and social and health behavior sciences.
His work so far has documented the relationship between communication inequalities, poverty and health disparities, and knowledge translation to address health disparities. He has written more than 330 journal articles and book chapters concerning communication inequalities and health disparities, knowledge translation, public health communication campaigns, e-health and digital divide, public health emergency preparedness and the delivery of health communication interventions to underserved populations. He is the Co-Editor of five books and monographs: Mass Media, Social Control and Social Change (Iowa State University Press, 1999), Health Behavior and Health Behavior: Theory, Research & Practice, 6th Ed. (Jossey Bass, 2024), The Role of Media in Promoting and Reducing Tobacco Use (National Cancer Institute, 2008), A Socioecological Approach to Addressing Tobacco-Related Health Disparities (National Cancer Institute, 2017) and Understanding and Addressing Misinformation About Science (National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, 2024). He is a co-author of The First 1000 Days of Life: Lessons from Social and Behavior Change Communication. He was also the Editor of the Social and Behavioral Research section of the 12-volume International Encyclopedia of Communication (Blackwell Publishing, 2008).
He has served on several national committees including for the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM).
In recognition of his academic and professional achievements, Dr. Viswanath received several awards including the Postdoctoral Mentor of the Year Award from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Joseph W. Cullen Memorial Award For Excellence in Tobacco Research, American Society for Preventive Oncology, the Dale Brashers Distinguished Mentorship Award, National Communication Association, Outstanding Health Communication Scholar Award jointly given out by the International Communication Association and the National Communication Association, the Mayhew Derryberry Award from the American Public Health Association (APHA) for his contribution to health education research and theory, and the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) Alumnus of Notable Achievement, University of Minnesota. He delivered the 23rd Annual Aubrey Fisher Lecture at University of Utah in 2009, and the Bettinghaus Endowed Lecture at Michigan State University in 2023. He was elected Fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science (2024), International Communication Association (2011), the Society for Behavioral Medicine (2008) and the Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research (2006).
Submission Deadline: February 16, 2026
Presenters will have the chance to share their work in two ways:
All submitters will receive notification of decisions and presentation details by February 27, 2026.
The Human Flourishing Symposium is organized by the Flourishing Research Collaboratives (FRC) in the School of Social Work
The University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, FLOURISH Research Lab, the Center on Race and Social Problems, the Center for Research on Innovations in Services & Equity in Mental Health, the Office of Social Innovation in the Frederick Honors College and The Headwaters Project in the Department of Health Sciences and Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh.
