Health Disparities Forum 2025
April 5, 2025
8:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Location
1 Illini Drive, Peoria, IL 61605
Calendar
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The annual Health Disparities Forum is a dynamic event that brings together medical students, faculty, and community members to explore pressing public health issues. Hosted by the UICOMP Public Health Student Interest Group and the Urban Health Program, this year’s forum will feature lectures, panel discussions, and interactive workshops on topics such as substance use disorders, reproductive health, gender-affirming care, and hands-on training in Narcan administration and Op-Ed writing. This year’s theme is “Pushing the Needle Forward in Peoria and Central Illinois,” aiming to highlight health disparities affecting Peoria and Central Illinois while fostering meaningful dialogue and actionable change. Held in person with a virtual option available, the forum will provide opportunities for education, collaboration, and advocacy. Breakfast and lunch provided for all attendees.
Schedule
8:30 - 8:45 AM | Lecture Hall A100-1
Breakfast and Registration
8:50 - 9:35 AM | Lecture Hall A100-1
Keynote Speaker
Presented by Luke Tomsha, BS
9:40 - 10:00 AM | Lecture Hall A100-1
Workshop: Administration of Narcan
Presented by JOLT Foundation
10:05 - 10:40 AM | Lecture Hall A100-1
The Struggle to Access Gender Affirming Care in a Hostile Political Climate: Ain't No Mountain High Enough To Keep Me From Getting to You
Presented by Ron Lombard, DNP, APRN, AGPCNP-BC and Amy Gregory, APN, AAHIVS
10:45 - 11:30 AM | Lecture Hall A100-3
How to write an Op/Ed
Presented by James F. Graumlich, MD, MACP and Carmen Howard, MSLS
11:35 - 12:10 PM | Lecture Hall A100-3
Addressing Barriers to Reproductive Care
Presented by Erica Hinz, MD, MPH, FACOG
12:10 - 12:30 PM | Lecture Hall A100-3
Community Organization Fireside chat and Lunch
Date posted
Feb 16, 2025
Date updated
Mar 27, 2025
Meet the Speakers
Luke Tomsha, BS
Luke Tomsha is the Founder and Director of The Perfectly Flawed Foundation, a harm reduction and recovery community organization based in rural Illinois. As a non-profit executive with lived experience of substance use disorder (SUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD), Luke brings a powerful combination of personal insight and strategic leadership to his work. He is a passionate advocate, creative strategist, and connector, known for building bridges across sectors to address the complex intersections of drug use, addiction, and wellness.
Luke serves in multiple advisory roles at both the state and national levels, including as a Subject Matter Expert with the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and as an appointee to the Governor’s Opioid Overdose Prevention and Recovery Steering Committee. He also contributes his expertise to the Illinois Opioid Crisis Response Advisory Council, the Certified Community Behavioral Health Center (CCBHC) Advisory Committee, and the Behavioral Health Workforce Education Center Advisory Council. With a background in engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Luke pairs data-driven problem-solving with lived expertise to advance rural harm reduction, policy change, and community-driven solutions.
JOLT Foundation
The JOLT Foundation was established by Blake and Tamara Olt following the death of 16-year-old son, Joshua, who died from a heroin overdose in 2012. With no prior signs of drug use and no chance to help their son, Joshua’s passing became the catalyst for a mission to ensure no other family suffers in silence. They founded JOLT, which is dedicated to harm reduction, overdose prevention, and community education. Through directed outreach and advocacy, the foundation works to raise awareness, break stigma, and provide free and confidential services that have realistic and positive impact on the community.
Ron Lombard, DNP, APRN, AGPCNP-BC
Dr. Ron Lombard is a full-time nurse practitioner at Positive Health Solutions in Peoria. Ron has been a healthcare professional for over twenty years. His experience started in emergency nursing until he went on to become an academic nurse educator for 14 years teaching nursing at various programs in Illinois, Montana, and Alaska until he felt called to become a nurse practitioner and care vulnerable populations. In his role as a nurse practitioner, he provides care to patients living with HIV, LGBTQ+ individuals seeking primary care and preventative services, and clients desiring gender affirmation in healthcare. He is a fierce advocate for the LGBTQAI2S+ community and enjoys educating others about the unique health needs of populations for who he provides care. In his spare time Ron enjoys home design, landscaping, traveling, and spending time with his loved ones, friends, and cats.
Amy Gregory, APN, AAHIVS
Amy Gregory is a family nurse practitioner who has spent the last 14 years caring for the queer/LGBTQIA+ community. As an out lesbian, she believes she can identify with many members of the community’s specific health needs. Amy began her nursing career as a registered nurse at Howard Brown Health Center in Chicago, IL, where she worked for 3 years before transitioning into a nurse practitioner role in primary care, HIV medicine, and gender-affirming care in private practice. After moving back to her hometown of Peoria, IL, she joined the University of Illinois College of Medicine-Peoria as an HIV provider. Within a few years, the program expanded to include PrEP services, gender-affirming hormone therapy, and LGBTQIA+ primary care to better serve the needs of the central Illinois community. Amy is proud of the program and happy to help patients of all backgrounds. She believes in affirming every client as they are and supporting them in meeting their healthcare and personal goals.
James F. Graumlich, MD, MACP
Dr. James F. Graumlich, MD, MACP, is Professor of Internal Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Illinois. He trained in internal medicine and then did a fellowship in clinical pharmacology and drug regulation science at the US Food and Drug Administration. He practiced general internal medicine for 37 years. His federally funded research focused on medication adherence, health literacy, and patient education. Dr. Graumlich was a consultant for formulary management and policy for OSF health care system. He was member-reviewer, Ambulatory Safety Quality Special Emphasis Panel, US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. He was elected Governor of the Illinois Chapter of the American College of Physicians for 2017-2021. Dr. Graumlich served as Chair, Department of Internal Medicine and later as Interim Assistant Dean for pre-clinical curriculum and evaluation, at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria. Since his retirement in 2021, Dr. Graumlich worked part-time as a consultant and patient safety officer for clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Carmen Howard, MSLS
Ms. Howard has a master’s degree in Library Science from the University of Kentucky and is active in the Health Sciences Librarians of Illinois (HSLI). Her professional interests are patient communication and open education. She enjoys spending time with her family, watching sci-fi movies, and renovating an old farm house.
Erica Hinz, MD, MPH, FACOG
Dr. Erica Hinz is an Obstetrician Gynecologist at UI Health and an assistant professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology. She is fellowship-trained in Complex Family Planning and serves as the director of the Ryan Residency Training Program. Dr. Hinz provides comprehensive family planning services and contraceptive counseling for patients with complex medical problems at UI Health and its Center for Reproductive Health. She completed her residency at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and earned a Master’s in Public Health (Health Policy) from NYU College of Global Public Health. Her research interests include postpartum contraception, shared decision-making in contraception counseling, as well as abortion policy and its impact on patient care and access. Dr. Hinz has been actively involved in advocacy initiatives focused on access to health and health policy, has contributed to online media, and provided written testimony in support of the Illinois Reproductive Health Act.