The 2025 SDOH & Place Symposium—Call for Applications

May 27, 2025

Herop Lab

Join us this September to build community, spark dialogue, and strike inspiration around the Social Determinants of Health & Place.

Wednesday, September 24th - Friday, September 26th
The Chicago Loop, Illinois

Overview

The SDOH & Place Project works to build a community of practice around defining & using community-level social determinants of health, and also demystify application design thinking crucial to developing web applications centered on neighborhood health. We have developed a new toolkit to work with place-based SDOH data and develop apps, as well as a new search platform for discovering SDOH data, which launched this March. We’re also building community through discussions on defining SDOH and using SDOH data, engaging new types of collaborations and applications with design justice, and breaking ground in developing new types of infrastructures & tools to support this work.

Last Year...

Our inaugural SDOH & Place Fellowship cohort presented their mapping projects that they developed in conjunction with our Community Toolkit and their own organizations. The HeRoP engineering team also previewed our (then in-development) Data Discovery App to excitement and great interest. We also had a great lineup of featured speakers who shared their own insights into SDOH applications, data design, and social justice.

Past Speakers

Jacob Gazimba, University of Southern California:

"Examining the spatial risk environment of bloodborne infections - Viral Hepatitis and HIV"

Babu Gounder, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign:

"Space, Place, and Food Justice: 'Engaged GIS' for Community Service Opportunities of Healthier Food Access in Areas Experiencing Social Inequities"

Aneika Perez, San Diego State University/UC Santa Barbara:

"Rethinking the benefits and potential risks of urban agriculture in the city of San Diego, CA: From Environmental Justice to Lead Contamination in Gardens"

Margarita Reina, Chicago Department of Public Health:

"Data Leadership academy: powerful data-driven community-centered storytelling"

Malaika Simmons, NADPH:

"Human Centered Design (HCD) and the SDOH Project"

This Year

At the second SDOH & Place Symposium this September, the community will meet to attend inspiring talks on current health equity initiatives and research, break bread, celebrate achievements, and learn from each other. Join us!

Schedule

Wednesday, September 24th

4:00 pm - 🏁 Check-in
4:30 pm - Welcome Remarks
4:45 pm - Current Lab Research Talk
5:30 pm - Break
5:45 pm - 🎉 Reception

Thursday, September 25th

8:30 am - 🥐 Breakfast
9:00 am - Keynote Address
10:00 am - ☕ Coffee Break
10:15 am - Featured Talks on SDOH & Health Equity
11:15 am - 🥗 Lunch
12:15 pm - 2025 Fellowship SDOH Mapping Showcase I
1:30 pm - Break
1:40 pm - 2025 Fellowship SDOH Mapping Showcase II
2:40 pm - Break
2:45 pm - 📝 SDOH & Place Workshops
3:45 pm - Break
3:55 pm - 2025 Fellowship SDOH Mapping Showcase III
5:00 pm - 👋🏽 Closing
6:00 pm - 🍱 Museum Visit & Dinner with Colleagues (optional)

Friday, September 26th

9:00 am - 🥐 Brunch
10:00 am - Featured Talks on SDOH & Health Equity
11:00 am - Break
11:15 am - Closing Remarks

Apply to Attend In-Person

Registration is limited due to space availability.

Sessions will be live streamed and recorded for future sharing.
All applicants should include a proposal for a talk or reason for attending (250 words MAX). Special consideration will be given to those who propose a talk.

Deadline to submit your application is 11:59 PM CDT on Friday, June 27th, or when spots are filled. All applicants will be notified of their application on a rolling basis.

There is no symposium registration cost. For accepted applicants, food will be provided at the conference at no additional cost, however lodging and travel to Chicago will be the applicant's responsibility for non-Fellows.

A select number of travel awards may be made available to offset cost; please indicate your interest when completing the application. Travel awards will be given out to select applicants following the Symposium.

How to Apply*

Include a copy of your Resume/CV in your application
For Speaker Applicants: Include an abstract of your proposed talk (250 words MAX)
For attendee applicants: Provide a reason for attending (250 words MAX)
If you are invited to attend, you must confirm your RSVP within 2 weeks of attending, or your spot will be offered to another applicant

Submit your application by completing this form: go.illinois.edu/25-SYMPOSIUM-APPLY

*If you are interested in applying for a Travel Award, please make sure you are aware of your immigration status if you are a non-US Citizen. The list of approved immigration status' can be found here.