AMHERST, N.Y. – A community leader on social factors that impact health and a panel discussion by health promotion experts in the Buffalo Niagara region will be featured at a professional development conference being hosted by Daemen College.

The conference, “Beyond Biology: Social Determinants in Health Promotion,” will take place from 9 a.m. to 2:30 pm. April 7 in Daemen’s Wick Campus Center Social Room. Being held during National Public Health Week, the one-day conference is free and open to high school and college students interested in community-level health promotion, career exploration, or networking with community leaders.

“We look forward to offering this professional development opportunity to students,” said Justine Tutuska, chair of the Daemen Health Promotion Department. “The conference will bring together several community leaders in the health promotion field, who will provide valuable insight and explore multiple factors that impact health and well-being.”

A keynote address scheduled for 1 p.m. will be given by Dr. Raul Vazquez, founder and primary care physician at Urban Family Practice and president/CEO of G-Health Enterprises. He also formed the Greater Buffalo United Accountable Healthcare Network to provide coordinated, person-centered care for Medicaid recipients with multiple chronic medical conditions.

The morning conference schedule will include a panel discussion at 9:30 a.m. by local leaders from Community Access Services, the Community Health Worker Network of Buffalo, the Population Health Collaborative of Western New York, the Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo, and the Western New York Peace Center.

Conference sessions at 11 a.m. will cover a range of topics, including community health education and outreach, health policies and systems, and social justice.

Poster presentations on topics related to social determinants of health will be made by students from Daemen and other invited institutions.

The conference, which includes lunch, is being co-sponsored by the Daemen Office for Academic Affairs and the Health Promotion and Public Health departments, the Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo and the  D'Youville College CRPASH (Center for Research on Physical Activity, Sport and Health) .

For student registration, go to tinyurl.com/beyondbiologyregistration. More information is available at www.daemen.edu/beyondbiology or by calling 839-8556.