Igniting Hope Conference
Saving Ourselves: Implementing a Community Plan for Health Equity
You asked and we're delivering!
At the conclusion of the 8th annual Igniting Hope conference in September 2025, the Buffalo Center for Health Equity, Erie County Department of Health Equity, and UB's Community Health Equity Research Institute gathered YOUR ideas for what will lead us to achieve health equity in Buffalo.
Join us on February 26th as we review the report compiled by Clementine Gold Group and we share our collective vision for a multi-sector collaborative. Doors open to the Buffalo History Museum at 5:00PM The five main areas of interest are as follows:
- Access to Primary Care
- Workforce Development: Underemployment/unemployment
- Housing
- Access to Healthy Foods
- Education/Literacy
Register today! Light refreshments will be available, parking at the History Museum is free, and your participation is cherished.
We are bringing a guest on multi-sector collaborations. We are excited to announce Dr. Hanaa Hamdi will be joining us.
Hanaa Hamdi, PhD, is a systems scientist with over 15 years of experience advancing community health and wellbeing through multisector collaboration, systems design, and equity-centered strategy. Her work focuses on transforming how public, private, and community-based institutions align to address the social determinants of health by integrating policy, practice, and investment toward measurable, long-term outcomes.
Dr. Hamdi’s expertise spans public health, community development finance, policy, and implementation science. She has led and advised complex, place-based initiatives that integrate housing, food systems, workforce development, education, and access to care, supporting collaboratives to move beyond coordination toward shared governance, accountability, and durable systems change.
She is the Founder and Principal of Healthy Resilient People and Places, where she partners with communities, healthcare systems, philanthropic organizations, and public agencies across the United States to design and strengthen multisector collaboratives rooted in community voice, equity, and institutional alignment. Her work emphasizes translating community priorities into actionable strategies, funding pathways, and performance frameworks that support population-level health outcomes.
In addition to her consulting and advisory roles, Dr. Hamdi has held senior leadership and fellowship positions within national public health and economic development institutions, contributing to policy innovation, cross-sector investment strategies, and community-centered planning models.
Dr. Hamdi is widely recognized for her ability to bridge disciplines, sectors, and lived experience, bringing analytical rigor, practical insight, and a systems-level perspective to advancing collective action for healthier, more equitable communities.
Questions about the conference? Please contact Samantha Hidalgo at shidalgo@buffalohealthequity.com. All media inquiries should be directed to Samantha Nephew at snephew@buffalohealthequity.com.
Featured Speaker: Dr. Hanaa Hamdi
Hanaa Hamdi, PhD, is a systems scientist with over 15 years of experience advancing community health and wellbeing through multisector collaboration, systems design, and equity-centered strategy. Her work focuses on transforming how public, private, and community-based institutions align to address the social determinants of health by integrating policy, practice, and investment toward measurable, long-term outcomes.
Dr. Hamdi’s expertise spans public health, community development finance, policy, and implementation science. She has led and advised complex, place-based initiatives that integrate housing, food systems, workforce development, education, and access to care, supporting collaboratives to move beyond coordination toward shared governance, accountability, and durable systems change.
She is the Founder and Principal of Healthy Resilient People and Places, where she partners with communities, healthcare systems, philanthropic organizations, and public agencies across the United States to design and strengthen multisector collaboratives rooted in community voice, equity, and institutional alignment. Her work emphasizes translating community priorities into actionable strategies, funding pathways, and performance frameworks that support population-level health outcomes.
In addition to her consulting and advisory roles, Dr. Hamdi has held senior leadership and fellowship positions within national public health and economic development institutions, contributing to policy innovation, cross-sector investment strategies, and community-centered planning models.
Dr. Hamdi is widely recognized for her ability to bridge disciplines, sectors, and lived experience, bringing analytical rigor, practical insight, and a systems-level perspective to advancing collective action for healthier, more equitable communities.