Kaiser Permanente: 2024 Health Action Summit

The 2024 Kaiser Permanente Health Action Summit, held on April 11th, was a remarkable gathering that brought together some of the most influential leaders in public health and policy. I had the privilege of documenting key moments including the presence of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, CDC Director Dr. Mandy K. Cohen, and former U.S. Surgeons General Dr. Jerome Adams and Dr. Regina Benjamin. The summit addressed pressing issues such as climate change, gun violence, and social determinants of health, with a strong emphasis on the need for innovation and transformation in healthcare to meet these challenges head-on.

Throughout the day, keynote speakers and panelists engaged in deep discussions about the future of public health and the role of clinicians in shaping the healthcare landscape. Secretary Xavier Becerra highlighted the importance of leadership in health policy, while Dr. Mandy Cohen shared insights on the future of public health in a fireside chat. The former Surgeons General, Dr. Jerome Adams and Dr. Regina Benjamin, offered a retrospective on their experiences and the evolving needs of public health leadership. The summit provided a platform for thought leaders to collaborate on strategies to build a stronger public health ecosystem, address health disparities, and accelerate movements such as "Food is Medicine," ultimately fostering a healthier future for all.

2023 Annapolis Irish Festival • Gaelic Storm

To kick off my birthday week, and give myself a well-needed break, I took myself to the Annapolis Irish Festival.  Having the whole day to myself with no expectations or responsibilities to others hanging over me for the day was such a refreshing sensation I can’t remember the last time I felt, and filling it by being surrounded with my own Irish heritage with a backdrop of Celtic music, my soul felt overwhelmingly unhindered happiness and freedom.

I explored the vendors for some time, mainly in search of a Claddagh ring to hold me over until I settle on options for a bespoke piece; unfortunately, shopping for rings for myself is akin to shopping for pants, because I’m between sizes, and half sizes simply aren’t stocked at such a craft fair.  After browsing, and finally getting something to eat, I settled in to enjoy some of the music more purposefully.

Bastard Bearded Irishmen

Bastard Bearded Irishmen were in the later portions of their set once I finished eating, and I took some pictures of them playing a few of their last songs of the afternoon.

They finished their set with a cover of Sweet Child o’ Mine.

Gaelic Storm

The star act of the Festival was Gaelic Storm; a Celtic band headlined by Patrick Murphy on lead vocals, accordion, and spoons, and English guitarist Steve Twigger, the two remaining original members of the band that shot to fame after being featured performing in 1997’s Titanic.  They are joined by percussionist Ryan Lacey, Peter Purvis on bagpipes and flutes, and the group’s newest member, Natalya Kay, a talented fiddler who joined the ensemble last Summer.

I admit, I’d never heard of Gaelic Storm until a few months ago when a friend in another state saw them perform at an earlier stop on this same tour, and raved to me about them.  (I also have still somehow never seen Titanic in its entirety.)  Coincidentally, the Annapolis Irish Festival had already been on my radar for several months, so between the rave review by a friend, and a sense of reclaiming a tarnished St. Patrick’s Day, I was absolutely going to make sure to see Gaelic Storm play, whether at the Annapolis Irish Festival, or the night before at Leesburg’s Tally Ho.  In the end I’m glad my festival plan ultimately came to fruition.

Suffice to say, Gaelic Storm has a new “storm chaser” (what their fans are known as). I’m not new to Celtic music; I’m a lifelong fan of The Corrs, and was lucky enough to see The Chieftains perform a few years ago, but having already previewed and enjoyed some of Gaelic Storm’s music in the weeks before their concert, I was excited to finally see them live.  As the sun set, Gaelic Storm took to the stage, and I think the pictures will do the rest.

Video

I did take some video, but wasn’t intending on focusing on video, so the audio is trash using the internal mic.  This served me well, however, because it gave me a great set of files to learn on - I’ve been teaching myself Final Cut Pro, as Adobe Premiere Pro still doesn’t have a proper DolbyVision / HDR workflow (come on Adobe, get it together; it’s been 3 years, fix your Rec. 2100 support!).