SYNC 2026 Agenda
The schedule presented here is subject to change as the agenda is finalized.
11 sessions found.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18
THURSDAY, MARCH 19
This schedule is preliminary and subject to change.
Potomac A
Potomac A is located on the lobby level of the Residence Inn. To reach this room, take the elevators to the right of Studio E. Turn left coming out of the elevator and the Potomac rooms are on your left.
Sessions at this room
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Serving with Intention: A Sisterhood Built in Meaningful Involvement
Potomac A
This session will showcase how AIDS United’s Melanated Movement Fund grantees are responding to the needs of aging Black women across the diaspora by implementing innovative stigma-reductive and community-engagement approaches in two distinct communities. -
From Position Paper to Advocacy: The Kentucky Nurses Association LGBTQ+ SNIPg (Special Nursing Interest Practice Group): Leadership Through Advocacy
Potomac AAs a nation, we had made great strides in protecting the basic rights of LGBTQ+ persons including their access to appropriate, quality care. For Kentucky LGBTQ+ persons, the passage of Kentucky SB 150 in 2023, progressively began the stripping away of these rights thus putting their well-being and even their lives at risk.
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Enhancing Service Delivery by Improving Referral Completion Rates for SDOH Needs
Potomac AClosing the loop on Social Determinants of Health ensures that referrals to supportive services such as housing, food and mental health are not only initiated but also completed, tracked, and resolved, This approach strengthens care coordination, reduces barriers to retention, and promotes health equity by addressing non-medical factors that impact overall well being.
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From Harm Reduction to Gender Joy: Advancing LGBTQ Health Equity Through Affirming Care for Transgender Youth
Potomac AUsing Oregon’s All-Payer All-Claims dataset (2016–2023), this analysis examines GAC utilization among transgender and gender-diverse adolescents, identifying disparities by insurance type, age, and sex assigned at birth—even within one of the nation’s most affirming policy environments. Quantitative findings are contextualized with lived experience: the journey of raising a ten-year-old transgender son, illustrating, through narrative and video excerpts, how timely, evidence-based, and affirming care fosters gender euphoria, confidence, safety, and family cohesion.
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Project GROWTH: A Culturally Responsive Workforce Development Program for Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Youth Experiencing Homelessness in Washington, DC
Potomac AThis presentation will share key outcomes, implementation strategies, lessons learned, and future adaptations aimed at reducing barriers and promoting employment equity for TGNC youth. Us Helping Us is also exploring opportunities to expand the program and its impact.
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Empowering Health Professionals to Advocate for Gender-Affirming Care: A Multi-Level Approach
Potomac AThis session will train health professionals to become effective advocates for gender-affirming care at the institutional, state, and federal levels. Amid growing legislative, administrative, and regulatory challenges to transgender health care, health professionals have a unique role and responsibility to advocate for inclusive, evidence-based policies. This session will provide participants with actionable tools to address barriers to care, counter misinformation, and build coalitions to support gender-affirming care access.
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Deconstructing Intersectional Trauma: Empowering Black LGBTQIA+ Men in Therapy and Behavioral Health Services
Potomac AThis presentation offers a clinical and social work-centered approach to addressing the mental health needs of Black LGBTQIA+ men through trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and identity-affirming strategies. This session will explore how toxic stress stemming from early-life adversity impacts emotional regulation, relationship-building, and self-worth. Special emphasis will be placed on how systemic oppression, societal stigma, and the lack of culturally competent mental health services heighten these challenges.
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Affirming, Inclusive Reproductive Healthcare for LGBTQ+ Populations
Potomac AThis session includes an overview of LGBTQ+ reproductive health disparities, systemic barriers faced by LGBTQ+ clients navigating reproductive health services, and actionable steps organizations and providers can take to provide affirming, inclusive care.
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From Policy to Practice: Defending and Advancing LGBTQ+ Health in California
Potomac AThis special session will: Identify key challenges and political pressures affecting LGBTQ+ health services in California, and examine how healthcare leaders are navigating institutional and regulatory constraints; Analyze real-world strategies and best practices used by health systems and community organizations to protect, sustain, and advance LGBTQ+ affirming care across clinical, educational, and operational settings; and Apply lessons learned from diverse institutional contexts to strengthen participants’ own approaches to advocacy, policy implementation, and adaptive leadership in support of LGBTQ+ health.
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Elevating the PrEP Navigation Workforce through Certification
Potomac AWhile disparities in PrEP uptake and need persist and PrEP demand remains high, experienced PrEP navigation staff are key to realizing the benefits of PrEP.This institute equips participants with the practical knowledge, communication strategies, and clinical context needed to guide individuals through their PrEP journey.
Accreditation, Credit, and Support
Information on credits offered to SYNC participants for attending institutes, sessions, and plenaries — live or in-person — is available here.
Commercial Support Acknowledgement
This conference is supported, in part, by independent educational grants from ineligible companies. A full list of supporters is available here. All accredited content has been developed and delivered in accordance with the ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence and the criteria of Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education™, and is free of commercial bias.
