August 13, 2026
This year's Empowering Physicians event will feature a panel discussion on how H.R. 1 (The One Big Beautiful Bill Act) could reshape Minnesota’s health system.
The session, which is at 5 pm on Friday, September 25, at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2400 3rd Ave. S., will feature Johnathan Watson, MPIA, Rahul Koranne, MD, and Stephen T. Parente, Ph.D., MPH, MS.
Watson is CEO of the Minnesota Association of Community Health Centers (MNACHC). He brings nearly three decades of experience in health policy, financing, and advocacy, with expertise in Medicaid, Medicare, rural health, community health center operations, and state and federal health policy. Before joining MNACHC, Watson served as a budget and policy analyst for the Wisconsin Department of Health & Family Services, where he focused on healthcare financing and public policy analysis.
Koranne serves as president and CEO of the Minnesota Hospital Association. Before joining MHA in 2015, Koranne served as a leader with HealthEast Care System, and prior to that he served as a primary care physician in Starbuck, MN. Koranne completed his residency in internal medicine, a fellowship in geriatrics, and his MBA from the University of Minnesota.
Parente is a professor in the department of finance, and the Minnesota Insurance Industry Chair of Health Finance, in the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, and associate dean of the Global Institute. He is the president of the American Society of Health Economists (ASHEcon). Parente was a health policy advisor for the McCain 2008 Presidential Campaign, and served as a legislative fellow in the office of Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D‑WV) in 1992/93.
Along with the H.R. 1 panel discussion, the Empowering Physicians event will include:
An inspirational talk by Regina Martinez Lorenzo, MD, the first female cross-country skier to represent Mexico in the Olympics, and an alumna of the University of Minnesota Medical School;
An educational session on the emerging trends, risks, and reforms of medical liability in Minnesota;
A physicians-in-training poster symposium;
The winners of this year’s MMA Award; and
An introduction to the next MMA president, Dania Kamp, MD.
To register, click here. Registration closes on September 1. Reach out to mma@mnmed.org with questions.
Copic is the event’s premier sponsor.
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