Contact: Eric Baker

Senior Media Relations Manager

eric.baker@aspeninstitute.org

Aspen Health Strategy Group Examines Food and Health, Receives Funding from Ardmore Institute of Health

Ardmore Institute of Health is supporting research and dialogue that can strengthen the relationship between food and good health.

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 22, 2026 - The Aspen Health Strategy Group (AHSG), an initiative of the Health, Medicine & Society Program of the Aspen Institute, convenes in June 2026 to take a deep dive into the topic of food and health. 

Ardmore Institute of Health (AIH) is providing support for this initiative, recognizing the critical need to inform policymakers who can act on the recommendations AHSG will develop. “This investment from AIH in the Aspen Health Strategy Group will help advance our shared goals of improving health outcomes for all Americans and reducing the upstream drivers of chronic disease,” says Senator Bill Frist, MD, co-chair of the AHSG and former U.S. Senate majority leader.

Building on expert input, survey data, and in-depth conversations at the June convening in Aspen, Colorado, AHSG will publish a report that highlights “five big ideas” to help guide the US towards better health through effective food policy. Members expect to explore food insecurity, ultra-processed foods, the environmental impact of today’s food system, and the growing “food is medicine” movement. Their report will be disseminated widely to influential leaders across numerous sectors.

“We are delighted to partner with the Aspen Health Strategy Group on this crucial topic,” says Dr. Ron Stout, President and CEO of Ardmore Institute of Health. “We hope the ideas that emerge from their deliberations will contribute to a restructured food system that makes healthy living an accessible, equitable, and easy choice for everyone.”

“We are thrilled to be building a new relationship with Ardmore Institute of Health,” adds Kathleen Sebelius, also AHSG co-chair, who served as the 21st US Secretary of Health and Human Services and 44th governor of Kansas. “Its commitments to research and caring for the whole person inspire us to explore ideas that will make a difference in people’s lives.”

In addition to Ardmore Institute of Health, grant funds from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund support this initiative. A list of AHSG participants can be found here.

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The mission of the Aspen Health Strategy Group is to promote improvements in policy and practice by providing leadership on important and complex health issues. AHSG brings together senior leaders representing a mix of influential sectors, including health, business, philanthropy, and technology, and is an initiative of the Health, Medicine & Society Program at the Aspen Institute. For more information, visit https://healthmedicineandsociety.org/signature-programs/aspen-health-strategy-group/. 

The Health, Medicine & Society Program of the Aspen Institute brings together influential groups of thought leaders, decisionmakers, and the informed public to consider 21st-century health challenges in the U.S. and around the world and to identify practical solutions for addressing them. At the heart of most of its activities is a package of research, convenings, and publications that spans a range of timely topics and supports policymakers, scholars, and other stakeholders in their commitment to better health for all. A rigorously nonpartisan program, HMS believes in evidence-based medicine and science, and the power of truth, and pursues its work accordingly. For more information, visit www.healthmedicineandsociety.org.

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

Ardmore Institute of Health, established in 1947, works to advance a future where healthcare and communities support whole person care, and healthy choices are accessible and effective in preventing, treating, and reversing chronic disease. To achieve this vision, AIH offers grant funding, Full Plate Living nutrition programming, and resources to accelerate whole health adoption and learning. For more information, visit www.ardmoreinstituteofhealth.org.