INVITE THE AUTHORS TO SPEAK TO YOUR GROUP
This book is perfect for a wide range of audiences: healthcare professionals, community leaders, nonprofit organizations, mobilizers, policy makers and local political leaders, and citizens who want to tackle wicked problems like infant mortality in their communities.

INFANT MORTALITY AND OTHER WICKED PROBLEMS KEYNOTES

  • Cincinnati’s Infant Mortality Journey: A Radical New Model for Tackling a Wicked Problem. You’ll gain an informative overview of how we got to the root of Cincinnati’s infant mortality problem, dismantled a dysfunctional and discriminatory system, and partnered with the community to create a new model of care that has saved over eight classrooms of children…and counting.
  • Tackling Your Community’s Wicked Problem: An Adaptable Framework That Works. While wicked problems are (by definition) complex and unique, there are proven steps communities can take to get to the root of these challenges and design effective systems change. We’ll share this flexible framework, along with examples of how it worked in Cincinnati.
  • Reducing Infant Mortality: Why Everyone Should Care About This Metric—and How to Improve It. Infant mortality is a reliable indicator of a community’s social experiences, economic well-being, and overall health. We’ll share our inspiring story as well as tips and best practices that you can adapt to combat infant mortality—and by extension, other determinants of health—in your community.
  • The Transformative Power of Trust-Based Philanthropy. Learn what this model is, how it differs from traditional grantmaking, and why engaging funders as partners can be the key to finally moving the needle on your community’s wicked problem.

INFANT MORTALITY AND OTHER WICKED PROBLEMS BREAK-OUT SESSIONS

  • What Really Causes Health Disparities? A Cincinnati Case Study. What happens inside a provider’s office is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to a community’s medical outcomes. Social determinants of health, a lack of community support, and racial inequities were all major culprits behind Cincinnati’s wicked infant mortality problem.
  • How to Truly Listen to Community Voices—and Transform Them Into Action. Learn how to build trust with community members so you can co-create solutions with those who are most affected by your wicked problem.
  • How to Harness the Transformative—and Accelerating—Power of Trust. The key to moving quickly and in alignment—especially with multiple stakeholders—is building trust. (Otherwise, the majority of your time will be spent discussing what should be done, rather than actually doing it.) We’ll share dos and don’ts that will help you establish and maintain stakeholder relationships that are built on mutual confidence and respect. We’ll also discuss how to navigate any conflict that might arise.

For speaker inquiries, please contact Jill Miller at jill_miller@bi3.org or Dr. Meredith C. Smith at meredith.smith@cchmc.org.

Authors can also tailor a presentation for your organization.

Past Speaking Engagements

AUTHORS LEAD SESSION AT OHIO HEALTH POLICY SUMMIT

Jill Haubner Miller and Dr. Meredith C. Smith were among the Keynote and Plenary Speakers at the 2025 Ohio Health Policy Summit, which highlighted and promoted policies that offer significant return on investment, with a focus on evidence-based strategies that improve outcomes for children, working-age adults and older adults.

Together, they shared an adaptable framework for tackling community problems and shared how that framework helped lower the infant mortality rate in Hamilton County, Ohio.

AUTHORS PRESENT TO HEALTHCARE LEADERS 

Infant Mortality and Other Wicked Problems authors Jill Haubner Miller and Dr. Meredith C. Smith highlighted content from their book presenting to healthcare leaders from across the country at the American College of Healthcare Executives 2025 Congress on Healthcare Leadership. Together, they shared how the collaborative framework developed in the book can help other communities as they work to address longstanding issues in their own communities. 

JILL MILLER DELIVERS KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT GROUNDWORK OHIO ADVOCACY DAY

The bi3 Fund’s partner Groundwork Ohio held its annual Advocacy Day with a full crowd of more than 400 attendees. This year’s theme, “Foundations for Ohio’s Future: Investing in Young Children Today,” highlighted the urgency of ensuring equitable access to quality early education and healthy beginnings for every child throughout the state.

bi3’s Jill Miller shared lessons and insights from our community’s journey to lower infant mortality, which is detailed in Infant Mortality and Other Wicked Problems.

To engage Jill Haubner Miller and Dr. Meredith C. Smith for speaking and break-out sessions, please contact them.