Written by Christina Denslinger, PhD

GLITEC is pleased to announce its first Great Lakes Area Tribal Public Health Conference: Bridging Wellness Across the Great Lakes Region! This conference will be hosted at the Oneida Casino Hotel on August 11-12, 2026.

About the Conference

Rooted in sovereignty and focused on the future, the Great Lakes Area Tribal Public Health Conference is designed to advance Tribal public health systems through leadership, innovation, and collaboration in the Great Lakes area and beyond.

For four years, our community came together through our Journey to Wellness conference to address opioid and overdose prevention. To be more inclusive of the spectrum of Tribal public health, the Great Lakes Area Tribal Public Health Conference takes on a broader focus while still holding space for real conversations, real healing, and real change.

Four conference tracks shape the conference and reflect emerging innovations and priorities for health and wellness in the region: 

• Behavioral Health: This track explores the intersection between substance use, overdose, 
  mental health, and suicide prevention to identify protective factors and enhance paths that support prevention, treatment, and recovery strategies.
• Indigenous Wellness: This track explores approaches, strategies, and programs that address health and wellness holistically through traditional practices, cultural values, and community support.
• Data Infrastructure: This track explores tools and technologies, such as AI, and other innovative approaches grounded in Tribal data sovereignty to improve data infrastructure.
• Public Health Capacity: This track explores initiatives, programs, and strategies that advance systems, services, and workforce to strengthen healthy communities and respond to emerging health concerns.

GLITEC invites Tribal public health leaders, practitioners, and community partners to share knowledge, strengthen connections, and support the future of public health in our communities.

Attending the Conference

Please register by completing the registration form. Registration fees are $200. Hotel reservations can be made by calling Oneida Casino Hotel at 920-494-7300 and requesting a room in the Public Health Conference room block. You may also make your reservation online using group ID 2082 and password 10367782. Please note that the room block closes July 20, 2026.

Attending as a Vendor or Exhibitor

GLITEC is excited to welcome both vendors and exhibitors to the conference. Vendors are individuals or businesses that sell crafts or goods, such as beadwork, handmade items, art, apparel, or other products. Exhibitors are organizations or businesses that host informational tables to share resources, programs, services, or opportunities.

Exhibitors may include:

• Private Exhibitors: Businesses or organizations promoting services, products, or partnerships (no direct sales)
• Public/Nonprofit Exhibitors: Tribal programs, health departments, nonprofits, and community organizations

To register as a vendor, please complete the vendor registration form. Vendor registration is $100, which includes conference registration.

To register as an exhibitor, please complete the exhibitor registration form. Exhibitor registration fees include conference registration and are structured based on exhibitor type:

• Private exhibitor registration is $350 with the code GLATPHC – PRIV
• Public exhibitor registration is $250 with the code GLATPHC – NP 
  
  

Learn More

Additional information can be found at our conference website. If you have any questions, contact Christina Denslinger at cdenslinger@glitc.org or Mandy Christensen at mchristensen@glitc.org.

We hope to see you in August!