2026 Adolescent Health Symposium

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International Adolescent Health Week celebrates young people and focuses on their health, well-being, and voices. Each year, communities worldwide come together to discuss the issues that matter to teens and young adults and help them build healthy futures.

To celebrate here in Austin, People’s Community Clinic is hosting our Annual Adolescent Health Symposium on Wednesday, October 14, from 5–8 p.m. Young people, families, health care providers, and community members are invited to join us for conversations about the health issues young people face.

October 14, 2026

5:00pm – 8:00pm

People’s Community Clinic

1101 Camino la Costa, Austin, 78752

We’ll talk about some of the big issues teens and young adults face today. Topics will include AI and social media, finding trustworthy health information, healthy eating, mental health, laws that affect young people, and reproductive health.

Young people, health care providers, and community experts will come together to share information, ideas, and strategies for staying healthy and connected.

RSVP HERE

Click here to download the event flyer.

International Adolescent Health Week is a time to celebrate young people and focus on their health, well-being, and voices. Each year, communities around the world come together to discuss the issues that matter to teens and young adults and to help them build healthy futures.

2026 Adolescent Health Symposium

October 14, 2026

5:00pm – 8:00pm

People’s Community Clinic

1101 Camino la Costa, Austin, 78752

RSVP HERE

Click here to download the event flyer.

Young people, health care providers, and community experts will come together to share information, ideas, and strategies for staying healthy and connected.

2016–2026: 10 Years of Growing Adolescent Health

5:00pm – 5:25pm

Arrival, food, resource tables & networking

5:00pm – 5:25pm

Arrival, food, resource tables & networking

5:25pm – 5:35pm

Welcome & Introduction
Dr. Celia Neavel

5:25pm – 5:35pm

Welcome & Introduction
Dr. Celia Neavel

5:35pm – 6:15pm

Session 1 – Opening keynote panel
Can I Trust That? AI, Social Media, and Health Information
Youth and experts discuss how adolescents and health professionals find and evaluate trustworthy, science- based health information.

5:35pm – 6:15pm

6:15pm – 6:25pm

Break, resource tables, transition

6:15pm – 6:25pm

Break, resource tables, transition

6:25pm – 7:05pm

Session 2 – Concurrent sessions
Nourishing the Adolescent & Young Adult Body
OR
Why We All Need to Understand the Law

6:25pm – 7:05pm

Session 2 – Concurrent sessions
Nourishing the Adolescent & Young Adult Body
OR
Why We All Need to Understand the Law

7:05pm – 7:15pm

Break, resource tables, transition

7:05pm – 7:15pm

Break, resource tables, transition

7:15pm – 7:55pm

Session 3 – Concurrent sessions
Optimizing Mental Health & Connection
OR
Reproductive Health & Communication

7:15pm – 7:55pm

Session 3 – Concurrent sessions
Optimizing Mental Health & Connection
OR
Reproductive Health & Communication

7:55pm – 8:00pm

Closing

7:55pm – 8:00pm

Closing

Featured Speakers

Celia Neavel, MD, is the Director of the Center for Adolescent Health, GOALS program, and Manor Mustang Health Center at People’s Community Clinic. She started the Center for Adolescent Health more than 30 years ago to provide care for young people ages 10–24. Dr. Neavel specializes in adolescent and family medicine and supports the physical and mental health of young people. In 2025, the Texas Academy of Family Physicians named her Family Physician of the Year.

Jeffrey Hutchinson, MD

Dr. Hutchinson, a physician in the Adolescent Health department at People’s Community Clinic, brings more than 20 years of healthcare and academic leadership experience, including distinguished military service. His work has taken him across the U.S. and to countries as diverse as Mongolia, Germany, Iraq, and Honduras. He specializes in adolescent medicine and is passionate about delivering high-quality care to young patients.

Kristen Wollmuth is a registered dietitian with four years of experience working with people of all ages and backgrounds. She earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Texas State University, where she focused on nutrition for children and teens, as well as workplace wellness. Kristen is passionate about helping people build a healthy relationship with food in ways that work for their lives, families, and cultures.

Why We All Need to Understand the Law with Jen Biundo

TBD

Sarah McQueen, MSW (she/her)

Sarah McQueen is Chief Mission Officer at Healthy Futures of Texas, where she oversees the strategic integration of their health education, community engagement, and training and technical assistance efforts to improve sexual health outcomes for youth across Texas.

She earned her Master of Social Work from Columbia University, focusing on child and family policy, and went on to manage the Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) program for San Diego County for over five years. Before joining HFTX, she served as a Program Director for Communities In Schools of Central Texas, an organization working to develop holistic systems of support for the most vulnerable students in Texas.

She also supported the training and professional learning needs of Texas’s HIV workforce as a Program Director with Cardea. Sarah has extensive experience in school-based services, adolescent sexual and reproductive health, trauma-informed practices, positive youth development, and social-emotional learning. She is passionate about equipping youth with the knowledge and skills they need to make empowered choices for their futures.

Sasha Jaquez, PhD, ABPP, is a health psychologist and professor at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin. She helps train future psychologists and works with children and families in cancer and skin care clinics. Dr. Jaquez also works with doctors and other health care teams to bring mental health support into patient care. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends.

Reproductive Health and Communication

TBD