This lecture is sponsored by the Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research Center (CHEAR)—within the Department of Pediatrics—and the CHEAR Faculty Executive Representatives—a collaborative of the Institute for Social Research and the Schools of Business, Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Kinesiology, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health, Public Policy, and Social Work. Each year, CHEAR hosts the Susan B. Meister Lecture in Child Health Policy that highlights speakers from a variety of disciplines to explore important child health topics.
18th Annual Susan B. Meister Lecture in Child Health Policy
This lecture is sponsored by the Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research Center and the University Musical Society
Sound Foundations
Thursday, February 5, 2026, 4:00 pm-5:30 pm
Rackham Graduate School Auditorium
915 E Washington St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Keynote Speaker:
Nicola Benedetti
World Class, GRAMMY Winning Violinist
Director of the Edinburgh International Festival
Founder and Artistic Director, The Benedetti Foundation
Music Education Advocate
Panel Discussants:
Stefan Dohr
Principal Horn, Berliner Philharmoniker
Stefan Dohr, widely regarded as an icon of his instrument and one of the world’s foremost horn players, is a celebrated soloist, chamber musician, and Principal Horn of the Berliner Philharmoniker. Praised with having both a “thunderous sound that resounds throughout a valley” (Berliner Zeitung) as well as a breathtakingly “delicate piano that sounds as if from afar” (Badische Zeitung), he captivates audiences on the world’s leading concert stages. Whether performing core repertoire or contemporary works, Dohr’s interpretations are considered influential and authoritative.
The 2025/26 season begins with a particular highlight: in August 2025, as part of a tour with the Orchestre de Paris, Dohr will premiere Esa-Pekka Salonen’s new Horn Concerto at the Lucerne Festival under the composer’s direction. The tour will also take him to the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and Musikfest Berlin. Further debuts follow throughout the season, including concerts with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Filarmonica della Scala, and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Other engagements bring him to Tampere, Belgrade, Potsdam, and Dresden, where he will present national premieres of Steingrímur Rohloff’s Horn Concerto and the world premiere of a new concerto by Isidora Žebeljan and Veljko Nenadić. In the chamber music field, he returns to the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and will join members of the Berliner Philharmoniker and pianist Seong-Jin Cho for a tour of Korea.
As a soloist, Dohr has appeared with orchestras such as the Los Angeles and Oslo Philharmonic, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Dresden Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony and the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, among many others. He has collaborated with leading conductors including Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Sir Simon Rattle, Bernard Haitink, Christian Thielemann, Gustavo Gimeno, Dima Slobodeniouk, Paavo and Neeme Järvi, John Storgårds and Marc Albrecht. At the BBC Proms, he gave the UK premiere of Hans Abrahamsen’s Horn Concerto and served as Artist in Residence with the Aalborg Symfoniorkester, shaping the season with symphonic and chamber programmes, the world premiere of Steingrímur Rohloff’s Horn Concerto, and masterclasses.
Dohr’s artistic curiosity and exceptional technical versatility have inspired many composers to write for him, resulting in important additions to the horn repertoire. These include Moment of Blossoming (2011) by Toshio Hosokawa, premiered with the Berliner Philharmoniker under Sir Simon Rattle; a work by Wolfgang Rihm for Dohr and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra (2014); and compositions by Herbert Willi, Jorge E. López, Johannes Wallmann, Dai Bo and Hans Abrahamsen. Most recently, Jörg Widmann dedicated a new Horn Concerto to him, premiered in 2024 by the Berliner Philharmoniker – a joint commission by leading European orchestras.
Dohr is also a sought-after chamber musician, performing with artists such as Ian Bostridge, Mark Padmore, Maurizio Pollini, Kirill Gerstein, Kolja Blacher, Carolin Widmann and Guy Braunstein. He is a member of the Ensemble Wien-Berlin and the Philharmonic Octet Berlin.
Stefan Dohr studied in Essen and Cologne and previously held principal horn positions with the Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice, and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, before joining the Berliner Philharmoniker in 1993. Alongside his concert activities, he gives masterclasses worldwide and has taught at the Sibelius Academy Helsinki and the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, as well as serving as Visiting Professor at the Royal College of Music in London. He currently holds a Guest Professorship at the Norwegian Academy of Music.
Renata Rangel
2025 University of Michigan School of Music Alumni, Percussion Performance
Renata Rangel is a vibrant Mexican-American percussionist and arts advocate from Chicago, Illinois. Her musical journey began at the Merit School of Music at the age of five, where she first discovered the power of music as both an artistic and community-building force. This early foundation led her to continue her studies at the Interlochen Arts Academy and eventually to the beautiful halls of the University of Michigan. Here she earned her degree in Percussion Performance under the tutelage of Doug Perkins and Ian Antonio. Renata's dedication to her artistry extends beyond performance, as she also pursued a minor in Performing Arts Management and Entrepreneurship, expanding her understanding of the artistic and administrative structures that shape the music industry.
Renata's performance career has taken her across the United States and abroad, collaborating with composers and musicians in a wide range of settings. Whether performing captivating world premieres with the University of Michigan Percussion Ensemble alongside composer Michael Gordon on the East Coast, collaborating with Derek Bermel and the University Philharmonia Orchestra for the brand new Opera work based on the book The House on Mango Street, or performing in the mountains of Switzerland with other talented musicians and composers. Whether on international stages or returning to her roots in Chicago, Renata brings her touch wherever she goes, leaving a smile on the audience's face.
Beyond performance, Renata is a passionate advocate for equity and access in the arts. Her life-changing experience as a recipient of the UMS 21st Century Artist Internship with the Berlin Philharmonic was transformative, solidifying her commitment to arts leadership and cultural advocacy. She continues this work back in Chicago as the Band Program Coordinator for the Rachel Carson Elementary Band Program at the Merit School of Music– one of the longest-running community music programs at Merit. The program provides free music education to low-income schools serving predominantly Black and Brown students. She also continues her musical career by teaching percussion at the school. Working at the institution where her own musical journey began and mentoring the next generation of musicians are profound sources of joy and purpose for Renata.
Dedicated to meaningful change within the music industry, Renata envisions a future in which classical music is accessible to all, regardless of background or socioeconomic status. She believes music has the power to transcend boundaries and build community. She is committed to using her artistry and leadership to help create a more inclusive, equitable, and vibrant cultural landscape.
Carlos Simon, DMA
Adjunct Associate Professor, Georgetown University
2017 University of Michigan School of Music Alumni, DMA, Composition
“My dad, he always gets on me. He wants me to be a preacher, but I always tell him, ‘Music is my pulpit. That’s where I preach,’” Carlos Simon reflected for The Washington Post. Having grown up in Atlanta, with a long lineage of preachers and connections to gospel music to inspire him, GRAMMY-nominated Simon proves that a well-composed song can indeed be a sermon. His music ranges from concert music for large and small ensembles to film scores with influences of jazz, gospel, and neo-romanticism.
Simon is the current Composer-in-Residence for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and frequently writes for the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera. Simon also holds the position of inaugural Composer Chair of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the first in the institution’s 143-year history.
In the 2024/25 season, Simon will have premiere performances with the National Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra for the Last Night of the Proms (in his BBC Proms commissioning debut), Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Carnegie Hall for the National Youth Orchestra of the USA. The season also features the premiere of Simon’s Gospel Mass with Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic, a work reimagining the traditional mass with gospel soloists and choir, with visual creations from Melina Matsoukas (Beyoncé Formation, Queen and Slim).
This follows previous commissions from the likes of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, Washington National Opera (in collaboration with Mo Willems), New York Philharmonic and Bravo! Vail, Minnesota Orchestra, American Ballet Theatre, and Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
As well as his composition work, Simon frequently curates concert programmes, which often highlight his own music as well as that of close collaborators. Curation concerts have recently been programmed by Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Boston Chamber Players, Tanglewood Festival for Contemporary Music, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Simon also curated and arranged Coltrane: Legacy for Orchestra, a new project co-commissioned by TO Live (for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra) and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, in partnership with the Coltrane Estate.
August 2024 saw the release of Simon's first full-length orchestral album, Four Symphonic Works, comprised of live concert recordings by the National Symphony Orchestra from the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. Simon also composed the original soundtrack for the PBS documentary Shame of Chicago: Shame of the Nation, which was released as a digital album in April 2024.
In September 2023, Simon released two albums on Decca. Together is a compilation of solo and chamber compositions and arrangements featuring Simon and guests such as J’Nai Bridges, Randall Goosby, Seth Parker Woods and Will Liverman. The work draws on Carlos’ personal experience as an artist to highlight the importance of heritage and identity, and the power of collaborative music-making.
Simon also released the live premiere recording of brea(d)th, a landmark work commissioned by Minnesota Orchestra and written in collaboration with Marc Bamuthi Joseph, conducted by Jonathan Taylor Rush. “Arguably the most important commission of Simon’s career so far” (New York Times), brea(d)th was written following George Floyd’s murder as a direct response to America’s unfulfilled promises and history of systemic oppression against Black Americans.
Simon was nominated for a 2023 GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for his previous album, Requiem for the Enslaved. The requiem is a multi-genre musical tribute to commemorate the stories of the 272 enslaved men, women, and children sold in 1838 by Georgetown University, released by Decca in June 2022. This work sees Simon infuse his original compositions with African American spirituals and familiar Catholic liturgical melodies, performed by Hub New Music Ensemble, Marco Pavé, and MK Zulu.
Acting as music director and keyboardist for GRAMMY Award winner Jennifer Holliday, Simon has performed with Boston Pops, Jackson Symphony, and St. Louis Symphony. He has also toured internationally with soul GRAMMY-nominated artist Angie Stone and performed throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Simon earned his doctorate degree at the University of Michigan, where he studied with Michael Daugherty and Evan Chambers. He has also received degrees from Georgia State University and Morehouse College. He is an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Music Sinfonia Fraternity and a member of the National Association of Negro Musicians, Society of Composers International, and Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society. He has served as a member of the music faculty at Spelman College and Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia and now serves as Associate Professor at Georgetown University. Simon was also a recipient of the 2021 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, the highest honor bestowed by the Sphinx Organization to recognize extraordinary classical Black and Latinx musicians, and was named a Sundance/Time Warner Composer Fellow for his work for film and moving image.
Katrina Stroud
Current Graduate Student, University of Michigan School of Music, Violin Performance
Katrina Stroud has been playing violin since the age of three and currently attends the University of Michigan studying with Fabiola Kim. In 2025 she graduated from the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings with her Bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance with electives in Business. As a sophomore in college in 2023 she won second prize in the St. Paul String Quartet Competition and was a quarter-finalist in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.
Katrina has performed in the Fabian Concert Series along with concert series Andy and Friends, UCSB Chamber Music, and New Canaan Chamber Music. She performed in the Emmy award-winning “A Night of Georgia Music” which was broadcast on national television with violinist Robert McDuffie; Mike Mills, bass guitarist of REM; and pianist Chuck Leavell of The Rolling Stones. Katrina has worked with world-renowned pedagogues and performers from around the world.
Katrina was a member of the Macon-Mercer Symphony Orchestra where she was concertmaster and principal second violinist and currently serves as Principal Second Violinist of the University of Michigan University Philharmonic Orchestra. She has also performed with the
New World Symphony and Adrian Symphony Orchestras as a substitute musician. She has participated in a student-led program, the New Music Initiative for Black Voices, which collaborates with young black composers and gives them a voice in the classical music industry. Katrina has spent her summers at the Aspen Music Festival, Rome Chamber Music Festival, and many other festivals around the country.
In May of 2025 Katrina started a classical music podcast, Backstage: Classical Career Conversations where she serves as host, editor and producer. She has interviewed internationally acclaimed musicians and has a world-wide audience.
Moderator:
Kao-Ping Chua, MD, MPH
Director, Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research Center
Closing Remarks:
Matthew VanBesien
President, University Musical Society
Previous Speakers:
2025 - 17th Annual Susan B. Meister Lecture in Child Health Policy
Music, Health, and Wellness Across the Lifespan: Pathways to Improve Child Health and Policy
Mr. Anthony White
Artistic Director for the Detroit Youth Concert Choir and Performing Arts Company
Introductory Remarks:
Matthew VanBesien
President, University Musical Society
Panel Discussants:
Kate Fitzpatrick-Harnish, PhD
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs, School of Music, Theatre, and Dance
Karl Grosh, PhD, MS
Professor of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
Meredith Irvine, MHA, MT-BC, NICUMT
Sophie’s Place Studio Manager, Michigan Medicine
Victoria Shaw, PhD
Detroit School and Arts Partnerships Lead, Marsal Family School of Education
Moderator:
Jeremy Adler, MD, MSc
Interim Director, Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research Center
Closing Remarks:
John Z. Ayanian, MD, MPP
Director, Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation
2024 - 16th Annual Susan B. Meister Lecture in Child Health Policy
The Impact of Neighborhoods on Child Health: Opportunities for Better Policy
Adrianne Todman
Acting Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Panel Discussants:
Sara Adar, ScD, MHS
Associate Chair and Associate Professor of Epidemiology
Jennifer Erb-Downward, MPH
Director of Housing Stability Programs and Policy Initiatives, Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan
Alison L. Miller, PhD
Professor, Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan
Carla O'Connor, PhD
University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor and Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, Marsal Family School of Education, University of Michigan
Moderator:
Jeremy Adler, MD, MSc
Interim Director, Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Center
Closing Remarks:
Kathleen Cagney, PhD, MPP
Director, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan
2023 - 15th Annual Susan B. Meister Lecture in Child Health Policy
The Impact of School Closures on Child Health and Development: a Call for Interdisciplinary Action
Donna Mazyck, MS, RN, NCSN, CAE, FNASN
Executive Director, National Association of School Nurses
Panelists:
Tiffany Munzer, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan
Donald J. Peurach, PhD
Professor of Educational Policy, Leadership, and Innovation, Marsal Family School of Education, University of Michigan
Julie Ribaudo, LMSW, IMH-E®
Clinical Professor of Social Work, University of Michigan
Moderator:
Lisa A. Prosser, PhD
Director, Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Center
Closing Remarks:
Elizabeth Birr Moje, PhD
Dean, George Herbert Mead Collegiate Professor of Education and
Arthur F. Thurneau Professor, Marsal Family School of Education
2022 - 14th Annual Susan B. Meister Lecture in Child Health Policy
Effects of the Pandemic on Trauma and Abuse within Families and Communities: Experts on Child Health and Aging Come Together to Clarify Thinking for the Future
Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN
President, The John A. Hartford Foundation
Panelists:
Debra Chopp, JD
Associate Dean for Experiential Education Clinical Professor of Law
Director, Pediatric Advocacy Clinic
Todd I. Herrenkohl, PhD, MSW
Marion Elizabeth Blue Professor of Children and Families
School of Social Work
Preeti N. Malani, MD, MSJ
Chief Health Officer
Professor of Medicine, Infectious Disease, Michigan Medicine
Best Paper Award in Child Health Policy Award Winners
2019 - 13th Annual Susan B. Meister Lecture in Child Health Policy
Making Government Work to Reduce Child Hunger
Robert Gordon, JD
Director, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
2018 - 12th Annual Susan B. Meister Lecture in Child Health Policy
The Effects of the Opioid Crisis on Children and Families
Linda Smith
Director, Early Childhood Development Initiative
Bipartisan Policy Center
View Lecture Video
2017 - 11th Annual Susan B. Meister Lecture in Child Health Policy
Refugee & Migrant Child Health: Updates & Opportunities
Curi Kim, M.D., M.P.H.
Director, Division of Refugee Health
Office of Refugee Resettlement
Administration for Children and Families
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
2016 - 10th Annual Susan B. Meister Lecture in Child Health Policy
Concussion & Youth Soccer: Balancing the Risks of Recreational Sports for Children
Brianna Scurry
Legendary U.S. Goalkeeper, Two Time Olympic Gold Medalist
Steve W. Berman, J.D.
Managing Partner, Hagens Berman
2015 - 9th Annual Susan B. Meister Lecture in Child Health Policy
The Power of the Public Eye: Disneyland, Measles, and Public Policy
Karen Smith, M.D., M.P.H.
Director of the California Department of Public Health and State Health Officer
2014 - 8th Annual Susan B. Meister Lecture in Child Health Policy
Moment of Opportunity: Reducing Health Disparities and Advancing Health Equity
J. Nadine Gracia, M.D, M.S.C.E.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
2013 - 7th Annual Susan B. Meister Lecture in Child Health Policy
The Power of Play
Duncan J. Billing, LLB
Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer, Hasbro, Inc.
2012 - 6th Annual Susan B. Meister Lecture in Child Health Policy
Our Military's Children: Insights from Over a Decade of War
Dr. Jo Ann Rooney
Former Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
2010 - 4th Annual Susan B. Meister Lecture in Child Health Policy
The Challenges of Child Health in the Developing World
Tachi Yamada, M.D.
President, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health Program
2009 - 3rd Annual Susan B. Meister Lecture in Child Health Policy
Science, the Media and Responsibility for Child Health
Brian Deer
Investigative Reporter, The Sunday Times of London
Catherine DeAngelis, M.D., M.P.H.
Editor-in-Chief, The Journal of the American Medical Association
2008 - 2nd Annual Susan B. Meister Lecture in Child Health Policy
Bridging the Worlds of Business and Public Health
John O. Agwunobi, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H.
Senior Vice President, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
President, Professional Services Division, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Former U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health, Department of Health and Human Services
2006 - Inaugural Annual Susan B. Meister Lecture in Child Health Policy
Corporate Responsibility in Children's Health
Stephen W. Sanger, M.B.A.
Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, General Mills