On Wednesday, August 28, 2024, more than 430 women attended the Hoag Hospital Foundation’s third annual H.E.R. Summit by Hoag at VEA Newport Beach, A Marriott Resort & Spa. Thanks to generous sponsors and local vendors, this immersive wellness event featured panels and Q&A discussions with Hoag clinicians and included a healthy lunch, premier swag bag, and a custom shopping experience at the H.E.R. Market. From gut and brain health to hormones, sleep, and skincare, this year’s program delivered powerful tools for optimizing health and longevity.  

Five top takeaways from the day included:

• Watch out for inflammation! Inflammation in the gut can not only cause digestive conditions and diseases but also affects the heart, brain, and immune system.  

• Cognitive function is 55% genetics and 45% lifestyle factors. Address hearing loss early as it can contribute to a faster rate of atrophy in the brain, social isolation, and dementia.

• You can’t catch up on missed sleep by napping! 

• The death rate from all-cause mortality, including breast cancer, is lower for women on bioidentical hormone therapy—and these women report a higher quality of life.

• 70% of your skincare should happen in the dermatologist office. Baseline bloodwork can show vitamin and other deficiencies that should also be addressed for skin and scalp health.

Ally Love, a multi-hyphenate trailblazer, gave the keynote address on the radical search for self-love. Love is the founder and CEO of Love Squad, a community created to educate and embolden women, a renowned Peloton instructor, and a Today Show on-air contributor. According to Love, confidence comes by practice. The keys to building self-esteem are getting curious, trying something new (at least three times), and not being afraid to forge your own path.  
  
Allyson Brooks, MD, FACOG, Ginny Ueberroth Executive Medical Director Endowed Chair, Women’s Health Institute, said, “H.E.R. Summit is one of my favorite events of the year. It’s such a special opportunity to bring together Hoag clinicians with the community. The conversations are insightful and empowering. Every element of the event, like Hoag’s women’s services, is thoughtfully designed for women by women. That’s our priority, and we take pride in partnering with the community to create programming customized to women of all ages and stages of life.”   
 
The event raised $176,800 toward the growth of Hoag’s comprehensive women’s health services through the Boldly Hoag campaign, a philanthropic initiative supporting the expansion of Hoag’s Sun Family Campus in Irvine. Scheduled to be completed in 2026, the Sun Family Campus will feature three new buildings dedicated to specialty care: the Surgical Pavilion, Cancer & Digestive Hospital Pavilion, and Women’s Hospital Pavilion.  
 
The Women’s Hospital Pavilion—which will house 24 labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum suites; 17 neonatal intensive care unit beds; and a new comprehensive breast center, among other features—will give Hoag specialists additional opportunities to conduct research and collaborate on complex diseases for the benefit of women and families across Orange County and beyond. Funds raised at H.E.R. Summit will play a significant role in supporting increased access to these facilities and a range of women’s services, from cutting-edge clinical trials to holistic wellness offerings.

View highlights from the 2024 H.E.R. Summit by Hoag in the video below.

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