Smarter Health and Wellness Strategies for 2026 and Beyond
For 35 years, the Health Benefits Conference & Expo (HBCE) has been the go-to educational event for innovative, practical solutions that elevate your organization’s health plans and wellness programs. Take a deep dive into dynamic educational sessions packed with actionable, timely insights to help you reduce costs, boost employee well-being, and stay ahead of the latest trends and topics that are affecting your organization’s plans and programs.
Learn from real-world employer case studies, as well as leading experts who are transforming the industry, and network with peers facing similar issues to find solutions. Whether you’re managing a health plan, designing a wellness program, or just looking for fresh, effective ideas, HBCE delivers the tools and inspiration you need, all at a budget-friendly price.
Keynote Announced!
Cutting Through the Chaos: Leading with Clarity in Today’s Food & Nutrition
Zonya Foco, R.D., CHFI, CSP
Professional Speaker, Author, and Celebrity Nutritionist
In our world of information whiplash, health plan and wellness professionals can often feel like it’s an ongoing battle in an unwinnable war. The food system is flooded with ultra-processed products, many of which are even marketed as "healthy". We are all impacted by an industrialized agriculture system that prioritizes profit over nutrition. Weight loss trends offer conflicting approaches, leaving us all overwhelmed and confused. Meanwhile, the wildfire of GLP-1 medications are in nearly every weight loss conversation. Do they fix the root of the problem? Are they a safe and effective long-term strategy? With continued escalation of the incidence of heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and cancer, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Join Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Zonya Foco, as she reveals the real forces shaping how we respond to the food environment—and why understanding who we are up against is the first step toward meaningful change. Best of all, Zonya will equip you with powerful, single-phrase, evidence-based responses to the tough nutrition questions you hear every day: Are seed oils bad, and is butter better? Is 100g of protein a day the new gold standard? Is there a way to avoid or stop using GLP-1s? She will turn confusion into confidence and spark lasting “tipping points” for change. You’ll leave this session inspired, informed, and ready to lead with clarity in a world that desperately needs it.
After this session, participants will be able to:
1. Identify key factors in today’s food system—such as ultra-processed ingredients, additives, and industrialized agriculture—that contribute to poor health outcomes, including heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and cancer.
2. Define the impact of the current GLP-1 trend and understand alternative and complementary strategies.
3. Communicate clear, concise, and research-backed responses to common nutrition questions.
Benefits of Attending
HBCE is your source for relevant education with tried-and-true solutions, insights and tools to create positive outcomes.
- Get inspired through expert-led sessions with a heavy focus on employer case studies to address the unique issues and trends impacting the very real situations your organization faces.
- Hear from industry leaders who have faced the issues you have, and learn what worked for them to reduce costs and improve employee engagement.
Who Should Attend
Content at HBCE is designed for mid- to senior-level professionals from private and public sector employers, hospitals and health care systems, and universities in the following fields:
- Benefits and total rewards
- Employee health services
- Wellness, health promotion and population health management
- Human resources including on-site/near-site clinics
- Occupational health and safety
- Workers' compensation and absence management.
Join us in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida January 2026!
Educational sessions at this program can qualify for self-reported CEBS® Compliance credit. Visit www.cebs.org/compliance for additional information.
Note: Requests made for CE credit do not guarantee administration of credit. For further information on CE credit, please call (262) 786-6710, option 2, or visit our website at www.ifebp.org/education---events/continuing-education-credit.