Health in Entrepreneurship Research Forum

Friday and Saturday, Oct. 7-8, 2022

Issues surrounding health and entrepreneurship impact over 44 million self-employed adults in the United States alone. Research suggests that while people who start their own businesses are physically healthier than those working traditional, full-time jobs, the self-employed experience more mental health issues. We must understand why these differences exist in order to create a healthier, more innovative workforce.

By bringing together fresh ideas and diverse perspectives on health and new venture creation, we aim to accelerate research in this essential area. Not only will you connect with a community of scholars and practitioners, you’ll receive support and motivation to develop your own research and projects.

Please contact Tim Michaelis at tmichaelis@niu.edu if you have any questions or concerns.

"This event would not be possible without the McGrath Fund, provided through a generous gift of Mike and Kristina McGrath to support entrepreneurship education and research at Northern Illinois University."

View forum agenda.

Day One: Presentations and Panels

We’ll meet at MATTER Chicago, an incubator for health-care startups. You’ll attend presentations of current research on the interaction of health and entrepreneurship, followed by panel discussions:

• Panel one: Entrepreneurs share their mental and physical health journeys; investors discuss their experiences with well-being in relation to funding, personnel, growth and other strategies; both share health tips for starting new ventures.
• Panel two: Representatives of organizations that help startups succeed (such as accelerators, government offices, nonprofits, health care providers and more) provide context and insight.

Day Two: Workshop and Discussion

The second day will take place at DePaul University’s Coleman Entrepreneurship Center. After a brief recap, we’ll move into breakout groups to explore research methods and resources. We’ll end with a discussion of next steps to promote examination and awareness of this important topic.

Travel and Hotel Arrangements

You must make your own hotel and transportation arrangements. October can be a busy time for travel to Chicago, so please consider booking your flight and hotel early. The following hotels are close to MATTER Chicago, where we’ll spend our first day:

• Best Western River North Hotel ($)
• SpringHill Suites by Marriott Chicago Downtown/River North ($$)
• Residence Inn by Marriott Chicago Downtown/River North ($$)
• Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago-Downtown ($$)
• Hyatt Place Chicago/River North ($$$)

Registration

To register for this event, please email Tim Michaelis at tmichaelis@niu.edu with a brief statement of your research interests. Event is limited to 50 participants. There's no cost to register.