CHD Conference 2026
In Order to Form a More Perfect Future
We're bringing the Children's Health Defense community back together for another unforgettable event.
CHD is headed to Washington, D.C. for CHD in DC - a special one-day conference on Thursday, September 17 and you’re invited.
In pursuit of a more perfect future, CHD is convening a special one-day conference to highlight the work of key government officials and individuals who are advocating for transparency, accountability and justice in the area of public health. The event will also address the censorship that continues to limit public discourse on the most basic of existential rights.
This timely conversation will take place against a backdrop of unprecedented opportunity and risk for the health freedom movement. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from the people who are working to ensure the best possible outcomes for our children.
In-Person
$250
Join us in person at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, DC, for a full day of engaging sessions, networking, and valuable insights. Your ticket includes admission to the one-day conference, breakfast and lunch, and post-event access to the conference livestream recordings so you can revisit key sessions at your convenience.
Livestream
$100
Experience the event from anywhere with our Livestream Ticket! Enjoy live online access as the event unfolds, plus receive exclusive on-demand replay access available only to livestream and in-person attendees. Watch live, rewatch your favorite moments, or catch up on sessions you missed—all on your schedule for a limited time after the event.
Defender Dinner
Honoring
Senator Ron Johnson
Children's Health Defense (CHD) is proud to present the Defender Award to Senator Ron Johnson in recognition of his longstanding commitment to government oversight, transparency, and public accountability.
The Defender Award was first presented to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at CHD's Second Conference in 2024. Senator Johnson exemplifies the same spirit of courage, conviction, and dedication to the principles of transparency and accountability that define this award.
As a member of the United States Senate, Senator Johnson has convened hearings, raised questions regarding federal public health responses, and supported efforts to examine the role of regulatory agencies and scientific institutions. His willingness to engage in oversight and encourage public dialogue reflects the principles that the Defender Award was created to recognize.
Hear From Our Speakers
Stay tuned for more details via email as we confirm additional speakers.
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson
2026 Defender Award Recipient
Ron Johnson was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010 after running a successful manufacturing business in Oshkosh, Wisconsin for thirty years.
From 2015-2021, he was Chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and remains a member of it.
Ron came to Washington because the federal government is bankrupting America. He thinks it is important for citizen legislators to ally with those who are seriously facing that reality. Ron’s manufacturing background has taught him to attack the root cause of a problem, not mere symptoms. He believes huge deficits, slow economic activity, high unemployment and woefully inadequate job creation are severe symptoms of the problem – but not the root cause. The ever expanding size, scope and cost of government is.
He currently serves as Chair of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and is also a member of the Budget, Finance and Aging committees.
Ron was re-elected to his third term in the U.S. Senate in 2022, and resides in Oshkosh with his wife Jane. They have three children and four grandchildren.
U.S. Senator Rand Paul
U.S. Senator Rand Paul, M.D., is recognized as one of the nation’s leading advocates for liberty. As a fierce advocate against government overreach, Dr. Paul has fought tirelessly to return government to its limited, constitutional scope.
As a hard-working and dedicated physician, Dr. Paul came to Washington to make a difference, and he has remained true to his principles.
During his time in the Senate, Dr. Paul has never voted for an unbalanced budget, has returned $8.3 million to the Treasury from his Senate budget, and is known for his annual detailed analysis of government waste. Dr. Paul serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, where he conducts oversight and works to keep government accountable to the people.
Dr. Paul is a devoted husband, father of three, and grandfather, and has been married for 34 years to Kelley Ashby Paul. Rand and Kelley are both devout Christians and are active in their local church. Dr. Paul attended Baylor University, graduated from Duke Medical School and completed a general surgery internship at Georgia Baptist Medical Center.
After completing his residency in ophthalmology at Duke University Medical Center, Dr. Paul and Kelley moved to Bowling Green to start their family and begin his ophthalmology practice, where he was a successful eye surgeon for seventeen years before running for the U.S. Senate.
Dr. Paul founded the Southern Kentucky Lions Eye Clinic, an organization that provides eye exams and surgery to needy families and individuals.
As a Senator, Dr. Paul has given of his time and skill by performing pro-bono eye surgeries for patients across Kentucky as well as around the world. He has performed eye surgery as part of medical mission trips to Guatemala and Haiti, where he restored the vision of hundreds of people who were blind with cataracts.
Dr. Paul is the author of six books, the most recent being Deception, The Great Covid Coverup and The Case Against Socialism.
Dr. Paul’s entrance into politics is indicative of his life’s work as a surgeon: a desire to diagnose problems and provide practical solutions, whether it be in Bowling Green, Ky., or Washington, D.C.
U.S. Congressman Paul Gosar
Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S., is serving his seventh term in Congress as the Representative from Arizona’s Ninth Congressional District.
First elected in 2010 as a practicing dentist, Paul came to Congress with no prior political experience. Congressman Gosar believes that the Constitution is the cornerstone of our Republic, and always pursues policies that allow for more individual liberty and less government involvement.
Dr. Gosar is focused on fighting illegal immigration, securing the border, holding Washington bureaucrats accountable, cutting wasteful government spending, fighting woke ideology and the weaponization of the federal government and ensuring that he is representing the interests of his constituents.
Congressman Gosar serves on the House Committee on Natural Resources where he is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and sits on the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources. Congressman Gosar also serves on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, sitting on the Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services and the Subcommittee on National Security, the Border and Foreign Affairs. Previously, Dr. Gosar was elected to serve as Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus for both the 115th and 116th Congresses.
Dr. Gosar has managed to be extremely effective in a time of gridlock when few other bills were enacted. As a result of his legislative successes, Dr. Gosar has been recognized by GovTrack as one of the most effective members of Congress. Before being elected to Congress in 2010, Dr. Gosar owned his dental practice and was a small businessman in Flagstaff for 25 years.
Whether Dr. Gosar is in Washington fighting for his constituents, or back home working to find solutions to the problems facing the people of Arizona’s Ninth Congressional District, he remains committed to ushering in a new era of government that empowers individuals and reforms bureaucratic procedures that are stifling job creation and personal liberties.
Tony Lyons
President, MAHA
Tony Lyons is an American publisher, editor, and author best known as the president and publisher of Skyhorse Publishing, an independent publishing house based in New York City.
Since joining Skyhorse in its early years, Lyons has played a central role in its rapid growth, helping to establish the company as a prolific and diverse publisher of nonfiction and fiction titles across a wide range of subjects. Under his leadership, Skyhorse has published thousands of books spanning topics such as history, politics, health, current affairs, and outdoor life, earning a reputation for taking on works that larger publishing houses may overlook.
Lyons has also distinguished himself as an advocate for free speech and open discourse in publishing. He has overseen the release of numerous controversial and thought-provoking titles, emphasizing the importance of allowing a broad spectrum of viewpoints to reach the public. In addition to his publishing work, Lyons is a co-author of books addressing issues related to media, censorship, and public debate, reflecting his ongoing interest in the intersection of information, power, and society.
Throughout his career, Tony Lyons has remained committed to the idea that publishing plays a vital role in democratic dialogue. By championing independent voices and fostering a platform for diverse perspectives, he has contributed to shaping conversations on complex and often contentious issues. His work continues to influence the landscape of independent publishing in the United States, positioning him as a notable figure in the industry.
More recently Lyons has been a central organizer within the Make America Healthy Again movement, playing a key role in coordinating its political, media, and advocacy efforts in alignment with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He is affiliated with several organizations tied to the movement, including a political action committee and multiple nonprofit groups.
Jan Jekielek
Jan Jekielek is a NYT bestselling author and award-winning journalist and filmmaker with over 20 years at The Epoch Times
At The Epoch Times, he serves as senior editor and host of the show American Thought Leaders. His career has spanned academia, human rights work, and most recently, journalism. Jan specializes in long-form content that tackles the grand narratives of our time. He has interviewed nearly 1,000 thought leaders on camera and is the author of the newly released Killed to Order: China’s Organ Harvesting Industry and the True Nature of America’s Biggest Adversary. As a filmmaker, he has produced DeSantis: Florida vs. Lockdowns, The Unseen Crisis, The Newlyweds, and the ‘optimistic’ Holocaust documentary Finding Manny.
Lara Logan
Lara Logan is an award-winning journalist known for her fearless investigative reporting and extensive fieldwork in conflict zones around the world.
As a former correspondent for CBS News, Logan earned widespread recognition for her coverage of Iraq, Afghanistan, and other significant global events. She has received numerous accolades, including multiple Emmy Awards, for her contributions to journalism. Currently, Logan is the host of Lara Logan Has No Agenda, a show on Fox Nation where she explores political, social, and economic issues, often challenging mainstream narratives with in-depth investigative reports. Through her show, Logan brings her audience closer to understanding critical global issues, unafraid to confront complex and often controversial topics. Her unwavering commitment to reporting stories that others shy away from has made her one of the most respected journalists of her generation.
Sayer Ji
Sayer Ji Founder, GreenMedInfo | Senior Advisor, MAHA Action
Sayer Ji is the founder of GreenMedInfo.com, the world's largest open-access natural health research database, and author of the forthcoming Empire of Shadows: The Federal Records, Jeffrey Epstein, and the Architecture of Power, the Skyhorse/Children's Health Defense investigative collaboration.
Since 2008, GreenMedInfo has provided free public access to the biomedical evidence base for natural medicine, serving millions of researchers, clinicians, and families worldwide. Ji is also the author of the international bestselling book Regenerate: Unlocking Your Body's Radical Resilience Through the New Biology, now in 7 languages, and co-founder of Stand for Health Freedom, one of the nation's largest health freedom advocacy platforms.
Named in the 2021 "Disinformation Dozen" report that became the blueprint for one of the most sweeping coordinated deplatforming campaigns of the modern internet era, Ji transformed his own censorship into a constitutional test case: he is a named plaintiff in Finn et al. v. Global Engagement Center, federal litigation challenging government-coordinated suppression of protected speech.
His long-running investigative series on the Epstein files traces the financial architecture connecting private wealth, philanthropy, and pandemic-era public health policy, and has informed congressional oversight outreach. That work culminates in Empire of Shadows: The Federal Records, Jeffrey Epstein, and the Architecture of Power, forthcoming from Skyhorse in collaboration with Children's Health Defense.
He serves as Senior Advisor to MAHA Action, supporting policy work on pesticide reform and food-system accountability, and is Chairman and Co-Founder of the Global Wellness Forum.
Brian Hooker
Chief Scientific Officer, CHD
Brian S. Hooker, Ph.D., is the Senior Director of Science and Research at Children’s Health Defense. He is also a Professor Emeritus of Biology at Simpson University in Redding, California, where he specialized in microbiology and biotechnology.
Dr. Hooker coauthored, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the New York Times best-selling book “Vax-Unvax: Let the Science Speak”. In 1985, Dr. Hooker earned his Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California.
He earned his Master of Science degree in 1988 and his doctorate in 1990, both in biochemical engineering, from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Brian Hooker has many accomplishments to his credit, including co-inventor for five patents, recipient of the Battelle Entrepreneurial Award in 2001, and a Federal Laboratory Consortium Recognition Award in 1999 for his work on “Reactive Transport in 3-Dimensions.” The breadth of Hooker’s over 75 science and engineering papers have been published in internationally recognized, peer-reviewed journals.
Dr. Hooker has been active in vaccine safety since 2001 and has a 27-year-old son with autism. In 2013 and 2014, Dr. Hooker worked with the CDC whistleblower, Dr. William Thompson, to expose fraud and corruption within vaccine safety research in the CDC, which led to the release of over 10,000 pages of documents.
Polly Tommey
Director of CHD.TV, CHD
At the helm of CHDTV’s programming, Polly vigorously advocates against censorship and corruption, striving to empower people with a platform to voice their experiences.
Polly is a devoted mother of three remarkable children, including Billy, who is vaccine injured. Recognized for her role as a producer in impactful documentaries like “Who Killed Alex Spourdalakis” and “VAXXED,” her executive influence also shines through in “VAXXED II and Vaxxed III: Authorized to Kill.”
Before coming to CHD, Polly was Director and Founder of The Autism Trust USA and UK and the visionary founder of Autism File magazine. Polly believes it is imperative to address the question: What will happen to the vaccine injured as adults when their parents are no longer around?
Polly’s speaking topics include: giving the vaccine injured and their families a voice, CHD’s media publishing and citizen journalism.
Mary Holland, Esq.
Chief Executive Officer, CHD
“Once I learned about the extreme liability protection that industry and healthcare providers enjoy and the suppression of accurate science and information about vaccine risk and injury, I understood the need for immediate, radical systemic change. I’ve been devoted to that change ever since.”
Mary has been involved in the vaccine choice and health freedom movement for more than two decades.
Before joining CHD’s staff in fall 2019, Mary directed the Graduate Lawyering Program at the NYU School of Law for 15 years and lectured at the Columbia Law School on international human rights advocacy. She frequently testified in state legislatures around the country to retain or expand religious, medical and philosophical exemptions to vaccine mandates.
Mary has co-authored two books on vaccines, “Vaccine Epidemic” and “The HPV Vaccine on Trial: Seeking Justice for a Generation Betrayed.” She has written or co-written numerous articles about vaccine law and policy, particularly the seminal Unanswered Questions from the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: A Review of Compensated Cases of Vaccine-Induced Brain Injury. She also coedited and wrote the foreword for the English edition of “Turtles All The Way Down: Vaccine Science and Myth.”
Agenda
Program Highlights
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
4:00pm - 8:00pm – Attendee Check-In
5:00pm - 7:00pm - Welcome Reception
Thursday, September 17, 2026
7:00am - Attendee Check-In & Networking Breakfast
8:45am - Welcome & Opening Remarks
9:00am - Morning Sessions
11:00am - Networking & Coffee
11:45am - Lunch & Afternoon Sessions
2:00pm - Break
3:15pm - Sessions
4:00pm - Closing Remarks & Adjournment
6:00pm - Defender Dinner*, honoring Senator Ron Johnson
*Separate ticket required
VENUE
The Grand Hyatt Washington
1000 H St NW, Washington, DC 20001
We’re excited to offer our conference attendees a discounted room rate of $329 per night at the Grand Hyatt, our official host hotel for the conference. These discounted rooms are available exclusively to conference ticket holders—but please note that there are extremely limited rooms left at this rate and rooms must be reserved by August 25th for the discounted rate. Enjoy the convenience and comfort of staying just steps away from all the action.
FAQs
The conference will be Thursday, September 17,2026. Registration and an evening kick-off reception are planned for Wednesday.
The conference will be held in Washington, DC. The venue is the Grand Hyatt hotel located at 1000 H St NW, Washington, DC 20001.
Yes, we have a limited number of discounted rooms ($329) set aside for our event at the Grand Hyatt. Please note: this special rate is only valid for stays during the conference dates of September 16 - 20th.
$250 for an individual ticket. Includes admission to the entire day of conference programming.
Yes, Livestream broadcast tickets are available for $100.
Register online at https://chd.eventsair.com/childrens-health-defense-2026/reg
Please see our Policies page.
Washington, DC offers an incredible mix of history, culture, and world-class attractions. From exploring the National Mall and its iconic monuments to visiting the Smithsonian museums, enjoying vibrant neighborhoods, and discovering outstanding dining, there's something for everyone. For more ideas on attractions, restaurants, events, and local experiences, visit the official Washington, DC tourism website, Destination DC, and browse their visitor guides to help you make the most of your stay.
The Washington, DC area is served by three major airports: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI). Of the three, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is the closest to the Grand Hyatt Washington, located just a short drive or Metro ride from the hotel.
Yes, valet and self-parking are available at the hotel for a daily fee. Visit the Grand Hyatt Washington website for the most up-to-date parking rates.
No. Conference registrations are non-transferable and may only be used by the individual whose name appears on the registration.
Due to the professional nature of the content, the conference is intended for adult attendees only.
Business casual attire is recommended. Meeting rooms can be cool, so consider bringing a light sweater or jacket.
Please email conference@childrenshealthdefense.org with any additional questions.