Join us for a dynamic and thought-provoking event focused on the rapidly evolving healthcare workforce landscape. Hear from leading experts and voices from across the Commonwealth as they share key insights into current trends, critical gaps, and emerging opportunities impacting hospital-based roles. Explore how organizations are prioritizing leadership development to build resilient, high-performing teams. Hear from experts on how to tackle the pressing hiring challenges facing HR leaders today, from talent shortages to changing workforce expectations, while offering practical strategies and shared experiences from the field.

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and be part of the conversation shaping the future of healthcare in today’s dynamic environment.

AGENDA

8:30 – 9:30 a.m.: Networking Breakfast

9:30 – 9:45 a.m.: Opening Remarks

• Mike Dandorph, President & CEO, Tufts Medicine

9:45 – 10:15 a.m.: Workforce, Policy, and the Future: A Fireside Chat with Secretary of Labor & Workforce Development

• Lauren Jones, Secretary, Executive Office of Labor & Workforce Development
• Steve Walsh, President & CEO, Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association

10:15 – 10:45 a.m.: The Allied Health Pipeline: Gaps and Opportunities

• Benjamin Forman, Director, MassINC Policy Center

10:45 – 11 a.m.: BREAK

11 – 11:45 a.m.: Aligning Education and Practice to Strengthen the Workforce Pipeline

• Chris Scott, Dean, School of Health, Springfield Technical Community College
• Jason Pacheco, Director Compensation & HR Analytics, Baystate Health
• Kristin Driscoll, Executive Director of Workforce Development, Mass General Brigham
• William Heineman, President, North Shore Community College and President, Community College Association
• Moderator: Marjorie Ringrose, Director of Education, Smith Family Foundation

11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: The Healthcare Workforce Pipeline – Shared Challenges and Strategic Solutions

• Dennis Collins, Apprenticeship Lead, Division of Apprentice Standards
• Jay Prosser, RN, Executive Director, Nursing Council on Workforce Sustainability
• Julia Matthews, RN, Deputy Executive Director, Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing
• Robert LePage, Assistant Secretary for Career Education, Executive Office of Education
• Moderator: Joanne Marqusee, Assistant Secretary, Executive Office of Health and Human Services

12:30 – 1:15 p.m.: LUNCH

• Optional breakout session with Health Carousel

1:15 – 2 p.m.: Breakout Learning Sessions

• TRACK A: Leading from the Frontline: A Strategy to Strengthen Workforce and Culture, Puneet Freibott, Chief Nursing Officer, Beth Israel Lahey Health As healthcare organizations work to improve engagement, retention, and culture, Beth Israel Lahey Health has found that investing in frontline leaders—those closest to care teams—can drive meaningful results. This session will explore how strengthening frontline leadership has helped reduce nursing turnover to historic lows, now below 10%, while enhancing staff experience and organizational culture. Attendees will gain practical strategies and lessons learned for developing frontline leaders as a critical workforce investment.
• TRACK B: Building Tomorrow’s Healthcare Workforce: Engaging Students Through Career Exploration and Community Partnerships, Geoff Vercauteren, System Director of Workforce Development, Tufts Medicine Building tomorrow’s healthcare workforce starts long before graduation. This session will explore how healthcare organizations are partnering with high school students to introduce them to rewarding healthcare careers outside of physicians and nurses early in their educational journey. Learn how innovative career exploration programs, hands-on experiences, and community partnerships are helping to inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals, strengthen talent pipelines, and create sustainable workforce solutions for the future.
• TRACK C: Leading Through Instability: HR Strategies for an Adaptive Workforce led by Lauren DeSimon, Chief Human Resources Officer, Southcoast Health and Joy Curtis, Chief People Officer, Cambridge Health Alliance In a healthcare environment defined by constant change, workforce leaders must balance immediate operational demands with long-term organizational resilience. This session will explore practical HR strategies for leading through uncertainty, including workforce planning, talent retention, employee engagement, and change management. Attendees will gain insights into how successful organizations are building adaptable teams, strengthening leadership capabilities, and creating cultures that can respond effectively to evolving workforce challenges. Participants will leave with actionable approaches to support workforce stability, enhance organizational agility, and position their organizations for future success.

2 – 2:15 p.m.: BREAK

2:15 – 3:15 p.m.: From Learning to Leadership – Nurse-Led Solutions in Action – The Healthy Work Environment Academy

• Chrissy Jewell, RN, Nurse Specialist, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
• Cindy Phelan, RN, Associate Chief Nurse, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
• Jenna Kremer, RN, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
• Marianna Parga, RN, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
• Celina Rios, RN, Staff Nurse, Medical – Telemetry, Holyoke Health
• Joel B. Rivas, RN, Nursing Director, Medical-Telemetry, Inpatient Wound Care and Patient Safety, Holyoke Health
• Moderator: Terry Hudson-Jinks, RN, Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Vice President, Patient Care Services, Tufts Medical Center

3:15 – 3:55 p.m.: Operationalizing AI in Healthcare HR – Recruitment, Retention, and Compliance

• Annette Tyman, Partner, Seyfarth Shaw

3:55 p.m.: Closing Remarks

• Valerie Fleishman, Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer, Masschusetts Health & Hospital Association

4 – 5:30 p.m.: Post-event & networking reception at Row 34 sponsored by Health Carousel