2025 IHA Leadership Summit: September 25-26

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2025

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
REGISTRATION AND BREAKFAST

9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
OPENING GENERAL SESSION

9:00 – 9:10 a.m.
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Shawn P. Vincent, Chair, IHA Board of Trustees and President and CEO, Loyola Medicine, Maywood

9:10 – 10:10 a.m.
Rising Above the Uncertainties: New Thinking for Illinois Healthcare
Moderator: Shawn P Vincent, Chair, IHA Board of Trustees and President and CEO, Loyola Medicine, Maywood
Panelists: Michelle Conger, President, OSF Healthcare System, Peoria; Polly Davenport, DSc, MBA, RN, FACHE, Senior Vice President and Ministry Market Executive, Ascension Illinois, Chicago; Dia Nichols, FACHE, President, Advocate Health Care, Oak Brook; and Kim Uphoff, President and CEO, Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System, Mattoon

Rapid policy shifts, ongoing financial pressures and new technologies that could radically transform healthcare delivery (think AI) are forcing leaders to think and act differently. How can you remain confident, bold and optimistic when our field is being challenged, arguably like never before? The Summit’s opening session will feature a no-holds-barred conversation about the future of Illinois healthcare with hospital and health system leaders from across the state. They’ll discuss the strategies and mindset needed to remain united as a hospital community and rise above the uncertainties. You’ll also hear about the ripple effects of extreme change on care delivery, workforce planning, patient outcomes, investments in communities, and long-term strategic decision-making. This session will set the stage for our focus on unity amid uncertainty and the motivation to keep moving forward.

10:10 – 10:30 a.m.
President's Address and Presentation of the Ruth Colby Leadership Award
A.J. Wilhelmi, IHA President and CEO

10:30 – 11:00 a.m.
NETWORKING BREAK

11:00 – 12:00 p.m.
THE HUMAN MARGIN: BUILDING FOUNDATIONS OF TRUST
Katherine Meese, PhD, Assistant Professor of Health Services Administration, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Discussions of clinician burnout have dominated healthcare in recent years. Yet, fostering a thriving hospital workforce remains one of the steepest mountains for leaders to climb. Truly understanding what’s driving burnout and disengagement is key to building a healthy and engaged workforce—from clinicians to professional staff. This highly interactive session will break down decades of research into evidence-based strategies to sustain the healthcare workforce you rely on to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care. You’ll learn about the real drivers of turnover and retention, the connection between trust and retention, new rules of transparency and communication, how to counter boredom and burnout, and why autonomy matters to both clinical effectiveness and organizational resilience.

12:00 – 1:15 p.m.
LUNCHEON

1:30 – 2:15 p.m.
MEMBER INNOVATION SHOWCASE

Hear about best practices and solutions to common management challenges, from IHA-member hospitals and health systems.

2:30 – 3:15 p.m.
CORPORATE SPONSOR BREAKOUT SESSIONS

AI Lessons from Across the Industry
John League, Managing Director, Digital and Ambulatory Strategy Research, Advisory Board; and Carol Chouinard, Vice President, Provider Technology Strategy Lead, Optum Advisory

Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly emerged as a critical tool for operational efficiency, cost containment and quality improvement. Health plans, providers, life sciences companies, and solutions providers are exploring and implementing AI in diverse ways, producing a wealth of innovative use cases. This session will discuss the transformative power of AI and how different healthcare organizations are leveraging AI to enhance operations and improve patient outcomes. 

Workforce Wellness: Effective Approaches to Foster Well-Being and Retention in Healthcare
Patti Artley, Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Clinical Officer, Medical Solutions

As healthcare faces unprecedented challenges, workforce wellness has become more essential than ever. This session will explore innovative strategies to promote well-being and reduce burnout across healthcare teams and address how fostering a supportive work environment and utilizing staff to the top of their license can enhance retention and elevate job satisfaction. You’ll learn about approaches that prioritize mental wellness and empower healthcare professionals to thrive, helping organizations build resilient teams and improve patient care.

Pivot, Partner, Perform: A Playbook for Hospital Leaders in Volatile Times 
Patrick Burke, Principal; Teresa Garate, PhD, Managing Director; Rob Ross, Managing Director, Delivery Systems; and Jay Shannon, MD, Principal, Health Management Associates

Across Illinois, hospitals are navigating uncertain times while working to ensure they meet the needs of patients and communities. In this session, HMA experts will highlight how hospitals and health systems can move beyond traditional responses and rethink partnerships to support operations and community linkages. For health system leaders, this session offers fresh perspectives and insights locally and nationally on how to effectively navigate, pivot and thrive by implementing sound financing strategies and contingency planning, and by building strategic partnerships with community-based and behavioral health organizations.

3:15 – 3:45 pm
NETWORKING BREAK

3:45 – 5:00 p.m.
PRESENTATION OF IHA ADVOCACY AWARDS

WHERE TO TURN WHEN THE POLITICAL CLIMATE HEATS UP
Amy Walter, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and On-Air Political Analyst

America’s political shifts are being felt around the world. Here at home, healthcare is often a hot topic—and an area experiencing sharp turns from previous presidential administrations. This session will bring an insider’s perspective on the impact of political forces at play on your organization’s financial viability and decision-making in the year ahead.

5:00 – 6:30 p.m.
CORPORATE SPONSOR RECEPTION

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2025

7:30 – 8:30 a.m.
CORPORATE SPONSOR BREAKFAST

8:30 – 9:30 a.m.
AI LEADERSHIP ROUNDTABLE: WHAT’S WORKING AND WHAT’S NOT WORKING (YET) 
Moderator: Alexis Kayser, Healthcare Editor, Newsweek magazine
Panelists: Abel N. Kho, MD, MS, FACMI, Professor of Medicine and Preventive Medicine and Founding Director, Institute for AI in Medicine (I.AIM), Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago; Jonathan Handler, MD, Senior Fellow for Innovation, OSF HealthCare, Peoria; and Sachin D. Shah, MD, FACP, FAAP, Chief Medical Information Officer and Associate Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, UChicago Medicine and Biological Sciences, Chicago (additional panelists to be announced)

It’s on the mind of every hospital CEO, CFO and COO: artificial intelligence (AI). This accelerating technology holds the promise of breaking down financial, operational and logistical barriers to quality care. What’s more, it could be a driver of innovation and growth. This session’s panel of AI leaders will examine the opportunities of AI while considering AI’s current shortcomings around managing the complexities of data-driven care. Panelists will offer a realistic view on how to approach what could be a defining part of healthcare’s future.

9:30 – 9:45 a.m.
NETWORKING BREAK 

9:45 – 11:00 a.m.
THRIVING AMID UNCERTAINTY: STRATEGIC PATHWAYS FOR HEALTHCARE IN THE YEARS AHEAD
Craig Deao, Managing Director, Huron

Hospitals and health systems—whether large academic medical centers or small and rural hospitals—are navigating an era of extraordinary change. While many work to stabilize operations after years of financial strain, traditional cost and performance improvement efforts are proving insufficient amid today’s uncertainty. This session will explore practical strategies for thriving, not just surviving, into the next decade. Real-world examples and peer insights will identify how to meet the demands of a rapidly shifting landscape. With new ideas for your strategic playbook, you’ll walk away better equipped to align short-term realities with long-term aspirations—and to create opportunities to adapt and grow.

11:00 am – 12:00 p.m.
OVERCOME AND THRIVE: HOW TO OVERCOME OBSTACLES AND WIN THIS FIGHT CALLED LIFE
Justin Wren, Humanitarian, Author, MMA Fighter, Mental Health Advocate, Podcast Host 

In the electrifying arena of life, we all step into the ring, donning the gloves of struggle, pain, and adversity. In the face of every challenge, we have a choice to make—a choice to rise, to fight and to overcome. As an MMA fighter, Wren has danced in the octagon, where every second counts and every blow matters. But his toughest fight, his most grueling bout, was not inside those steel cage walls. It was the battle within his own mind, the war against self-doubt, fear and the weight of past failures. In this inspirational closing session, Wren will guide you in fighting for your dreams, your purpose and the meaningful impact only you can create. You’ll learn strategies to build resilience, improve emotional well-being, and maintain focus and purpose—essential skills to navigate stress, burnout and high-stakes environments. It’s time to transform pain into fuel, setbacks into comebacks, and doubts into unwavering belief.

12:00 p.m.
CLOSING COMMENTS