On a mission to operationalize humanism in healthcare, Dr. Cooley is an academic professional with deep practical expertise and a doctorate in health communication. She serves as Editor-in-Chief for The Journal of Patient Experience and is co-editor for the book Communication Rx: Transforming Healthcare through Communication and Relationships. For more than a decade, Dr. Cooley led education and development for an academic non-profit, The Academy of Communication in Healthcare (ACH). By fostering connections with executive leaders of hospitals, academic medical centers, and clinic groups, she drove exponential growth of patient experience and communication skills training in the US and abroad.

Susan Edgman-Levitan, PA, is Executive Director of the John D. Stoeckle Center for Primary Care Innovation at Massachusetts General Hospital, a lecturer in the Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and an Associate in Health Policy, Harvard Medical School and an instructor at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health. Prior to MGH, Susan was the founding President of the Picker Institute. A constant advocate of understanding the patient’s perspective on healthcare, she has been a principal investigator on the Yale/Harvard Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) study and is a member of the Lucian Leape Institute and a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). She is an editor of Through the Patient’s Eyes, a book on creating and sustaining patient-centered care, and The CAHPS Improvement Guide.

Brian currently serve as Vice President of Patient Experience for Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Brian joined Vanderbilt in 2007 as Administrator of the Vanderbilt Eye Institute. Prior to Vanderbilt he served as CEO/COO of a multi-specialty physician group practice in Western New York and started his professional career at Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation in Chicago. In his current role, he is strategically and operationally responsible for institutional performance on service programming and metrics. Operationally he has direct oversight to Guest Services, Patient Relations, Service Consulting and Center for EMS Excellence. Strategically he advises on institutional patient experience goals and improvement, employee engagement, culture, and patient engagement programs, including on-line patient portal My Health at Vanderbilt.

As a Healthcare Executive she relentlessly pursues better health, experience, and business outcomes. She facilitates transformational results by partnering with organizations to implement an outcomes-based experience model to achieve differentiated value. As an expert advisor she partners with executive leaders and organizations to create clarity around strategic imperatives and intentional process design to achieve transformational outcomes. She most recently led as the Chief Experience Officer of JenCare, where she leveraged her experiences as a Partner & Senior Vice President at Press Ganey to create meaningful results across safety, quality, workforce engagement and patient experience. Prior to Press Ganey, Rachel served at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, leading the strategy and implementation of an enterprise-wide initiative to improve patient and family experience.

Tony is the Vice President, Clinical and Operational Improvement at Cleveland Clinic. He leads Enterprise efforts across safety, quality, patient experience and continuous improvement and has been a Cleveland Clinic caregiver for more than 30 years working in the regional hospitals, main campus, and in Enterprise roles. He received his Health Care Masters in Public Administration and Graduate Certification in Bioethics from Cleveland State University. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves on the Boards of the National Association of Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) and the Northern Ohio Chapter of American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). He has research and policy interests in improvement science, patient safety and eliminating healthcare disparities.

Barbara Lewis, MBA, PhD(c), launched a three-decade career first as a journalist writing for numerous national publications, such as The Wall Street Journal and, more recently, the Journal of Patient Experience, Modern Healthcare, and BMJ. She worked as an on-camera consumer, health, and safety reporter for an ABC television affiliate. After receiving her MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management, Barbara set the stage for act two of her career, founding a marketing consulting firm to help businesses grow. Act three of Barbara’s career began when she wrote Joan’s Family Bill of Rights about her sister’s last days in the ICU. After talking to hospital groups about her experience, she was inundated by healthcare personnel, who told her their tragic stories. As a result, she decided to devote her life to improving the patient experience.

Dr. Alisahah J. Jackson is the President of the Lloyd H. Dean Institute for Humankindness and Health Justice at CommonSpirit Health. A physician, leader, and advocate for health equity, she has held various leadership roles, including Medical Director of rural health clinics and Chair of the Department of Family Medicine. As the inaugural Chief Community Impact Officer at Atrium Health, she pioneered health equity strategies. At CommonSpirit, she leads initiatives exploring kindness, compassion, and trust in healthcare. Dr. Jackson is dedicated to ensuring equitable health access for all.

Aideen Snell is the Director of Patient Experience at Cambridge Health Alliance, leading efforts to enhance patient-centered service design, safety culture, and staff empowerment. With a Master’s in Social Work and expertise in patient experience and change management, she integrates data-driven strategies with human-centered care. Aideen is passionate about fostering trust, teamwork, and communication skills, driving measurable improvements in patient outcomes. Her leadership is rooted in emotional intelligence, ensuring that patients, families, and providers are meaningfully connected.

Alpa Vyas is the Vice President and Chief Patient Experience & Operational Performance Officer at Stanford Health Care. She oversees patient-centered programs, analytics, and service design to enhance coordinated care. Previously, she led performance excellence at Stanford and was a healthcare strategy consultant with Deloitte. Her expertise spans mergers, financial turnarounds, and large-scale electronic medical record implementations. Alpa holds a Bachelor’s in Public Health from the University of South Carolina and a Master’s in Healthcare Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina.

Dr. Peggy Greco is the Chief Patient Experience Officer at Nemours Children’s Health, leading enterprise-wide strategies in patient experience, health equity, and provider engagement. With over 30 years at Nemours, she has held multiple leadership roles in clinical care and research. Dr. Greco develops and implements training programs, oversees health equity initiatives, and advances patient-centered care. A researcher and speaker, she is a thought leader in pediatric healthcare experience and provider well-being.

Dr. Judith Wolfe is the Chief Medical Officer at University Hospitals St. John Medical Center and an Associate Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine. An internationally recognized expert in patient experience, healthcare communication, and AI in medicine, she has over two decades of leadership experience. Previously, she served as Associate Chief Experience Officer at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Wolfe focuses on integrating technology and innovation to enhance patient care and operational efficiency.

Stephanie Mercado is the CEO of the National Association for Healthcare Quality® (NAHQ), championing the healthcare quality profession. With over 20 years of experience, she has driven initiatives to standardize workforce competencies and elevate the visibility of healthcare quality. Under her leadership, NAHQ’s membership and certification programs have expanded significantly. A recognized industry leader, she collaborates on national patient safety and workforce development initiatives and has been honored among Modern Healthcare’s ‘Top 25 Women Leaders.’

Taruna Banerjee is the Associate Chief Quality and Patient Safety Officer at Cambridge Health Alliance, overseeing system-wide safety culture, patient engagement, and performance excellence. With expertise in high reliability, quality measurement, and regulatory compliance, she has led transformative healthcare initiatives. She previously served as Director of Quality and Safety at Boston Children’s Hospital and worked at Mass General Brigham. Taruna holds an MPH from Columbia University and is a certified healthcare quality and safety professional.

Tina Bennett is the Chief Experience Officer at Yale New Haven Health, leading system-wide patient experience strategies. With over 20 years in healthcare leadership, she has driven organizational transformation, innovation, and patient-centered care improvements. She previously held leadership roles in patient transport and community outreach. Tina is passionate about mentorship and education, teaching healthcare studies to undergraduate students. She holds an MPA in Healthcare Management from the University of New Haven.