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Keynote Speaker:
GREG SATELL
Co-Founder of ChangeOS, international keynote speaker, and bestselling author of Cascades: How to Create a Movement that Drives Transformational Change.
Greg is a Wharton lecturer and a longtime transformation and change expert. He has published 50+ articles in Harvard Business Review and has written for outlets including Barron’s, Forbes, and Fast Company.
Welcome to MPSC 2026
The Mid-Atlantic Patient Safety Conference 2026 is where patient safety is led, advanced, and transformed. Together, we are restoring the purpose of patient safety and charting a bold path for the future. Join us in forging the partnerships that will refocus and propel the field forward. This year’s theme, Partnering for Patient Safety Excellence, reflects a simple truth: patient safety will only improve when the people responsible for delivering, supporting, and shaping care work together with clarity and purpose.
At the conference, hospital and system leaders, clinicians, patient and family partners, and industry contributors roll up their sleeves to examine what’s working, confront what isn’t, and build practical approaches they can put into action immediately. Participants will leave with concrete next steps, new partnerships, and a renewed sense of direction for the work ahead.
Building on 2025’s Success
In 2025, the conference centered on the theme A New Era in Patient Safety and drew more than 600 participants, including over 500 in-person attendees. The conference introduced a fresh and dynamic format featuring interactive networking opportunities and sessions tailored to the latest trends in patient safety.
Participants explored a total systems approach to advancing safety and joined the coordinated national effort to embed strategies that prevent harm and shape the future of healthcare.
What to Expect in 2026
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Partnership Focus: Stronger collaboration across healthcare, industry, patients, and families.
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Expanded Recognition: Honoring outstanding partnerships through the Minogue Awards and additional distinctions.
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More Networking: Increased time for conversation, connection, and shared problem-solving.
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Strategic Preconference: A patient safety Impact Summit where a select cross-section of leaders and partners works through core safety challenges, with insights carried directly into the opening Keynote Panel.
Registration Information
Bring Your Patient Safety Partners!
We encourage hospitals to register as interdisciplinary teams—including Patient and Family Advisory Council members—to deepen learning and strengthen partnerships across roles.
To continue delivering a high-quality, region-wide patient safety conference, a small price increase is necessary this year. Historically, the State of Maryland’s funding for its designated patient safety center helped subsidize conference costs; however, in the current budget environment, the state is providing only minimal support. We remain committed to advocating for restored funding that will allow us to offset costs for participants in the future. In the meantime, we are pleased to offer our members a substantial registration discount as part of our ongoing commitment to accessibility and value.
General Conference: April 21st
Member Rate: $249
Non-member Rate: $549
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Actionable learning from keynote speakers and expert-led breakout sessions.
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Real-world innovation stories from award-winning safety leaders.
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Continuing education credits available
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Direct access to technologies, tools, and regional safety partners.
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High-value networking with clinical, industry, and patient/family leaders.
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A full conference experience with meals, exhibits, and posters.
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Post-conference resources to support action in your organization.
Group
Registration
Groups of 10+ may be invoiced as a group to register using the same published rates, subject to availability.
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Submit participant names by email to begin group registration.
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Receive one invoice for your organization’s full group.
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Get unique registration codes after the invoice is paid.
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Each participant registers individually using the provided code.
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Priority keynote seating reserved for your group.
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Team photo opportunity during the conference.
Patient Safety Awards Reception & Celebration,
Evening of
April 20th
Member Rate with conference registration: $79
Non-member Rate with conference registration: $179
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Celebration of patient safety in the region, including the Minogue, Distinguished Achievement, and Circle of Honor awardees
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A signature, high-impact networking event
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Reception-style fare in an elegant setting
Virtual
Pass
Member rate: $129
Non-member rate: $229
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Live access to keynotes and selected breakout sessions. Note: Not all breakout sessions will be streamed live.
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Live Q&A participation supported by a virtual facilitator.
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Access to the conference app for updates and engagement.
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Continuing education credits available
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Digital Poster Program Book with all Patient Safety Posters, Minogue, Circle of Honor, and MPSC Fellows Projects.
Please note:
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Virtual registration is for a single individual only.
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Screen sharing, rebroadcasting, or group viewing is not permitted.
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CE credit is available only to the registered, paid participant.
Cancellations made up to two weeks prior to the conference will be refunded minus a $30 administrative fee to cover processing and cancellation costs. No cancellations or refunds will be issued within two weeks of the conference, regardless of reason. Please note that registrations are non-transferable and assigned to the original individual registered. For accuracy, we’re not able to substitute one attendee for another. Each participant will need to register under their own name. Additionally, registration type cannot be changed; we are unable to accommodate switches between in-person and virtual participation once registration is completed.
Agenda
Partnering for Patient Safety Excellence
April 20 - Day 1: Pre-conference
10:00a – 5:00p
Patient Safety Impact Summit (by invitation)
This year we are introducing a curated Preconference Summit—a small, focused working session that brings together a cross-section of leaders and ecosystem partners to accelerate patient-safety solutions. The insights and recommendations generated in this session will be shared during the main conference, strengthening regional alignment and advancing strategies that benefit every hospital, health system, and participant across the Mid-Atlantic.
6:00p
Patient Safety Awards Reception & Celebration
We’re opening the doors to the Minogue Awards Reception! Conference participants are invited to join us for an evening celebrating patient safety in the region, including the people, partnerships, and innovations that are shaping the future of patient safety in the Mid-Atlantic.
April 21 - Day 2: Annual Conference
7:30a
Registration, Light Breakfast, Visit Exhibitors and Patient Safety Poster Presentations
8:30a
Welcome & Opening Remarks
8:50-10:30a
KEYNOTE
From Local Excellence to Collective Impact: Reframing the Patient Safety Challenge
PANELISTS
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Oren Guttman, MD, MBA - System Vice President for Patient Safety, Jefferson Health, Ed Asplundh Chief Patient Safety and Quality Officer, Jefferson Health Abington, Professor of Anesthesiology & Peri-Operative Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College
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Martin J. Hatlie, JD - Director for Policy & Advocacy, Patients for Patient Safety US
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Shannon Hoste, MSE, MSM - Founder and Principal Engineer, Hoste Consulting, LLC
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Raj Ratwani, PhD, MPH - Vice President, Scientific Affairs, MedStar Health, Director, MedStar Health Center for Human Factors in Healthcare
This opening keynote panel brings together leaders from across sectors to surface a shared reality in patient safety: many of today’s most persistent risks cannot be solved within the walls of a single organization.
Through a curated, facilitated conversation, panelists will explore where individual efforts are reaching their limits, why harm continues to emerge despite strong safety cultures, and how system-level forces such as design, technology, regulation, supply chains, and workforce pressures shape risk across settings. The discussion will illuminate common patterns that point to ecosystem-level challenges and examine what becomes possible when organizations work together across boundaries.
The session will conclude by inviting attendees into collective reflection and action, framing a shift from fixing problems locally to shaping the systems we all operate within, and setting the tone for collaboration throughout the conference.
10:30a
Exhibit Hall:
Coffee Break
10:45-11:45a
CONCURRENT BREAKOUTS: PARTNERSHIP IN ACTION
TRACK 1: Engaging Patients and Families
Designing and Implementing Peer Support Programs for Patients and Families after Harm
SPEAKERS
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Carole Hemmelgarn, MS, MS - Co-Founder Patients for Patient Safety, US, Senior Director Education, MedStar Health, Program Director, Executive Master’s in Clinical Quality, Safety, and Leadership, Georgetown University
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Steve Meth, JD, MS - Vice President, Chief Patient Experience Officer, Johns Hopkins Health System, Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality
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Ursula S. Nawab MD - Chief Patient Safety & Quality Officer, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
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TRACK 2: Applying Technology to Real-Word Safety Challenges
Integrating cutting-edge technology to improve Patient and Workforce Safety
SPEAKER
Marguerite Cunningham, DNP, NEA-BC, NI-BC - VP, Chief Nursing Informatics Officer, VP of Nursing, Medicine Service Line, Inova Center for Personalized Health
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TRACK 3: Advancing Regional Safety Through Award Insights
MPSC 2026 Distinguished Achievement in Patient Safety Innovation: Safety by Design—Embedding Team, Quality, and Access into Everyday Practice
SPEAKERS
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Amy Shlossman, MHA - President, Sinai Hospital and Grace Medical Center, Senior Vice President, LifeBridge Health
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Amanda Shrout, DNP, RN, CCNS, CEN, EBP-C, CENP - Vice President, Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer, Sinai Hospital and Grace Medical Center
12:00p
Exhibit Hall:
Exhibitors, Posters, and Networking Lunch
1:15-2:15p
CONCURRENT BREAKOUTS: PARTNERSHIP IN ACTION
TRACK 1: Engaging Patients and Families
Project PIVOT: Advancing Patient & Diagnostic Safety with Patient-Reported Measures Prioritized by Patients
SPEAKERS
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Martin J. Hatlie, JD - Director for Policy & Advocacy, Patients for Patient Safety US
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Sue Sheridan, MIM, MBA, DHL - President & CEO, Patients for Patient Safety US
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TRACK 2: Applying Technology to Real-World Safety Challenges
Defining the Next Steps for AI and Patient Safety
SPEAKERS
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Lucy Bocknek, MSOT, CAPS - Human Factors and Safety Scientist
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Raj Ratwani, PhD, MPH - Vice President, Scientific Affairs, MedStar Health, Director, MedStar Health Center for Human Factors in Healthcare
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TRACK 3: Advancing Regional Safety Through Award Insights
MPSC 2026 Minogue Award Winner: Hardwiring Medical Device Safety: A Systemwide Model for Collaboration, Recall Management, & Equity
SPEAKERS
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Nicole Fitzpatrick MPH, RN - Clinical Program Director, Recall Management
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Stacy Shilling MS, RN - Portfolio Manager, Johns Hopkins Health System Patient Safety
2:30p
Exhibit Hall:
Coffee Break
2:45-3:45p
AFTERNOON KEYNOTE
The Physics of Change: How Ideas Scale, Resistance Breaks, and Transformation Actually Happens
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Greg Satell
As you prepare to return to your teams and organizations, you may feel energized by what you’ve learned—and at the same time keenly aware of the barriers that stand in the way of real change. Organizational inertia, competing priorities, entrenched systems, and resistance at every level can make even the most promising ideas feel impossible to implement.
The truth is that there are natural laws that govern change, and these laws can be learned and applied by anyone, in any role, and in any context. You do not need to accept the status quo simply because it has endured. When individuals understand how change truly works, they can overcome resistance, ignite momentum, and help ideas scale across teams, organizations, and entire systems.
Based on nearly twenty years of research and his book Cascades, international keynote speaker, bestselling author, and one of today’s foremost experts on transformation and change, Greg Satell will explain the fundamental principles that separate disappointing effort from transformational impact.
As the closing keynote of the MPSC Annual Conference, this session defines the work ahead and affirms this convening as the place where a broadened background of expertise, from the entire ecosystem, comes together to support patient safety. It signals clearly that in our region, patient safety is the priority, and the work starts here.
3:45-4:00p
Closing
Continuing Education
eMedEd is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the California Board of Registered Nursing (CBRN), Provider Number 17890.
The Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes University is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.
Credits will also be offered for Certified Professionals in Patient Safety, Certified Professionals in Healthcare Quality, and Certified Professionals in Healthcare Risk Management.
Credit hours are subject to accreditation approval following content review.
Take a look back at our 2025 Program to see what was offered.
Posters
The 2026 Mid-Atlantic Patient Safety Conference features a robust poster program that brings the region’s learning to life. Posters showcase real-world projects that advance safer, more equitable care by strengthening systems—not relying on individual heroism—and reflect the innovation happening across hospitals, health systems, and community partners. As part of our commitment to convening, collaboration, and shared learning, the poster gallery invites registrants to explore new ideas, engage directly with improvement teams, and discover replicable strategies that are transforming patient safety across the Mid-Atlantic. This collective exchange of insights and solutions is central to how we advance the science, spread effective practices, and elevate the field together.
2026 Poster Submissions are closed.
Important Notes for Accepted Poster Presenters:
Thank you for your submission. For poster submitters: We anticipate this conference to sell out early. To hold a conference registration spot, please confirm your intent to present, along with your co-presenter information by completing by January 16, 2025 the form emailed to you. You will be provided a code for registering for the annual conference at the published rate as a Poster Presenter. Poster codes will be honored through February 16, 2025. Poster registration spots will not be held after this date. Registration information can be found here.
As a reminder:
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Submitting a proposal does not register you for the conference.
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Registration spots for up to 2 authors/key contributors per poster will be held until February 16, 2026. Thereafter, registration- and thus, poster presentation- is not guaranteed. All other authors may register at any time if space is available.
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There is no fee to submit, but if accepted, presenters are responsible for costs associated with printing their poster, travel, accommodations, and conference registration.
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Poster presenters will also be invited to register for our Awards Reception to be held on April 20, 2026.
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Sponsors and Exhibitors
MPSC 2026 brings together leaders, safety champions, and decision-makers from across the Mid-Atlantic to share solutions and spark change. For sponsors and exhibitors, it’s the premier stage to showcase your organization and build meaningful connections. From the interactive pre-conference kickoff to the prestigious Minogue Awards Reception on opening night and leading into a full day of learning and collaboration, this is your chance to gain high-impact visibility, exclusive networking, and a seat at the table with those driving innovations across the Mid-Atlantic.
Location & Accommodations
Join us in Baltimore for the 2026 Conference!
The Conference will again be held at the Baltimore Hilton Inner Harbor. The Baltimore Hilton Inner Harbor is next to Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Inner Harbor’s museums, the National Aquarium, and TopGolf Baltimore are all within a mile.
Thank you to our 2026 Sponsors and Exhibitors
Silver Sponsor
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Bronze Sponsor
Exhibitors
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