Innovative Nursing Education and Workforce Solutions with Steve Beard Adtalem Global Education

This episode features Megan Gillespie, CEO of Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital. Megan shares her personal journey to becoming a healthcare leader and offers insights into the strategies she uses to keep staff engaged—highlighting the importance of strategic roadmaps, proactive planning, and maintaining a clear vision for the future.

This episode features Michelle Adamolekun, EVP and Chief People & Culture Officer at Cone Health, who shares insights on Cone’s workforce development strategy, the launch of Cone Health University, and how intentional culture work and empathetic leadership are shaping the future of the organization.

In this episode, Renee Rafferty and Sabrina Schalley of Children’s Nebraska discuss their innovative Caring Contacts program, a handwritten card initiative that has supported over 1,200 pediatric patients and achieved zero deaths by suicide. They share insights into its origins, emotional impact, and expansion across behavioral health services, along with a preview of their upcoming Behavioral Health and Wellness Center opening in 2026.

This episode recorded live at the Becker's Hospital Review 15th Annual Meeting features Jay Grider, Chief Quality Officer and Chief Executive Officer, Kentucky Medical Services Foundation, University of Kentucky. Dr. Grider discusses proactive workforce planning, statewide collaboration to address nursing shortages, and how UK HealthCare is applying high-reliability principles to transform HR operations for better recruitment and retention outcomes.

This episode features Steve Beard, Chairman and CEO of Adtalem Global Education, as he shares insights on addressing the growing nursing shortage, building practice-ready clinicians, and forging impactful partnerships like the one with SSM Health. He discusses how scalable, flexible education models can support health systems and improve access to care in underserved communities.This episode is sponsored by Adtalem Global Education.

In this episode, Nilesh Desai, Chief Pharmacy Officer at Baptist Health System, discusses how his team launched a cutting-edge 102,000-square-foot central pharmacy services center, designed to improve access and efficiency across the system. He also shares insights on technology adoption, addressing drug shortages, and developing the next generation of pharmacy leaders.

This episode features Dr. Benjamin J. Pieters, Pediatric Anesthesiologist and Vice Chair of Clinical Operations at Children’s Mercy Kansas City, discussing major trends in anesthesiology, including workforce shortages, private equity involvement, and evolving employment models. He shares how his team is leveraging data, evidence-based care, and leadership development to shape the future of pediatric anesthesia and healthcare delivery.

In this episode, Dr. Zachary Dietch, transplant surgeon at Northwestern Medicine, shares the remarkable case of a liver retransplant for a patient with a recent cancer history, made possible through innovative tools like organ perfusion and bypass techniques. He also discusses how Northwestern is helping to redefine transplant eligibility for cancer patients through data-driven, patient-centered decisions.

In this episode, Marc Elia, Chairperson of the Board at Invivyd, discusses his personal experience with COVID-19 and long COVID, the company’s unique monoclonal antibody platform, and how Invivyd is working to address persistent gaps in infectious disease prevention and care. He also highlights the importance of patient voices in regulatory processes and the future of scalable, accessible monoclonal antibody therapies.This episode is sponsored by Invivyd.

This episode features Phill Wood, Chief Information Officer of Cape Fear Valley Health System, discussing how IT investments like Workday are enabling strategic growth, improving employee engagement, and supporting future acquisitions. He also shares insights on culture alignment, system integration, and the value of strong governance in scaling operations.This episode is sponsored by Workday.