Description
SHSMD Connections 2025
5 New Live Sessions November 3 - November 7
Plus access to 30+ recordings from the in-person conference
Visit the SHSMD 25 Connections Virtual Conference website for more information.
November 3, 2025
12:00-12:45 PM
A Tool Kit Can Get Communicators on the Same Page About Your Brand
When repositioning a brand, consistent messaging is as important as visuals. At Mount Sinai Health System, more than 200 employees across eight departments are responsible for most of the communications about our complex academic medical center. We saw the need for a Brand Messaging Tool Kit program to help these communicators understand and convey our brand voice. But where to begin? Which audiences do we include? How do we engage employees to use it?
In this session, we explain our program to train staff and encourage usage, and provide examples, lessons learned, and a worksheet to help you think about a Tool Kit program for your institution.
Learning Objectives:
- Explore effective strategies that health care organizations of any size can use to create a brand voice and messaging tool kit, including a worksheet to help you develop a messaging tool kit program.
- Provide ideas on how to engage employees and encourage them to use the tool kit.
- Learn how to ensure the tool kit and the training program evolve as your organization does.
Speakers:
Vanessa Gordon, Director of Content Marketing, Mount Sinai Health System
Rebecca Lingner, Senior Director of Branding, Mount Sinai Health System
November 4, 2025
(Pre-recorded-recording released by 12pm Central) From Within: Creating Sustainable Nursing Pipelines Through Employee Engagement Automation
Discover innovative ways to address the nursing shortage by leveraging your existing workforce. See how Geisinger implemented strategies to transform employees into nursing professionals using automated communication pathways and targeted engagement techniques. Attendees will gain practical tools and insights to design workflows, craft effective messaging, and measure success, creating a sustainable talent pipeline that addresses both immediate and long-term workforce needs.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify and Engage Internal Talent: Understand how to spot potential candidates among employees and develop strategies to motivate them.
- Design Automated Communication Journeys: Learn how to create effective workflows that guide employees through educational pathways.
- Craft Targeted Messaging: Develop personalized messaging strategies that resonate with employees and encourage career advancement.
Speakers:
Kayla Cain, Digital Product Specialist Intermediate - Digital Engagement,
Geisinger Health System
Jordan Britt, Marketing Strategist Senior – Corporate Communications, Geisinger
November 5, 2025
12:00-12:45 PM CT
Accelerating Career Growth: Emotional Intelligence, Executive Presence, and Change Leadership
This session will explore key strategies for career growth and development, focusing on emotional intelligence, executive presence, and change acceleration. Attendees will learn how to cultivate emotional intelligence to enhance interpersonal effectiveness, build executive presence to increase influence, and leverage change acceleration techniques to navigate evolving work environments. Through practical insights and real-world examples, participants will gain actionable tools to strengthen their leadership abilities, increase visibility, and accelerate career progression. This session is designed for professionals seeking to enhance their leadership potential and thrive in today’s rapidly changing health care landscape.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify and apply key emotional intelligence skills to improve leadership effectiveness.
- Develop and refine executive presence to increase visibility and influence within their organizations.
- Use change leadership strategies to accelerate career growth and navigate organizational transformation.
Speaker:
Karlin Gill Ferguson, System Marketing & Corporate Communications Director, MUSC Health
November 6, 2025
12:00-12:45 PM CT
Applying Strategic Consumer Insights – Lessons from Specialty Care
Patient choice in health care is no longer cut and dry. Consumers are more empowered than ever in determining their sources for care, creating an ever-evolving environment of competition and often, confusion. Patients are inspired to own their health care and come to their providers armed with questions and expectations. This is especially true when it comes to specialty care. How are health systems tailoring their consumer insight strategy for specialty services? This panel will share insights from two key specialty services – oncology and pediatrics – to dive into what we have learned about consumer behavior and its impact on volume and revenue.
Learning Objectives:
- Share insights on trends for consumerism in specialty practices and the key factors impacting decision making for this consumer cohort.
- Discuss how consumer insights are being applied to strategic planning and operational processes.
- Explore how design and technology can make an impact on consumer insights and the effectiveness of consumer engagement efforts.
Speakers:
Duncan Griffin, Director of Sustainability, Health, HDR Architecture
Morgan Jones, CSO, Duke Health
Josh Krayger, Moderator, HDR
Judit Tejada, Strategic Insights Director, Moffitt Cancer Center
Emily Browning, Director, Strategy and Consumer Insights, Akron Children's Hospital
Amy Mays, East Region Director, Interiors, HDR
November 7, 2025
(Pre-recorded-recording released by 12pm Central) Leveraging Insights-Driven Marketing to Build Trust and Drive Preventative Care Engagement
Discover how Ballad Health and their research partner LIFT Healthcare used insights research to address patients' fears and build trust through a free lung screening program targeting high-incidence areas. Learn how we developed patient-focused messaging, aligned outreach with CDC guidelines and positioned screenings as a gateway to care, breaking down barriers to primary care relationships. This session offers practical strategies for creating impactful, patient-centered programs that drive engagement, improve health outcomes and build lasting trust. Attendees will leave with actionable tools to apply insights-driven marketing principles in their own communities.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn how to conduct and apply mixed-method insights research to identify patients’ fears and barriers to engagement.
- Craft trust-building messages that empower patients and drive engagement.
- Align outreach with clinical guidelines to target priority populations and foster long-term patient relationships.
Speaker:
Molly Luton, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Ballad Health