Webinar

Inside the boardroom: How executives lead for Zero Harm

01/14/2026 16:00:00 UTC   |   60 mins

Creating a culture of safety that eliminates harm demands unwavering commitment and accountability from the highest levels of leadership. In this executive panel discussion, Press Ganey’s Chief Safety & Transformation Officer, Dr. Tejal Gandhi, will lead an engaging conversation with health system CEOs who have each driven measurable progress toward zero harm within their organizations.

Panelists will explore how executive leadership, governance, and culture intersect to make safety a core organizational value, even amid competing priorities and resource constraints. They’ll share lessons from their own leadership journeys, highlight strategies that have produced lasting change, and discuss how leaders can embed safety as a strategic, systemwide priority 24/7/365.

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What you will take away:

  • Identify key leadership practices that drive sustainable safety culture transformation and high reliability across health systems.
  • Recognize the executive role in prioritizing safety during periods of financial or operational constraint, ensuring safety remains a nonnegotiable organizational value.
  • Apply lessons from diverse leadership experiences—including clinical, executive, and military perspectives—to strengthen accountability, trust, and safety performance.

Featured speakers

Tejal Gandhi, MD, MPH, CPPS

Tejal Gandhi, MD, MPH, CPPS
Chief Safety & Transformation Officer
Press Ganey

As Chief Safety and Transformation Officer, Dr. Gandhi, MPH, CPPS is responsible for improving patient and workforce safety, and developing innovative healthcare transformation strategies. She leads the Zero Harm movement and helps healthcare organizations recognize inequity as a type of harm for both patients and the workforce. Dr. Gandhi also leads the Press Ganey Equity Partnership, a collaborative initiative dedicated to addressing healthcare disparities and the impact of racial inequities on patients and caregivers. Before joining Press Ganey, Dr. Gandhi served as Chief Clinical and Safety Officer at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), where she led IHI programs focused on improving patient and workforce safety

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Sonja McLendon, FACHE

Sonja McLendon, FACHE
President
Cape Fear Valley Hoke Hospital

Sonja McLendon, FACHE, joined the Cape Fear Valley Health leadership team as President of Hoke Hospital in July of 2024. For the past eleven years, Sonja served as the Chief of Operational Excellence at Northeast Georgia Health System in Gainesville, GA. In addition, she served as the Interim President of the Barrow and Lumpkin campuses, leading operations at these facilities. She is also an adjunct professor at Brenau University, teaching in the College of Business and Communication. A native North Carolinian, Sonja grew up in Wake Forest, NC. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of North Carolina, a Master’s in Education & Sports Medicine from the University of Virginia, and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina. Sonja is also a Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) and a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). Sonja and her husband, Scott, are parents to their daughter, Molly, who is a student at the University of Georgia, and to a golden retriever named Tullis. They live in Raeford, NC. Sonja enjoys yoga, hiking, travel, gourmet cooking, and collecting funny stories for the book she keeps threatening to write. In her new role, Sonja is committed to enhancing patient care and operational excellence at Hoke Healthcare, leveraging her extensive experience and passion for safe, high-quality healthcare. 

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Erik Mikaitis, MD

Erik Mikaitis, MD
Chief Executive Officer
Cook County Health & Hospital System

Dr. Erik Mikaitis provides executive leadership to advance Cook County Health’s strategic imperatives and ensure the provision of high-quality care and services, in collaboration with CCH’s medical and business leaders. He was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in October 2024, after serving in the Interim CEO role since November 2023. 
Dr. Mikaitis previously served as Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Franciscan Health Crown Point, where, among other duties, he led the development of safety protocols and processes during the COVID-19 pandemic and developed a new dashboard for communicating quality improvements to the board. Prior to assuming that role, Dr. Mikaitis served as Medical Director of the Franciscan Health Accountable Care Organization in the northern Indiana and south suburban Chicago regions. 
A board-certified Internal Medicine Physician, Dr. Mikaitis earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago, a Master of Business Administration from DePaul University, and a medical degree from Ross University. 
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Patrick O’Shaughnessy, DO

Patrick O’Shaughnessy, DO
President & Chief Executive Officer
Catholic Health

Catholic Health President & CEO Dr. Patrick O’Shaughnessy is an innovative and inspirational leader who is transforming Catholic Health with an intense focus on quality and performance, while advocating prevention to bend the disease curve.  
A native Long Islander, Dr. O’Shaughnessy is a former emergency physician and licensed pilot who has built his career applying the concepts of emergency triage and aviation safety to health care clinical operations. He previously served as the health system’s chief medical officer and chief clinical officer. 
Dr. O’Shaughnessy earned his medical degree from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, a master’s in business administration from Adelphi University, and a master’s degree in Population Health Management from Thomas Jefferson University. 
Recognized as one of Crain’s New York Business’s Notable 2022 Health Care Leaders, Dr. O’Shaughnessy serves on the New York State Long Island Regional Economic Development Council as well as committees for the Healthcare Association of New York State, The Greater New York Hospital Association, Nassau Suffolk Hospital Association, and the New York Institute of Technology. He is also a member of the Wall Street Journal CEO Council and serves as a board member of the Long Island Association (LIA) where he co-chairs the Health, Education and Non-Profit Committee. 
An active member of the American College of Physician Executives, he is board certified in emergency medicine and health care quality and management.  
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Mr John Doe

Mr John Doe
Chief Story Teller5
ABC Corporation Ltd

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Mr John Doe

Mr John Doe
Chief Story Teller6
ABC Corporation Ltd

Aliquam a risus et purus imperdiet fringilla in nec odio. Nullam malesuada, ipsum sit amet mollis sollicitudin, neque nisi congue mi, vitae fringilla sapien enim vitae risus. Nam accumsan congue nisi. Maecenas urna ligula, tristique non ullamcorper ac, efficitur sit amet velit. Donec vestibulum cursus eros, vel feugiat arcu interdum vestibulum.

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