VA Healthcare Leadership Panel: Shaping the Future of Veteran Care
2026-02-26 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
VA Healthcare Leadership Panel: Shaping the Future of Veteran Care
Thursday, February 26 | 12:00–1:00 PM ET
Live virtual panel via Zoom + audience Q&A
Featuring leaders from Manchester VA, Bedford VA, and the VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System
Register HERE!
Panelists:

Kevin Forrest, FACHE, Medical Center Director, Manchester VA Medical Center
Barrett Franklin, MS, MBA, FACHE, CCE, Medical Center Director, Bedford VA Medical Center
Jonathan Kerr, Executive Director, VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System

Join us for an exclusive VA Healthcare Leadership Panel exploring the key priorities shaping the future of the VA healthcare system.
Senior VA Medical Center Directors from across New England will share insights into today’s VA healthcare landscape, including strategic and workforce challenges, quality and performance improvement efforts, community partnerships, and what lies ahead for veteran care delivery.
This session is designed for healthcare professionals across clinical, administrative, academic, and community settings who are seeking practical leadership perspectives from one of the nation’s largest and most complex healthcare systems.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

Describe the current state of the VA healthcare system nationally and across New England, including recent policy, funding, and care delivery changes impacting veteran populations.
Identify key strategic priorities of VA medical centers and healthcare systems, including access to care, workforce sustainability, digital transformation, and the veteran experience.
Analyze common operational and workforce challenges within the VA healthcare system and compare leadership approaches used to address staffing, capacity, and regulatory demands.
Evaluate the role of partnerships, community care, academic affiliations, and research in shaping the future of veteran healthcare delivery.

Register HERE!

ACHE 2026 Congress on Healthcare Leadership: Healthcare’s Premier Leadership Event
2026-03-02 08:00 - 2026-03-04 17:00
March 2-4
Houston, Texas
Join us at the ACHE 2026 Congress on Healthcare Leadership to advance your professional growth, connect with fellow healthcare leaders, and gain actionable insights you can put to work right away.
Put your purpose in motion March 2–4, 2026, in Houston, where you’ll discover innovative solutions, hear diverse perspectives, and learn how to make a meaningful impact on the health of your community.
Learn more and register at www.ache.org/Congress.

Joint Reception with New England Chapters at ACHE 2026 Congress
2026-03-03 18:30 - 20:30
Join New England’s ACHE Chapters at Congress!
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
6:30–8:30 PM
Marriott Marquis Houston (Official Congress Hotel)
Room – Texas D
Register HERE!
The New England chapters of the American College of Healthcare Executives are coming together for a special joint reception during the 2026 ACHE Congress on Healthcare Leadership in Houston.
The ACHE of Northern New England, ACHE of Massachusetts, ACHE of Rhode Island, and The Connecticut Association of Healthcare Executives (CTAHE) invite you to connect with healthcare leaders from across the region at this New England–wide networking event.
Join us for beer, wine, and light hors d’oeuvres while building meaningful connections, exchanging ideas, and strengthening regional collaboration. Bringing every New England chapter together in one room creates a powerful opportunity to advance shared priorities and energize our collective impact.
Interested in sponsoring?
This high-visibility regional reception offers sponsors a unique opportunity to engage with a highly connected group of New England healthcare executives and decision-makers. For sponsorship inquiries, please contact info@massache.org.
Registration required HERE!

ACHE of MA 2026 Virtual Town Hall
2026-03-26 12:00 - 13:00
ACHE of MA 2026 Virtual Town Hall
Thursday, March 26, 2026
12:00 Noon-1:00 PM ET
Bring your questions to Chapter Leadership and discover valuable professional development opportunities available to members, including educational programs, networking events, and opportunities for civic and volunteer engagement.
Free with registration HERE

Hidden in Plain Sight: The Leadership Dynamic Undermining Healthcare Teams
2026-04-14 12:00 - 13:00
Hidden in Plain Sight: The Leadership Dynamic Undermining Healthcare Teams
Tuesday, April 14, 2026,
12-1:00pm ET – Virtual
Healthcare leaders are working harder than ever to address burnout, communication breakdowns, and disengagement on their teams. In the healthcare industry, where the pressure and human stakes are high, organizations have invested heavily in programs, policies, and training designed to help. Yet many leaders still feel stuck addressing the same challenges year after year with little lasting improvement.
The problem isn’t a lack of effort. Often, the solutions focus on prescribing behaviors rather than addressing the deeper leadership dynamics that shape how people see and respond to one another.
In this session, we’ll explore the hidden mindset patterns that quietly undermine collaboration, fuel burnout, and distort how leaders see the people they serve and lead. Drawing on real-world examples, including lessons from healthcare environments, we’ll examine why well-intentioned leadership actions sometimes make problems worse and what leaders can do differently.
Participants will gain a clearer understanding of the leadership dynamics that shape culture and performance, along with practical frameworks that help leaders address conflict, reduce burnout, and restore the human connection at the center of patient care.
Audience participation will be encouraged to ensure an engaging discussion.
Speaker: Victoria Trammel, Vice President of Operations, Leadership Development, and Strategy Implementation, Arbinger Institute
About the Arbinger Institute:
The Arbinger Institute is a global leadership development firm that helps organizations shift mindset, improve culture, and drive change that leads to exceptional results.
Members attend for free
Non-members – $15
Click HERE to register.

In-Person Leadership Panel: How Vulnerability Transcends Hierarchy
2026-04-29 17:00 - 20:00 | Slalom Consulting, 399 Boylston St Ste 1000, Boston, MA, 02116
Wednesday, April 29
5:00-8:00 PM
Slalom Consulting
How Vulnerability Transcends Hierarchy
Panelists:
Moderator: Shari Robbins, CPC – CEO, Robbins Advisory

Panelists:
Rachel Wilson, MHA – COO, Co-Founder, Bluebird Kids Health
Puneet Freibott, DNP, RN, FACHE – CNO, Beth Israel Lahey Health
Rushika Fernandopulle, MD, MPP – Chief Executive Officer, Liza Health
Approved for 1.5 ACHE In-Person Education Credits.
Register HERE!
No matter your title or tenure, vulnerability is a universal human experience and one of the most powerful drivers of trust, connection, and courage inside an organization. This engaging program invites participants from every level to explore how authentic openness can strengthen teams, improve communication, and elevate culture.
Featuring a panel of respected executives who openly share their own stories, this session highlights the truth that vulnerability does not disappear as you move up the corporate ladder. In fact, the higher the role, the more profound, and necessary, vulnerability becomes.
Through interactive activities, reflective prompts, and real conversations, attendees will experience the rawness and relief of realizing: regardless of job title, we all wrestle with doubt, fear, and uncertainty. And when acknowledged rather than hidden, these shared moments of humanity unlock new ways of thinking, collaborating, and leading.
This is not a lecture but an immersive experience. Participants will feel, explore, and witness how vulnerability transcends hierarchy and creates space for genuine connection and growth.
What Makes This Session Stand Out

Open to everyone—from frontline staff to executive leadership.
Executive panelists model vulnerability themselves, demonstrating that openness is not a sign of weakness but of leadership maturity.
Activities invite participants to connect with their own stories while recognizing the shared humanity across all roles.

Key Objectives & Takeaways

Recognize That Vulnerability Is a Universal Experience Across All Roles

Attendees will understand that no title, including those in the C-suite, protects anyone from challenge, doubt, or emotion. Vulnerability connects us all, regardless of hierarchy.

Experience How Authenticity Strengthens Trust and Culture

Through activities and panel dialogue, participants will feel how openness fosters psychological safety, empathy, and improved communication at every level of the organization.

Gain Practical Tools for Bringing Vulnerability Into Daily Interactions

Individuals will leave with actionable strategies for expressing vulnerability in healthy, productive ways that enhance teamwork, collaboration, and leadership presence, no matter their position.
Tickets:
Members – $35
Nonmembers – $50
Register HERE!

New Member Virtual Orientation
2026-05-12 17:00 - 18:00
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
5:00-6:00 PM ET
Join ACHE of MA’s Membership Committee for insight on how to maximize your ACHE membership to enhance your leadership development, expand your professional network, and create new career growth opportunities. Learn more about leadership and volunteer roles within the Chapter and how to get involved.
Register for this free virtual event, HERE. A meeting link will be sent in advance of the session.

ACHE of MA 2026 Annual Healthcare Summit
2026-10-16 08:00 - 18:00
