These panels have been approved for 1.5 ACHE In Person Education Credits Each (3.0 if you attend both).
3-3:30pm – Check-In/Networking
3:30-5pm – Panel 1: Proactively Managing Your Professional Development as a Healthcare Leader
This panel will focus on the nuts and bolts of career planning in the healthcare sector. It will explore steps an individual should take within their organization and in the surrounding community to reach the next level in healthcare leadership. Topics covered will include competencies and skills required for the future of healthcare, the importance of interprofessional education, and mentorship, coaching, and sponsorship.
Moderator:
Dr. Trinette K. Pierre, DHA, BSN, RN, CCC, CEC, CHLC, FACHE, NEA-BC
President/Founder/Executive Coach
TRImani Consuting, LLC
Panelists:
Dr. Patti DeFrehn
VP of Patient Care Services
Baylor University Medical Center
Dr. Julie Holland
Sr. Director, Nursing Professional Practice and Clinical Learning
Texas Health Resources
5:30-7pm – Panel 2: Leading a Culture of Safety: A Blueprint for Success
To help healthcare leaders achieve total system safety across the continuum, ACHE, and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement/National Patient Safety Foundation Lucian Leape Institute developed a guide “Leading a Culture of Safety: A Blueprint for Success”. This Blueprint is designed to help leaders shape, create and sustain the type of organizational culture needed to ensure patient and workforce safety and inspire healthcare leaders on the journey to zero harm. This discussion will focus on the six critical domains to develop and sustain a culture of safety.
Moderator:
Dr. Lisa Mason DNP, MBA, MHA, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE
VP and Medication Safety Officer
Children’s Medical Center
Panelists:
Dr. Shivani Patel
Chief of Patient Safety
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Doreen Donohue, DNP, RN, NEA‐BC, CPHQ
Director, Office of Quality and Patient Safety
The Joint Commission
Kristin Duncan, RN, BSN, MBA, CPPS
Sr. Director, Patient Safety-Risk Management
Texas Health Resources
Speakers’ Bios:
Patricia DeFrehn serves as Vice President, at Baylor University Medical Center, a 914 bed, Magnet designated, Level I trauma center in Dallas, Texas. Baylor University Medical Center is the flagship hospital of Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest not-for-profit healthcare system in Texas, and one of the largest in the United States. She has been with Baylor University Medical Center since 2012 as Executive Director, and Vice President since July 2014. During her career, she has held executive leadership roles in emergency services, trauma, neuroscience, procedural areas, surgery, and women and children’s. In 2021, she led BSWH’s statewide COVID-19 vaccine initiative.
Patricia received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Chamberlain School of Nursing, a bachelor’s degree of Business Management and Economics and Master of Business Administration from St. Francis University in Pennsylvania, and a Master of Liberal Studies from Southern University Methodist, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Patricia is also on the faculty of the Baylor Louise Herrington School of Nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Executive Leadership program teaching Strategic Economics and Finance.
Patricia is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), Texas Organization for Nursing Leadership (TONL), American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) and the Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN). She is certified as a Green Belt in Lean Six Sigma, leading several programs that demonstrate reduced cost savings and increased physician compliance and satisfaction through process improvement strategies.
Patricia is an innovative leader dedicated to driving quality, safety and efficacy for the patients that she serves. Her belief that best practices in finance, economics, management, and strategy are vital for organizational success is evident in her partnership with Southern Methodist University to develop a Master of Liberal Studies curriculum dedicated to clinical leaders. Patricia is committed to a culture of transparency and excellence through collaborative relationships with the entire healthcare team.
Doreen Donohue, DNP, RN, NEA‐BC, CPHQ is the Director of the Office of Quality and Patient Safety at The Joint Commission. In this role, she leads the team of Patient Safety Specialists to evaluate submitted safety and sentinel events.
Dr. Donohue is licensed in South Carolina as a Registered Nurse and maintains board certification as a Nurse Executive‐Advanced from the American Nurse Credentialing Center. She is also a Certified Professional in Health Care Quality.
Dr. Donohue received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the College of Mount St. Vincent in Riverdale, NY, and her Master of Science in Nursing Administration from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She received her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Kristin Duncan is a Registered Nurse and serves in the role of Sr. Director Patient Safety and Risk at System Services at Texas Health Resources. She is responsible for facilitating the patient safety program at THR with a focus on high reliability initiatives and a culture of safety that supports zero preventable harm. She has 25 years of experience in healthcare as a registered nurse with 20 of those years dedicated to an emphasis and passion for patient safety. Kristin has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Masters Business Administration and is a Certified Professional in Patient Safety.
Julie Holland, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Sr. System Director of Nursing Professional Practice and Clinical Learning has been in nursing for 28 years and began her nursing career at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital as an Oncology nurse. Julie’s clinical background includes Oncology, Medical/Surgical and Critical Care. Additionally, Julie has experience in nursing education and program development and management, and leadership experience as an Administrative Supervisor, Manager and Director. As a Magnet Program Director, Julie led Texas Health Arlington Memorial to its initial Magnet Designation in 2014 and redesignation in 2019, and in 2022 led Texas Health HEB to its initial Magnet Designation as well. As Sr. System Director for Nursing Professional Practice and Clinical Learning, Julie leads the system program team and entity teams in all strategic initiatives that support transformational change for THR wholly owned organizations to pursue ANCC Magnet or Pathway to Excellence (PTE) designation and excellence in clinical education. The work includes leading and development of action plans that includes a standardized approach to advance nursing practice and implement nursing operations that achieve continual readiness and implementation of system Magnet-level nursing leadership, professional practice and identified clinical learning needs.
For nearly three decades, Dr. Lisa Mason DNP, MBA, MHA, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE has worked in the field of nursing, education, and leadership. After several years as a neonatal intensive care nurse and educator under her belt, she moved into leadership to inspire, grow, and mentor nurses in practice at the bedside. Dr. Mason provided clinical, quality, and operational direction in the pediatric inpatient and ambulatory arena for over 20 years, and currently serves as the Vice President and Medication Safety Officer for Nursing at Children’s Health System of Texas. Notably, Dr. Mason was named as one of the DFW Great 100 Nurses in January 2021, and became a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives in 2022. Dr. Mason received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas in 1997. In 2004, she completed a dual Master of Healthcare Administration/Master of Business Administration from Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. In 2018, Dr. Mason received a Doctor of Nursing Practice in Executive Leadership from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, Texas. Her doctoral research in education, as it relates to nursing discipline and remediation, was in response to the growing need for supportive solutions that promote the growth of nursing practice and stabilization of the nursing workforce. Lisa remains actively engaged in women’s and children’s advocacy and nurse leadership by serving as an Executive Advisory Board Member for Synova (Advancing Nurse Leadership) since 2022.
Dr. Shivani Patel grew up here in the Dallas Ft. Worth area and received her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from the University of Texas at Austin. She went on to receive her medical degree from the University of Texas McGovern School of Medicine in Houston. She then completed her residency in OBGYN and fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the University of Southern California Los Angeles County Hospital. She returned to Texas in 2014 joining UT Southwestern as an assistant professor in the division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. She served as the Medical Director for Obstetrics at Clements University Hospital from 2020 through 2024 and during that time, led a team that developed an Obstetrics Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement Program. That group earned UT Southwestern’s highest clinical honor, the Leaders in Clinical Excellence Program Development award for their work in improving maternal outcomes at Clements Hospital.
Dr. Patel is a Certified Professional in Patient Safety and joined the Health System Patient Safety Department in 2023 as the Medical Director for Patient Safety. She now serves as the institution’s Patient Safety Officer. In this role, she has developed the institution’s Safety Rounds, known as PeopleRounds, to engage the voice of the frontline and created multidisciplinary teams around Patient Safety to help drive a Culture of Safety.
Dr. Trinette Pierre is President and Owner of TRImani Consulting, LLC – A Leadership Development and Executives’ Coaching and Consulting Firm. Dr. Pierre’s serves the leadership needs of healthcare executives and providers, education-sector professionals, IT firms, and government sector professionals. Dr. Pierre has over 33 years’ of service in healthcare in frontline and leadership roles within various organizations. Dr. Pierre has also served as an adjunct professor of graduate studies for health administration, nursing, and public health programs for over 10 years – an assignment which she continues to love. Dr. Pierre served as Regent for the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Texas Northern Division and served on the Board of Directors for ACHE North Texas Chapter from 2021-2024. She is also a proud member of the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE) DFW Chapter and is an advocate of progressing the development and advancement of our Black and Minority leaders within healthcare and other business sectors. One element has remained the same throughout her career: Dr. Pierre loves teaching, guiding, and mentoring health professionals. It is her passion and this passion is at the heart of what she does.
Dr. Pierre received her Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) degree in 2000; her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 2006; her Master of Health Administration (MHA) in 2010; and her Doctor of Health Administration (DHA) degree in 2015. In addition to her Registered Nurse’s (RN) license, her certifications include Certified Career Coach, Certified Executive Coach, Certified Healthcare Leaders’ Coach, Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), and Nurse Executive Advanced – Board Certified (NEA-BC).
Dr. Pierre published her first book (Leadership Legacy: Using Insights from Your Past to Build a Legacy of Success) in 2022 and introduced Thrive At Leadership – Her Leadership Success Academy for Healthcare Nurse Managers & Business Professionals in early 2024. Dr. Pierre enjoys spending time with her family, hosting movie/game nights at her home in DFW, engaging in Biblical research, cooking/baking, spa days, exercising, singing, and traveling.