The 2026 PWH Leadership Summit featured motivational educational sessions, awards and networking.
The Professional Women in Healthcare® (PWH®) organization held its eighth annual PWH Leadership Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida, May 18 to May 20, 2026. With a theme of “Breakthrough,” the Summit attracted 231 attendees and benefitted from the support of 15 sponsors.
The annual PWH Leadership Summit is the only conference in the healthcare supply chain industry dedicated to leadership development. For over 20 years, the Professional Women in Healthcare® (PWH®) organization has advanced its mission to create a culturally inclusive healthcare industry equally led by women and men.
Sessions offered attendees new perspectives on transformation and resilience in their professional careers, drawing on the concept of ‘Kintsugi’ – the Japanese art putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold lacquer – representing breaks as part of a stronger, more beautiful whole.
The artform also inspired the “Breakthrough” theme of the 2026 PWH Leadership Summit. “It reminds us that our scars are not something to hide, but something to honor,” said Ashleigh McLaughlin, PWH Chair and Chief Financial Officer of IMCO, Inc. “Our leadership is not defined by perfection but by how we respond to the breaks, the challenges and the unexpected turns. When we choose to lead with courage and authenticity, when we embrace both our strength and our story, we become stronger, wiser and more impactful leaders.”
Vizient sponsored the event’s opening keynote speaker, best-selling author and former Chief Storytelling Officer of SUCCESS Magazine, Kindra Hall. Presenting on insights from her book, “Stories That Stick,” Hall guided attendees on the strategic power of storytelling to captivate customers, influence behavior and transform business.
During the opening session on day two, McLaughlin thanked all those who made the event possible. “PWH was built on a powerful foundation of women who believed in one another and created space for those who would come after them. Because of that legacy, and the continued support of our Corporate Partners and Summit Sponsors, PWH can keep “breaking through.”
The event’s signature session – the Leadership Insights series – featured five industry leaders delivering unique 15-minute TED-style talks on a variety of industry and leadership issues, sponsored by Midmark. Attendees heard messages from Karen Dutton, Sodexo; PWH Past Chair Vicky Lyle; and Kaycee Kaplin, Premier; Dr. Christina Brown, ECU Health, and Lindsay Walters, Solventum. Their messages encouraged attendees to lead with authenticity and intention and to appreciate that managing relationships, making people feel noticed, and building trust are not soft skills but critical.
The Special Executive Leadership Roundtable, now an established annual opportunity for collaboration, invited C-Suite executives from PWH Corporate Partners to be part of a conversation intended to help shape the future leadership of the industry. Participants discussed strategies to recruit and retain talent during uncertain times, ways to maintain culture and morale through change, the role of leadership in fostering engagement and stability and practical approaches to build and support resilient teams.
Vice President of Corporate Sales for Innovia Medical, Allison Therwhanger; Senior Learning Experience Designer(s) for Midmark, Lisa Ramsey and Nickie Dixon; Chief Well-Being Officer and Program Manager, Dr. Christina Bowen and Amy Nelson; Provider Well-Being, Engagement and Retention, ECU Health; and Karen Dutton, Senior Director of Culture and Belonging Integration, Sodexo also shared stories during educational sessions on growing revenue, igniting the leader within, personal vision statements, mattering in the workplace and more.
During the closing leadership panel, sponsored by B. Braun, leaders like Dave Myers, ASP Global; Maria Amoedo, Medline; Michelle Clouse, Cleveland Clinic, and David Gillan, Sodexo shared their own personal leadership “breakthroughs.” Special thanks to HIDA’s Julie Berry for moderating.
After the event, PWH Chair Ashleigh McLaughlin thanked the team of PWH members who worked to organize and facilitate the 2026 Summit. “I am truly in awe of what our organization accomplished. Once again, so many lives were touched, encouraged, and inspired because of the leadership and the heart we put into the annual PWH Leadership Summit, and the way we show up for our PWH family.”
The 2027 PWH Leadership Summit will be held April 12 to 14, 2027 in Tempe, Arizona.
For more information visit www.mypwh.org.