New ASHE conference leans into mentorship and networking

The ASHE Chapter Leadership Forum allowed members to foster relationships across regions.

Image courtesy of ASHE

The inaugural Health Care Facilities Innovation Conference™, which took place in Anaheim, Calif., from July 21-24, was the culmination of a multiyear planning effort and the fruition of a brand change announced by the American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE) in 2023. 

For 60 years, the association’s self-named ASHE Annual Conference served as the flagship event for health care facilities management professionals, with its education-packed sessions serving as the hallmark year after year. According to many conference attendees, that commitment to education has not changed and continues to be the No. 1 draw as more than 3,000 attended the newly named Health Care Facilities Innovation Conference. In fact, this year’s conference featured curated tracks allowing attendees to customize their conference experience based on seven different topic interests and four unique knowledge levels.

ASHE Executive Director Lizzie Ortolano says education is the key thread linking this year’s conference with its predecessor event. But she also emphasizes that it’s more than just a new name.

“The physical environment plays a huge role in the success of health care delivery,” Ortolano says. “Because of that, we felt naming a conference after ourselves doesn’t make sense anymore. We wanted to name the conference based on what we are trying to accomplish as an organization and for our members. As health care delivery models change and innovate, the physical environment is going to change and evolve too.”

Josh King, CHFM, says the conference challenged him to think differently about many aspects of his role as vice president of facilities planning and development at Appalachian Regional Healthcare in Lexington, Ky. King previously worked for a large, national health care system before embarking on his new role last year. He says he took home several practical management style tips from keynote speaker and organizational psychologist Ryan Avery during one of the general sessions, such as rethinking his approaches to communication and removing certain words from his professional vocabulary.

In walking the exhibit hall floor and listening to speakers at the new Discovery Stage, King discovered solutions to answer tough challenges facing his rural health system, such as a modular construction product that could help in planned projects. King says education in environmental sustainability was also a big focus of his during the conference.

“I was able to bring back a lot of good information about accessing money through programs like the Inflation Reduction Act and how to leverage those funds correctly,” King says. “It was even good for me to learn who the experts are in this field so that I know who to call when I run into issues.”

Networking was one of the biggest takeaways for Brett Samuelsen, CHOP, compliance and training specialist at the University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City. The first-time attendee participated in ASHE’s Shadow a Leader Program with other young professionals who applied and were selected as mentees to shadow ASHE Advisory Board leaders during the conference. The program was introduced at the International Summit & Exhibition for Health Facility Planning, Design & Construction (PDC Summit) held in March 2024 in San Diego.

Samuelsen and the other mentees attended Advisory Board meetings to learn about important topics ASHE is working on while also offering feedback. 

“One of the coolest things was arriving before the conference started and attending a succession planning meeting with the Advisory Board,” he says. “[They] are top leaders in this field, and you can tell they are passionate about what they do. But they still took us under their wings to make us feel welcome and let us know that our input is valuable.”

Samuelsen says the Advisory Board strongly pushed the value of networking. He met with his Regional Representative and connected with other members, from whom he plans to seek advice when difficult problems arise.

“As someone who is looking to advance my career, I want to make sure that when I fill those higher positions and reach my goals, I’m able to provide the best service to my employees and be the best leader I can to help them succeed,” Samuelsen says. “This conference was a great opportunity for me to further expand my knowledge base.”