Objective: Helping hospitals financially survive and improve quality of care during this period of volatility.
| Segment | Presenter |
|---|---|
| Welcome & Strategic Framing | Julia Krol |
| IHO Patient Flow Methodology | Eugene Litvak |
| Surgeon Perspective | Shaf Keshavjee |
| ED Perspective | Peter Viccellio |
| Nurse Perspective | Linda Laskowski Jones |
| Live Q&A | Julia Krol |
President and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Optimization. He is also an Adjunct Professor in Operations Management in the Department of Health Policy & Management at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). Prior to his current position, he was a co-founder (with Michael C. Long, MD) and director of the Program for the Management of Variability in Health Care Delivery at the Boston University (BU) Health Policy Institute and a Professor at the BU School of Management. He was the editor of The Joint Commission’s patient flow books “Managing Patient Flow in Hospitals: Strategies and Solutions”, 2nd Edition and “Optimizing Patient Flow: Advanced Strategies for Managing Variability to Enhance Access, Quality, and Safety” as well as the leader of the organization’s first patient flow seminars. He was a member of the Institute of Medicine (currently the National Academy of Medicine) Committees “The Future of Emergency Care in the United States Health System”, “The Learning Health Care System in America” and “Optimizing Scheduling in Health Care.
is Vice President at the Institute for Healthcare Optimization and has been working with the Institute for Healthcare Optimization since 2012. She has helped many hospitals to evaluate, design, and implement projects to improve operational efficiencies and quality. She manages multi-hospital engagements, including prior engagements with the New Jersey Hospital Association, the NHS Scotland, and the VA New England as well patient flow projects in individual international and US-based hospitals and outpatient clinics. She co-authored multiple chapters in the book “Optimizing Patient Flow: Advanced Strategies for Managing Variability to Enhance Access, Quality, and Safety,” published by The Joint Commission.
Julia holds an MBA from Boston University with a certificate in Health Sector Management, as well as degrees from Brown University and the University of Arizona. Before her time with IHO, she was a practicing RN in Cardiac Intermediate Care at University Medical Center in Tucson, AZ, and Gastroenterology/ERCP at Indiana University Hospital in Indianapolis, IN, where she found her true passion for workflow redesign and optimized care.
Shaf Keshavjee is a thoracic and lung transplant surgeon. He is Chief of Innovation at University Health Network (UHN). He is Professor of Thoracic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering and Vice Chair for Innovation, Department of Surgery, Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto (UofT).
Dr Keshavjee completed his medical training at UofT in 1985. He subsequently trained in General Surgery, Cardiac Surgery and Thoracic Surgery at UofT followed by fellowship training at Harvard University and the University of London for airway surgery and heart-lung transplantation, respectively. He joined the faculty at UofT in 1994 and was promoted to Full Professor in 2002. Dr. Keshavjee was the inaugural holder of the Pearson-Ginsberg Chair in Thoracic Surgery and served as the Chair of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at the University of Toronto from 2004 to 2010. He served as Surgeon-in-Chief of University Health Network from 2010-2022 and the Director of the Toronto Lung Transplant Program from 1997-2025. He currently holds the Donald K Jackson Chair in Lung Transplant Research.
Dr Keshavjee’s clinical practice is in thoracic oncology, lung cancer and lung transplantation. He has a passion for surgery and innovative research. He is a Senior Scientist and Director, Latner Thoracic Laboratories in the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, UHN. He leads a large team of researchers in a foremost pulmonary research program and is widely published in the field. His specific research interest is in lung injury and repair related to transplantation. His current research involves the study of support systems, molecular diagnostics and gene therapy to repair organs and to engineer superior organs for transplantation.
Dr. Keshavjee has served on the board of directors of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, the Canadian Society of Transplantation, and the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, where he also served as Treasurer and 102nd President. He has received numerous awards for contributions to medicine, including the George Armstrong Peters Young Investigator Award, Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 Award, the Colin Woolf Award for Excellence in Medical Education, and the Lister Prize in Surgery – the highest award for research achievement in the Department of Surgery at UofT. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and in 2025 was appointed Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He has been awarded Honorary Doctor of Science Degrees from both Ryerson University and Queen’s University. He was also awarded an Honorary Fellowship to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh for his service to mankind.
He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Society for Transplantation, the Lifetime Achievement Award from Canadian Blood Services, and the American Society of Transplantation Innovation Award for contributions to the field of lung transplantation. He was awarded the prestigious Medawar Prize from the Transplantation Society for his profound influence on the field of organ transplantation. He received the prestigious Flance-Karl Award from the American Surgical Association – awarded to a surgeon who has made a seminal contribution in basic laboratory research which has been applied to clinical surgery for his work in ex vivo organ perfusion. He also received the FNG Starr Award – the highest national award from the Canadian Medical Association recognizing a physician for their outstanding and inspiring lifetime achievement.
Dr Keshavjee has received two Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medals and the national Governor General’s Award for Innovation. He was awarded the Order of Ontario in 2013 and appointed Officer of the Order of Canada in 2014. In 2025 he was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada, which is Canada’s Highest Civilian Award.
is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at Stony Brook University, and has served as Vice Chairman of the department, clinical director of EM, and Associate Chief Medical Officer for the institution. He has published extensively on issues of ED and hospital flow, crowding, boarding of admitted patients, and practical solutions throughout his career, and has been an invited speaker on this topic internationally. His special interests beyond hospital flow include medical education, toxicology, trauma, and critical care.
Linda Laskowski-Jones is the Editor-in-Chief of Nursing and also serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Emergency Nursing and International Emergency Nursing (UK); she previously served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Trauma Nursing. She received her BSN and MS degrees in Nursing from the University of Delaware, and a post-master’s Certificate in Nursing Administration. She completed the Executive Track in Managing Healthcare Delivery at Harvard Business School. Her experience spans clinical nursing, advanced practice, education, and leadership. She served as Trauma Program Manager, Director and then Vice President of Emergency, Trauma and Aeromedical Services during her 32 year-tenure at ChristianaCare Health System.
Linda is a trauma center site reviewer for state trauma center accreditation in Colorado and is Chair of the Trauma Quality Evaluation Committee for the State of Delaware. She is appointed to the Advanced Practice Committee of the Delaware Board of Nursing and has served as both a member and past president of the Board. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the Academy of Emergency Nursing. Linda is a prolific author and speaker on nursing issues, emergency, trauma, and wilderness topics. She is the current President of the Delaware State Council of the Emergency Nurses Association.
