January 6, 2026: Healthcare is transforming through connection, and 2026 promises to take that mission further than ever before. This Week Health is expanding its reach with 63 events across 30 cities, bringing healthcare leaders together for deeper conversations and meaningful relationships. From coast-to-coast dinners connecting local leaders to new training programs educating both sides of the healthcare IT ecosystem, the focus remains on building bench strength across the industry. With 176 HCSP members already engaged and a new fellowship program launching to advance IT professional careers, the entire talent pipeline is being transformed. Discover how community, education, and personal connections are shaping healthcare's future in 2026.

Key Points:

• 00:13 Exciting Plans for 2026
• 01:51 Women's CIO Summit and Talent Pipeline
• 04:04 Community Building and Networking
• 09:12 Fundraising and Charity Events

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LinkedIn: This Week Health

Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

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Edit of Looking Ahead EOY

I am Bill Russell, creator of this Week Health, where our mission is to transform healthcare, one connection at a time. Let's take a look at what's working today.

The 229 project just keeps growing and we're having conversations that go deeper. In, just about every way. But here's what's really exciting. We're now educating both sides of the healthcare IT ecosystem. We have the HCSP, which we started last year. It's been wildly successful. We have 176 members learning how to work within healthcare.

And a hundred seventy six people are taking advantage of that, and we're excited about that. But next year we're gonna be launching the 229 fellowship. To help IT professionals advance their careers. We're building the next generation of healthcare technology leaders from every angle. And the phrase I think you're gonna hear from us more and more is we are committed to building the bench strength of the industry, and that's what we're looking to do.

Sarah Rich: what I get excited about in addition to between what 11 and 17 staff round tables, depending on how it all works out. This next year, our teams can learn and grow together and we've taken flourish to a whole new level as well with more career journeys. We launched Flourish Soundbites this year, which I love because we get to do quick leadership insights throughout the week.

Bill Russell: And that summit filled up before Drex and I had a chance to sign up, so I just for the record, we're didn't even have the opportunity. You

Sarah Rich: weren't invited.

Bill Russell: Weren't even invited. Got it. Not,

Sarah Rich: yeah. No boys allowed at this event. FYI.

Kind of taken all angles at that through HCSP partners and vendors learn that security is way more than just a checkbox. And through the 229 fellowship, we'll be training IT professionals to think about security first on everything. And then of course, the bite-size podcast we call the two minute drill.

Expanding security insights for everyone in the health system using language that's mostly plain English and mostly non-technical. Altogether protecting systems. We're not just protecting systems, we're protecting patients and families and staff, and we're helping to build an army of security minded professionals across the entire industry.

2025 reminded us that when people come together, real change happens. And in 2026 we're taking that to the next level. 63 events, 34 cities, three HCSP cohorts, and we are gonna kick off the next generation of healthcare technology professional training from CIOs to vendors, from analytics to security.

We're building bridges across the entire ecosystem.

Sarah Rich: Do we have 176 HCSP members and counting Now

Bill Russell: we do, yeah. 176 HCSP. I'm really looking forward to kicking off the uh, the 229 fellowship and we already have interest in that. We have some people who, we had it on our website. People have already signed up for it, and we haven't really finished defining the program with the advisors and the faculty that we've that we've put together, but it is, it is gonna be something special.

Drex DeFord: It really has been a good time getting to not only know the individuals and hearing about the things that they've learned from the HCSP program, but also for us getting to know those products and service lines even better with our partners and others that we work with. Which just helps us be a better advocate for them when the time comes.;

Bill Russell: Yeah. I'm, I'm curious what you're most excited about for next year, Sarah, I assume for you it's gonna be the, the, the women's CIO summit in, in January. That looks like a, just a fantastic crew that's coming together.

Sarah Rich: It's one of them, and what I love about that event, it was a. It was asked for.

So when we do these city staff round tables as an example, the whole team gets to come too. And so that next generation is a part of our community. And you think about we reach a CIO at their career when they're in their forties as an example, they've maybe been lonely their whole career, and then they find us if we're getting people from the manager level, their, their whole career, they will have a community to support them, help them grow and figure out how to do things better every day.

And wow. I wish I'd had us in my twenties as an example.

Bill Russell: I, I love the point that you make because everything we've done since the inception has been asked for. Yeah, short of starting the podcast, I started the podcast and asked people if they wanted to come on the show and they agreed to come on the show, and that's how that started.

And obviously we don't want two and a half days, but can you do something compact? And we came up with the dinners and then one of the markets, Charlottesville came to us and said, Hey, we have this idea for region-wide. Meeting that touches more people. And then Philadelphia expressed the same sentiment.

It was like, Hey, how can we do a 229 meeting for the people that aren't necessarily the senior executives? and then we, we ended up meeting with the people from Philadelphia and, and designing what that event, that one day event looks like. People ask all the time, like, how do you decide what you're gonna do next?

Ask for it. That's how we, that's how we decide., ,

Drex DeFord: We're pulled into these positions and I'm really excited about the city staff round tables. Sarah kind of hit on it here, this idea that executives now through the summits and city tour dinners. Have really aggressively got into this idea that there are people I can lean on and learn from.

All the things I could have not stubbed my toe on because I could have learned it from somebody else, or somebody could have clued me into where that pothole was. City staff roundtables are gonna be great for everyone on the team.

Bill Russell: One of the, one of the things I'm looking forward to, and we started it this year, is the three of us doing the new stay together.

It's such great chemistry, such great conversations. I think people think we agree on everything now. We know that that's not true. And it's been kind of fun to our staff

Sarah Rich: meeting

And we like to just push on that a little bit. And so it's it's been fun to do that with you guys and I'm looking forward to doing more of that next year.

And next year we're gonna do our first we're gonna do a what is it, what is it called? Like a bike marathon. Oh, yeah. Or, yeah. Essentially a bikeathon. A bikeathon. They're, they're gonna start and they're gonna go across a trail starting in Pittsburgh. I don't even know what the route is. But they're gonna do a couple hundred miles on bike.

We're gonna get some people to be a part of sponsoring that and we're gonna have people join on their Pelotons as well. So it's gonna be a, a big thing. We're gonna do that for, for next year. We'll do our second year of the golf tournament, which will be exciting as well. We have some new apparel that we will be, that you guys.

Hat that I've that, that, but don't worry, the traditional hat will still be around and we have some other things going on as well. We're

Drex DeFord: still doing shoes. We're still gonna do shoes.

Sarah Rich: Yeah. The shoes and all of the proceeds go to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. Yeah. Amazing. So this, we help keeps none of it.

In fact, we, we pay for the merchandise that then gets, sold and donated. And so I love that everything we bring in. Goes right back out for that charity. And we also support August artists with Erica and something very special to do that month of the year too. So, We get to give back all the time and it's a really special place to be.

Yeah.

Sarah Rich: 229.

Go figure

Sarah Rich: to stories that inspire and leaders who care

Drex DeFord: and to keeping healthcare safe, strong, and unhackable. Happy New Year from all of us, all of us

Sarah Rich: at this week.

Health.

Drex DeFord: Absolutely.

Sarah Rich: Hey, and follow Drex and I on Peloton. I'm a. Scuba duo and he's Nerf herder.

Bill Russell: Nerd herder.

Sarah Rich: Nerd herder. Sorry, I was thinking of star Wars

Bill Russell: and, I'm sorry, what are you? Scuba what?

Sarah Rich: Scuba duo. DUO. There you go.

Drex DeFord: Wow.

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