Looking back at 2026
Past event
2026 summit by
the numbers
4
workshops
11
rapid-fire talks
9
lectures
14
immersive displays
The event brought together 244 attendees and 47 speakers and presenters, and 97% of attendees said they would come to another summit.
2026 Keynote speakers
Meet the leaders and innovators who are shaping the future of person-centred care and transforming how we engage with patients, residents and families.
Prof Brian Dolan
OBE, FFNMRCSI, FRSA, RN
Director, The Braver Group,
Professor Coventry University and Honorary Adjunct Professor of Innovation in Healthcare, Bond University
Brian Dolan is a registered nurse whose work focuses on valuing patients’ time, preventing and addressing hospital acquired deconditioning, and leadership.
Dr. Alika Lafontaine
Indigenous Physician | Healthcare Leader and Changemaker
Dr. Alika Lafontaine is one of the most prominent voices in healthcare transformation today. Named 2023's Maclean's Health Care Innovator of the Year, he became the first Indigenous physician and the youngest doctor to lead the Canadian Medical Association.
Brenda Badiuk
Chief Operating Officer, Brivia Consulting
Brenda Badiuk is a healthcare leader with extensive executive experience and is known for her coaching-based, people-focused leadership approach. She currently serves as Chief Operating Officer at Brivia Consulting.
Stephen de Groot
President and Co-Founder, Brivia Consulting
Stephen de Groot is the President and Co-Founder of Brivia and an author and leadership specialist. He has worked with hundreds of organizations worldwide, with a recent focus on coaching and developing healthcare professionals and leaders.
Moments that mattered
A graphic recorder spent both days of the summit in the sessions, drawing each conversation as it happened.
Pick any recording to open it full size.
The outrage cure: Dr. Alika Lafontaine traced how loss turns into anger, and how anger turns into outrage when systems fail again and again. Anger is a call for help. The right side shows what to do: embrace anger, find what people have lost and build relationships.
Why time is the connecting currency: Prof. Brian Dolan said patient time is sacred, and time spent waiting often causes harm. His advice was to keep it simple: start with the patient and work backwards. The right column swaps old phrases for new ones, like "wandering patient" for "walking with purpose."
Meaning is in their story: Christine Holubec-Johnson, Ken Jackson, John Miller, Stephen de Groot and Brenda Badiuk spoke on the patient panel. Anger comes from not being heard, they said, so listen for meaning. The large circle holds four questions to help you understand someone's story.
World Cafe: Tables worked through three questions on family caregivers. Where do they matter most in a hospital stay? What helps staff partner with them? And what should change in the next 12 to 18 months?
Welcome and the outrage cure: Dr. Alika Lafontaine opened the summit with a keynote on anger. Anger is not outrage, he said. Let people be angry, then listen to them. The land acknowledgement, lived experience and the President's Reception fill out the rest.
Prof. Brian Dolan asked the question people kept repeating afterwards. How many of your last 1,000 days would you choose to spend in hospital? Care will always be more important than cure. The six parts of caregiver-centred care sit alongside.
Stephen de Groot closed the summit on stories. Understand what a story means and you understand the person. Understand the person and you can help them get better. Along the bottom, in their own words, is what attendees took home.
2026 sponsors
For questions or sponsorship inquiries, contact Covenant Patient and Resident Engagement.