2025 Executive War College Agenda

Here is the 2025 Executive War College Agenda. As session topics and speakers are confirmed, they will be posted on this page. Watch this site regularly to catch all the new topics and speakers. 

You can save $200 off the full price of a 2025 seat by registering today or by 2/14/25.

We look forward to seeing you in New Orleans!

Executive War College 2025 Agenda graphic

These are the speakers and the sessions that are confirmed to appear during the 2025 Executive War College. Specific days, times, and locations for each session will be announced in the future.

SESSION

Schedule TBD

Pursuing the Opportunities and Overcoming the Challenges for Clinical Labs, Genetic Testing Companies, and Anatomic Pathology Groups.

Robert Michel, President, The Dark Intelligence Group.

Robert Michel
President, 
The Dark Intelligence Group,
Austin, TX

SESSION

Schedule TBD

Funding, Creating, and Operating the Nation’s first Diagnostic Center:
Elevating the Value of Laboratory Medicine to Improve Patient Care in a Financially-Sustainable Model

Michael Laposata, Professor and Chair of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch - Galveston

Michael Laposata
MD, PhD, Chair of Pathology,
Univ of Texas Medical Branch,
Lead, Diagnostic Center at UTMB, Galveston, Texas

SESSION

Schedule TBD

Questions and Answers about Organizing and Operating a Diagnostic Center: Secrets, Successes, and Useful Insights

Michael Laposata, Professor and Chair of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch - Galveston

Michael Laposata
MD, PhD, Chair of Pathology,
Univ of Texas Medical Branch,
Lead, Diagnostic Center at UTMB, Galveston, Texas

SESSION

Schedule TBD

2025 Payer Denial Impact Report: Unveiling the Latest Trends and Recommended Practices for Optimizing Clinical Lab, Hospital Outreach, and Pathology Claim Denials and Appeals

Diana Richard, Sr. Director, Pathology and Strategic Development, XIFIN, San Diego, CA

Diana Richard
AVP, National Accounts, Path/Rad/Health Systems,
XiFin, Inc.
San Diego, CA

Stephanie Deham, Assoc Vice President, Revenue Cycle Management and Analytics at XFIN

Stephanie Denham
Associate Vice President,
RCM Systems and Analytics,
XiFin, Inc. 
San Diego, CA

SESSION

Schedule TBD

Orchestrating Three Paths to Clinical Lab Success: Combining Staff Career Ladder and Productivity with Optimizing Lab Performance to Support Value Based care

Jennifer Fralick, Vice President Anatomic Pathology & Clinical Laboratories Stanford Healthcare

Jennifer Fralick
Vice President, Anatomic Pathology & Clinical Laboratories
Stanford Healthcare,
Menlo Park, CA

SESSION

Schedule TBD​

Winning with Hospital Lab Outreach: Today’s Proven Ways to Increase Test Volume, Improve Patient Outcomes, and Generate More Revenue

Jane Hermansen, Director, Outreach and Network Development, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

Jane Hermansen
Director,
Outreach and Network Development,
Mayo Clinic,
Rochester, MN

PANEL

Schedule TBD

Panel: Big Changes in Washington, DC: New Congress, New Administration, FDA, CMS, OIG, and More

Moderator: John Kolozsvary
Panelists: Susan Van Meter, Russell Ring, Zach Rothstein

John Kolozsvary Chief Executive Officer at Joint Venture Hospital Laboratories

John Kolozsvary
Chief Executive Officer,
Joint Venture Hospital Laboratories, Allen Park, MI

Susan Van Meter. President of American Clinical Laboratory Association.

Susan Van Meter
President, American Clinical Laboratory Association,
Washington, DC

Vice President, Government Affairs, Roche Diagnostics, Washington, D.C.

Russell Ring
Vice President, Government Affairs,
Roche Diagnostics,
Washington, D.C.

Zach Rothstein Director of AdvaMedDx, Washington, D.C.

Zach Rothstein
Executive Director of AdvaMedDx,
Washington, D.C.

SESSION

Schedule TBD

State of Market Adoption for Digital Pathology By Largest Lab Organizations in the United States

Lisa-Jean Clifford, COO & Chief Strategy Officer, Gestalt Diagnostics, Spokane, Wash

Lisa-Jean Clifford
COO & Chief Strategy Officer,
Gestalt Diagnostics,
Spokane, WA

SESSION

Schedule TBD

Combining Lean and 100% Digital Pathology Locally and Nationally to Produce Faster, More Accurate Diagnoses with Increased Productivity of Staff and Pathologists

David Clark
MD,
Consultant Hematopathologist Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottinghamshir, Nottinghamshire, England, UK

Paul Chenery Nottingham University Hospital

Paul Chenery
Head of Quality, Training & Strategic Improvement Improvement within Pathology, 
Nottingham University Hospital
NHS Trust,
Nottingham, England, UK

SESSION

Schedule TBD

Effective Ways to Meet Today’s Lab Staff Recruiting and Retention Challenge: Educating High Schoolers, Leveraging Social Media, Career Paths in the Lab, plus Some Secrets

Mike Baron Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories

Mike Baron
Executive Director of Clinical Laboratory Operations,
Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories
Milwaukee, WI

WORKSHOP

Schedule TBD

Third-Day Workshop: Lean for Lab Leaders: Proven Ways to Swiftly Slash While Boosting Productivity and Improving Staff Retention

Katja Lehmann, Director Lean Practice, Lean Focus, LLC

Katje Lehmann
Director Lead Practice,
Lean Focus, LLC.,
Scottsdale, AZ

WORKSHOP

Schedule TBD

Third-Day Workshop: What’s Changing in CLIA Compliance and Inspections: Essentials for Lab Quality Officers and CLIA Lab Directors

Chair & Moderator: Nora Hess

Nora Hess, Senior Consultant at Accumen.

Nora Hess
MBA, MT (ASCP), PMP,
Senior Consultant,
Accumen,
Sarasota, FL

Kathy Nucifora Chief Operating Officer Cola, Inc.

Kathy Nucifora
MPH, MT (ASCP),
Chief Operating Officer,
COLA Inc.,
Columbia, MD

Denise Driscoll, Senior Director, Accreditation and Regulatory Affairs, College of American Pathologists

Denise Driscoll
MS, MT(ASCP)SBB,
Senior Director, 
Accreditation & Regulatory Affairs,
College of American Pathologists,
Northfield, IL

Danielle Tangorre, Partner, Robinson+Cole

Danielle Tangorre
Esq.,
Partner,
Robinson+Cole,
Albany, NY 

Lindsay Strotman, Laboratory Director at Lighthouse Laboratory Services

Lindsay Strotman
PhD,
Laboratory Director,
Lighthouse Lab Services,
Louisville, KY

Silka Clark, MLS, HC1 + Accumen

Silka Clark
MLS,
Director of Lab Excellence,
Accumen,
Aurora, CO

SESSION

Schedule TBD

Cyberattack! Lessons from Our Labs Response to Ransomware Shutdown of Academic Medical Center

Christi Wojewoda MD Director, Clincial Microbiology University of Vermont Medical Center

Christina Wojewoda
Director, Clinical Microbiology, University of Vermont Medical Center, Burlington, Vermont

SESSION

Schedule TBD

Using Simple, Off-the-Shelf Digital Tools to Speed Processing of Lab Claims, Reduce Manual Touches, Increase Clean Claims, and Generate More and Faster Reimbursement

Rick VanNess, Director, Product Management, TriCore Reference Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM

Rick VanNess
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Wuscott LLC.,
Albuquerque, NM

Special Learning Opportunities

Choose From These
Exceptional Workshops
(Back to Top)

2025 Post-Conference Workshops

Thursday, May 1, 2025

WORKSHOP 1    

8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Whole Genome Sequencing and Genetic Testing for Community Hospitals – Companion Diagnostics in Lab–Pharma Relationships

WORKSHOP 2


8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Breaking Pathology’s Glass Slide Updated! Ways to Build Revenue with Digital Pathology, Whole Slide Images, AI Diagnostic Tools, and More

WORKSHOP 3

8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Lean for Lab Leaders: Proven Ways to Swiftly Slash Costs While Boosting Productivity and Improving Staff Retention

WORKSHOP 4

8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Assessing Recent Federal Laws, Regulations, and Court Cases: Vital Insights for Lab Executives and Their Attorneys

WORKSHOP 5

8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

What’s Changing in CLIA Compliance and Inspections: Essentials for Lab Quality Officers and CLIA Lab Directors

Who Attends the Executive War College

Health Systems and Hospital Clinical Laboratory and Pathology Leadership

Hospital C-Suite Administrators

Laboratory Vice Presidents

Pathology Lab Directors/Administrators

Laboratory Directors

Molecular and Genetic Lab Leaders

Precision Medicine & Genetic Program Directors/Administrators

Laboratory Section Managers/Leaders/Supervisors

Representative Labs:

  • ACL Laboratories/Advocate Health
  • Cleveland Clinic Laboratories
  • Medical University of South Carolina
  • Johns Hopkins Medicine
  • Baptist Health South Florida
  • Banner Health
  • Intermountain Health Outreach Labs
  • Baylor Scott & White Health
  • Cedars Sinai
  • Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center
  • Fabric Genomics
  • Kaiser Permanente

Independent Laboratories and Pathology Groups

Laboratory Owners/C-Suite/Vice Presidents/Directors

Pathology Group Owners/Directors

Pathology Group Practice Administrators

Physician Group Lab Owners/Directors

Public Health/Population Health VP’s/Directors

Life Sciences/Research Labs

Representative Labs:

  • Mayo Clinic Laboratories
  • ARUP (Reference Lab)
  • LabCorp (Reference Lab)
  • TriCore (Reference Lab)
  • GeneDx
  • Sonic Labs (Reference Lab)
  • Michigan Pathology Specialists (Pathologist Group)
  • Pacific Pathology Labs (Pathology Group)
  • NorDX (Animal Reference Lab)
  • Novartis (Research Pharm (Life Sciences)
  • AstraZeneca (Pharm/Life Sciences)
  • Caris Life Sciences (Pharm/Life Sciences)
  • Sonora Quest (Population Health Division)

Partners and Suppliers to Laboratory and Pathology Groups

In Vitro Diagnostic Manufacturers

LIS/Pathology LIS/LIMS/RCM/IT

Diagnostic Instrument, Product & Technology

Informatics Products and Services

Suppliers of Automation, Analyzers, and Assays

Revenue Cycle Management (RCM), Coding, Billing, and Collections

Legal, Regulatory & Compliance

Representative Companies:

  • Abbott (Diagnostics)
  • Epic Corporation (EMR/LIS)
  • Clinisys LIS
  • Cerner LIS
  • Telcor (Technology)
  • XIFIN (Technology/Informatics)
  • LifePoint Informatics
  • Change Health Care (RCM/billing)
  • HC1 (RCM)
  • Diagnostic Laboratory Services, Inc. (RCM)
  • COLA (Regulatory)
  • College of American Pathologists (Regulatory)
  • Beckman Diagnostics (Diagnostics)
  • Bio-Rad Laboratories (Diagnostics)
  • Hologic (Diagnostics)
  • Cardinal Health (Product & Technology)
  • Davis Wright Tremaine LLP (Legal)