Washington, D.C - The Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) announced today that its sixth annual Regional Summit will take place across the country on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. The theme of the 2026 Summit, From Classrooms to Care Teams: Workforce-Ready Graduates, focuses on identifying innovative strategies to strengthen collaboration between the healthcare industry and academic partners, ensuring students are prepared for the workforce upon graduation. ASAHP’s Regional Summit convenes academic leaders, faculty, and healthcare stakeholders representing diverse roles, disciplines, and organizations to exchange knowledge and best practices, with the shared goals of preparing workforce-ready graduates, enhancing the patient care experience, and advancing clinician well-being and health equity.
Held in-person concurrently at six member institution-hosted regional “Hub” locations, the Summits culminate in ASAHP’s National Exchange session (virtual) between all regional Hub participants. The National Exchange session sparks a collaborative nationwide conversation aimed at shaping a shared framework and effective strategies to strengthen interprofessional learning experiences, driving workforce readiness and enhanced patient outcomes.
“Workforce readiness begins with deeper alignment between academic institutions and the health care community,” said ASAHP President Jon Williamson, PhD, FASAHP, Dean, School of Health Professions, UT Southwestern Medical Center. “Convening educators and practitioners in the same forum allows us to uncover timely, solution-focused collaborations. Year after year, the Regional Summits have catalyzed partnerships and inspired curriculum innovation that supports ongoing improvement in clinical education.”
Elizabeth Swann, PhD, Professor and Director of Interprofessional Integration, Nova Southeastern University, who spearheaded the Regional Summits initiative added, “These Regional Summits provide a unique platform for fostering academic–industry connections at the local level. The National Exchange allows us to elevate the valuable dialogue that emerged from our Regional Summits into actionable national recommendations that advance workforce readiness and collaborative practice.”
The in-person Regional Summits will take place on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 from 12:00 Noon - 4:30 pm (ET)/11:00 am - 3:30 pm (CT)/10:00 am - 2:30 pm (MT) at the following six Hub site locations:
Cincinnati, OH - Hub: University of Cincinnati
Houston, TX - Hub: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, UT Medical Branch (UTMB), and UT at San Antonio
Ft. Myers, FL - Hub: Florida Gulf Coast University Marieb College of Health & Human Services and Nova Southeastern University
St. Louis, MO - Hub: Saint Louis University
Stony Brook, NY - Hub: Stony Brook University-School of Health Professions
Pittsburgh, PA - Hub: Duquesne University
Several healthcare hospital systems throughout the U.S will continue their participation at each of these Hub locations again this year.
ASAHP members and industry partners who are interested in participating may register here. The deadline for advance registration is May 8th and registration is limited.
About ASAHP
The Association of School Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) is a national professional organization of 130 universities and employers focused on critical issues affecting health professions education. ASAHP’s mission is to advance health professions education and discovery through interprofessional collaboration, leadership, excellence, and innovation. As much as 60% of the U.S. healthcare workforce may be classified as ‘health professions’ which are distinct from medicine, nursing, and dentistry, yet equally vital to the health and well-being of our society.
Contact:
Kristen Truong
kristen@asahp.org
Vice President of Public Affairs
ASAHP