Every course follows the same rhythm: online module (self-paced, Sundays) > in-person evening session (3 hrs, networking and panel) > in-person full-day session (10 hrs). Each course builds toward a single capstone deliverable that advances your real organizational initiative.
Course Descriptions
Program Kickoff: Ignition
Evening: Oct 1, 2026 · Full day: Oct 2, 2026
The DRIVE program opens not with orientation, but with ignition. Before a single course begins, participants spend an evening in genuine dialogue with some of the most consequential leaders in regional healthcare—a conversation about what is broken, what transformation actually demands, and where real hope lives in a system under pressure. The following day deepens that charge: a full day of experiential work that builds the analytical instincts, peer relationships, and coaching connections that will carry participants through the year ahead. By the time the kickoff closes, the cohort has not simply been welcomed into a program—they have been invited into a community with a shared purpose, equipped with tools they will use immediately, matched with the project coaches who will accompany their work, and sent forward with the urgency and clarity that everything else in the program is designed to build on. The opening is not a preview of the DRIVE experience. It is the first step of it.
Course 1: Leadership & Purpose
Online: Oct 4, 2026 · Evening: Oct 29, 2026 · Full day: Oct 30, 2026
Effective transformation begins with a clear and shared sense of purpose. Participants examine what drives organizational change, how leaders build genuine commitment rather than compliance, and how to assess cultural and structural readiness. Participants identify a real challenge from their own institution and begin scoping it as their Strategic Initiative—the focus that runs through all eight courses.
Strategic Initiative deliverable: Problem statement rooted in organizational mission; stakeholder and scope map.
Course 2: Diagnose: Where are we now?
Online: Nov 1, 2026 · Evening: Dec 3, 2026 · Full day: Dec 4, 2026
Before designing a solution, leaders must understand the problem precisely. This course equips participants with diagnostic tools to gather meaningful data from clinicians, patients, staff, and operational workflows—moving from surface symptoms to the systemic factors driving their challenge, replacing assumption with evidence.
Strategic Initiative deliverable: Data collection plan identifying key sources including EHR data, patient satisfaction results, and cultural indicators.
Course 3: Diagnose: Reflection & analysis
Online: Dec 6, 2026 · Evening: Jan 14, 2027 · Full day: Jan 15, 2027
Collecting data is only the beginning. This course focuses on making sense of what participants have found—identifying patterns, root causes, and financial implications. Using strategic frameworks and financial diagnostics, participants move from raw information to clear insight and present a credible picture of why the problem exists and what it costs the organization.
Strategic Initiative deliverable: Analysis of findings brief identifying root causes, strategic implications, and financial considerations.
Course 4: Design: Developing an action plan
Online: Jan 17, 2027 · Evening: Feb 11, 2027 · Full day: Feb 12, 2027
With the problem clearly defined, this course shifts to designing a response. Participants develop concrete strategies aligned with their organization's mission and resources, build a business case for their proposed approach, and create a communication plan that brings stakeholders along. Financial viability and operational fit are central considerations throughout.
Strategic Initiative deliverable: Strategic plan with goals, communication plan, resource requirements, and a preliminary financial projection.
Course 5: Implement: Executing the plan
Online: Feb 14, 2027 · Evening: Mar 11, 2027 · Full day: Mar 12, 2027
Strategy meets reality in execution. This course addresses the practical challenges of implementing change in healthcare settings—managing resistance, coordinating across clinical and administrative teams, and navigating the operational constraints every organization faces.
Strategic Initiative deliverable: Detailed implementation plan including timeline, staffing, resources, and a resistance management strategy.
Course 6: Implement: Monitoring & iteration
Online: Mar 14, 2027 · Evening: Apr 8, 2027 · Full day: Apr 9, 2027
No implementation goes exactly as planned. This course focuses on building the agility to monitor progress, identify what is and is not working, and make informed adjustments in real time. Participants learn to treat emerging data as a resource rather than a complication and embed continuous improvement into their change process.
Strategic Initiative deliverable: Refined implementation plan and monitoring framework tracking performance and lessons learned.
Course 7: Evaluate: Synthesizing results & systemic implications
Online: Apr 11, 2027 · Evening: May 6, 2027 · Full day: May 7, 2027
Results matter—but so does what they mean. This course focuses on integrating all data and experience into clear, honest conclusions about what the initiative achieved, where it fell short, and what it reveals about the organization as a system. Participants connect outcomes to broader strategic, financial, and cultural implications.
Strategic Initiative deliverable: Synthesized findings and systemic implications report.
Course 8: Evaluate: Presentation & executive brief
Online: May 9, 2027 · Evening: Jun 3, 2027 · Full day: Jun 4, 2027
The final course prepares participants to communicate their work with clarity and confidence to any audience. Participants craft a professional presentation and concise executive brief that tell the complete story of their initiative: the problem, the approach, the results, and the path forward.
Strategic Initiative deliverable: Finalized Strategic Initiative report, executive brief, and formal presentation delivered to a distinguished panel.
Program close
After nine months of rigorous work, participants stand before a distinguished panel, their own organizational leaders, and their peers to present evidence-based proposals for real change.