Running HR in a 24/7 Hospital: Stony Brook’s CHRO on Behavior-Based Leadership and AI

Connect with Colette Brown: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colettebrownhr/

Summary

How do you lead 10,000 caregivers across three shifts without losing consistency, compassion, or speed?

Colette Brown, Chief Human Resources Officer at Stony Brook University Hospital—the only Level I trauma center in Suffolk County and recently ranked #1 in New York for pediatric care and #7 in the nation—explains how her team supports a round-the-clock workforce.

Colette shares why leadership is the core challenge in healthcare HR and how to replace labels like “toxic” with pinpointed behaviors you can coach.

She walks through Stony Brook’s homegrown manager training (verbs over adjectives, real role-plays, and ER partnership) and how they prepare leaders for tough reactions while preserving empathy and fairness.

Colette also details their AI journey, including “Herbie,” a 24/7 HR chatbot built to handle high-volume, high-urgency questions—from leaves and timesheets to employment verifications—and why continuous monitoring matters.

Along the way, she reflects on COVID-era heroism, practical resilience, and career advice for rising HR leaders. Expect actionable tools for behavior-based leadership, self-service at scale, and using AI to reduce anxiety before investigations and difficult conversations.

Timestamps

[00:38] – Stony Brook’s footprint, rankings, and mission-driven culture

[01:56] – Why healthcare HR is hardest: 24/7 staffing and emotional labor

[04:44] – COVID heroism: SUNY Upstate nurses, community support, lasting lessons

[06:18] – 2026 priorities: leadership, fairness, and the “attitude trap”

[08:44] – From labels to behaviors: verbs, pinpointing, and practical training

[11:22] – Coaching managers: ER partnership and preparing for tough reactions

[15:12] – AI in HR: launching “Herbie,” the 24/7 HR chatbot

[17:58] – What employees ask most—and how self-service changes HR

Takeaways

- Replace labels with observable behaviors; coach using verbs and specific examples.

- Build manager capability with role-plays, scripts, and ER support to handle difficult reactions.

- Standardize fairness and consistency across shifts; set clear expectations and address issues early.

- Use AI to rehearse investigations and tough conversations to reduce anxiety and improve outcomes.

- Deploy a 24/7 HR chatbot; curate content, track trends, and continuously refine answers.

- Invest in caregiver well-being and resilience to sustain performance in a round-the-clock environment.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/