Around 40,000 babies each year in the United States are born with a significant congenital heart condition. About one in four of these babies has a critical congenital heart defect that requires immediate surgical or medical intervention within the first year of life. OSF Innovation is helping surgeons at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois find new ways to bring hope for the smallest patients.

Join us as we discuss the work of OSF pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon Harma Turbendian, MD, who is dedicated to improving care for children with complex heart defects by advancing novel, research-driven surgical approaches. He is working on two concepts. One involves refining the Fontan procedure by incorporating a partial heart transplant to create a pulsatile conduit that could improve blood flow and reduce venous congestion. He’s also working to develop a heart simulator powered by artificial muscle technology. This device aims to better replicate the beating of a human heart, offering a more realistic and effective training tool for device testing, procedure simulation and teaching.

Host Shelli Dankoff chats with Dr. Turbendian about the future of these innovations and the importance of collaboration within and outside of OSF to bring new concepts like these to life.

Speaker highlights:

Harma Turbendian, MD

Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgeon

OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois

Connect with us at www.osfhealthcare.org/accelerated

Nurses are the heart of health care, but the profession continues to face challenges with burnout and emotional exhaustion. At OSF HealthCare, leaders are finding new ways to support and empower nurses.

Join us as we discuss the Nursing Innovation Fellowship. This three-year program equips experienced nurses to think creatively, collaborate across disciplines and lead change while staying close to the patients they serve. Fellows learn to assess their practice, identify opportunities for improvement and apply innovation in real time. Along the way, they grow from fellows to mentors to innovators, helping shape a culture of curiosity and continuous improvement across the Ministry.

Host Shelli Dankoff chats with Melinda Cooling, DNP, MBA, FAANP, chief nurse and advanced practice provider executive and Nikki Graham, DNP, RN, vice president of clinical excellence, about how the fellowship is helping nurses find renewed purpose and drive meaningful change that benefits both caregivers and patients.

Speaker highlights:

Melinda Cooling, DNP, MBA, FAANP

Chief Nurse and Advanced Practice Provider Executive

OSF HealthCare

Nikki Graham, DNP, RN

Vice President, Clinical Excellence

OSF HealthCare

Connect with us at www.osfhealthcare.org/accelerated

For more than a decade, the Advanced Imaging and Modeling (AIM) Lab at OSF Innovation has been creating 3D printed heart models to help surgeons plan complex procedures. Now, the team has taken a major leap forward, developing the nation’s only automated process for creating 4D beating heart models from CT scans.

Join us as we discuss how 4D hearts are changing surgical planning, improving patient outcomes and drawing attention from hospitals across the country. Using machine learning to segment and stitch together time-sequenced 3D images, the AIM Lab has transformed static visuals into dynamic digital twins that replicate every phase of a patient’s cardiac cycle. What once took months of manual work can now be generated with a single click, giving surgeons unprecedented insight into both anatomy and function.

Host Shelli Dankoff chats with Matthew Bramlet, MD, a pediatric cardiologist and director of the Advanced Imaging and Modeling Lab for OSF HealthCare, about how the technology works, the role of academic partnerships in making it possible and what the future of 4D modeling could mean for both providers and patients.

Speaker highlights:

Matthew Bramlet, MD

Pediatric Cardiologist

Director, Advanced Imaging and Modeling Lab

OSF HealthCare

Connect with us at www.osfhealthcare.org/accelerated

Sometimes being innovative means reimagining everyday challenges, like finding a way for kids with central venous ports to safely stay active. That’s exactly what an exercise physiologist at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois and engineer at OSF Innovation Studio did when they created PortGuard, a breakthrough protective device designed to safeguard ports during play, sports and movement.

Join us as we share the development of PortGuard, a device designed to protect medication ports so kids can stay active. For one young girl, who once had to pause her favorite activities after receiving a central venous port, PortGuard means she can safely get back to doing what she loves. Like her, many children will be able to enjoy life with fewer worries about protecting their ports when using this innovative device.

Host Shelli Dankoff chats with Nick Kemp, exercise physiologist at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois and Reid Jockisch, innovation engineer at OSF Innovation about their impactful work and what it means for children facing challenges with medication ports.  

Speaker highlights:

Nick Kemp

Exercise Physiologist

OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois

Reid Jockisch

Innovation Engineer

OSF Innovation

Connect with us at www.osfhealthcare.org/accelerated

Being innovative sometimes means being willing to do something different, like using a device in a way it hasn’t been used before. That’s exactly what a team at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois in Peoria did to save a young child’s life.

Join us as we share the story of a groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind surgery: the successful implantation of an extravascular implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (EV-ICD) in a toddler, the youngest and smallest patient in the world to receive this device.  After suffering cardiac arrest at home, the child was diagnosed with Brugada syndrome, a rare genetic condition that causes life-threatening heart arrhythmias. The innovative procedure not only saved the child's life but also set a new global precedent for how the EV-ICD can be used in younger, smaller patients.

Host Shelli Dankoff chats with Mark Plunkett, MD, chief of pediatric and congenital heart surgery at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois, and Sunita Ferns, MD, director of pediatric and adult congenital electrophysiology at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois, about the extraordinary work of their team and what this means for the future of treating pediatric arrhythmia patients.

Speaker highlights:

Mark Plunkett, MD,

Chief, Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery

OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois

Sunita Ferns, MD

Director, Pediatric and Adult Congenital Electrophysiology

OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois

Connect with us at www.osfhealthcare.org/accelerated

Succession planning for any organization can present opportunities and, sometimes, challenges. OSF HealthCare has recently undergone leadership changes with an eye to the future.

Host Shelli Dankoff chats with OSF executives Michelle Conger, president, Kirsten Largent, chief financial officer, and Emily Shields, chief strategy officer, about how they are helping guide OSF into the future, grounded in Mission and driven by innovation.

Join us as we discuss their new roles at OSF, highlighting the organization's commitment to developing leaders from within. The conversation touches on each leader’s career journey, the challenges they’ve overcome, especially as women in health care, and how their personal and professional experiences shape their leadership styles. They also reflect on the inspiration drawn from the Sisters who founded OSF and share insights into balancing life beyond the workplace. As they look ahead, they discuss the challenges and opportunities facing OSF and offer advice they’d give their younger selves.

Speaker highlights:

Michelle Conger

President

OSF HealthCare

Kirsten Largent

Chief Financial Officer

OSF HealthCare

Emily Shields

Chief Strategy Officer

OSF HealthCare

Connect with us at www.osfhealthcare.org/accelerated

Relax, it’s not brain surgery.” We’ve all heard the phrase used to downplay difficulty. It’s become shorthand for tasks that don’t require extraordinary precision or have life-altering consequences, but when it actually is brain surgery, every millimeter matters.  OSF HealthCare is pioneering an innovative new way to remove brain tumors with NeuroBlate.

Join us as we explore how this new, minimally invasive tool can provide ease and comfort to those experiencing brain lesions or unwanted tissue associated with tumors. Unlike traditional surgery, NeuroBlate uses an MRI-guided probe to create a small opening in the skull to robotically deliver laser light energy to destroy the affected tissue. We’ll discuss just how minimally invasive this procedure can be and what recovery looks like.

Host Shelli Dankoff chats with Andrew Tsung, MD, vice president at OSF HealthCare Illinois Neurological Institute, about NeuroBlate. They’ll explore how the new tool is transforming the landscape of safe and accessible brain surgeries.  

Speaker highlights:

Andrew Tsung, MD

Vice President

OSF HealthCare Illinois Neurological Institute

Connect with us at www.osfhealthcare.org/accelerated

The 17th-century proverb goes, “A stitch in time saves nine.” It’s a metaphor that suggests that addressing an issue right away can prevent it from escalating into a bigger, more costly, or more difficult problem later. It’s a reminder to be proactive and to take care of problems before they become overwhelming. That proverb is the perfect lens through which to view the pilot of DAX Copilot at OSF HealthCare.

Join us as we explore how this generative AI technology is becoming an essential “stitch in time” for clinicians, easing the burden of documentation and giving time back to providers. It utilizes ambient listening to capture patient-clinician conversations, generate summaries and integrate with electronic medical records. We’ll reflect on the journey that began more than a year ago with the introduction of DAX Copilot and share early results from the pilot, including promising data on time savings and provider satisfaction.

Host Shelli Dankoff chats with Tyler Fitch, MD, chief medical information officer for OSF HealthCare/Pointcore, about lessons learned and next steps. We’ll also hear firsthand from two early adopters: Jenna Dionisio, DO, a primary care physician, and Ami Dose, APRN, a family nurse practitioner with OSF Medical Group – Primary Care. They discuss how DAX Copilot works during patient visits, the positive feedback they’ve received and the tangible impact it’s made on their day-to-day workflows.

Speaker highlight:

Tyler Fitch, MD

Chief Medical Information Officer

OSF HealthCare/Pointcore

Jenna Dionisio, DO

Physician

OSF Medical Group – Primary Care

Ami Dose, APRN

Nurse Practitioner

OSF Medical Group – Primary Care

Connect with us at www.osfhealthcare.org/accelerated

The medical community is connected across the country and beyond in many ways. It’s how medical innovations and advances are shared, celebrated and learned from. That’s true here in Central Illinois, a hub for groundbreaking pediatric heart care, thanks to innovative technologies and collaboration with world-class experts.

Join us as we discuss pediatric heart care with two renowned pediatric cardiac surgeons. One got his start in Central Illinois; the other is sharing his talents right here at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois. This episode is a compelling look at how expertise, history and forward-thinking unite to shape better outcomes for children with complex heart conditions.

Host Shelli Dankoff chats with Joseph Turek, MD, PhD, chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery at Duke Health, and Mark Plunkett, MD, chief of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois. They discuss recent advancements at their respective institutions, including Dr. Turek’s pioneering work in performing the first living mitral valve replacement in a child, and Dr. Plunkett’s milestone as part of the first surgical team to implant an EV-ICD in a child — a device previously used only in adults. They share insights on how programs prepare for groundbreaking work and reflect on what’s ahead in the future of pediatric heart surgery, emphasizing the importance of continued innovation and collaboration.

Speaker highlight:

Joseph Turek, MD, PhD

Chief, Pediatric Cardiac Surgery

Duke Health

Mark Plunkett, MD

Chief, Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery

OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois

Connect with us at www.osfhealthcare.org/accelerated

Most people now know how telehealth and virtual care have transformed health care but are you familiar with virtual nursing?

Join us as we discuss what virtual nursing is (and what it isn’t) and the real benefits it’s delivering for patients, bedside nurses and the broader health care system. Using virtual nurses for admission and discharge is saving patients time, freeing up bedside nurses to focus on direct care, improving documentation and creating better patient experiences, all while helping OSF HealthCare build a more sustainable future for hospital care.

Host Shelli Dankoff chats with Jennifer Croland, DNP, RN, NE-BC, vice president and chief nursing officer at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center, and Brandi Clark, vice president of Digital Care for OSF OnCall, to explore this new and innovative model of care.

Speaker highlight:

Jennifer Croland. DNP, RN, NE-BC

Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer

OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center

Brandi Clark, MS

Vice President, Digital Care

OSF OnCall

Connect with us at www.osfhealthcare.org/accelerated