Upcoming Live Webinars
Matthew Loscalzo Leadership Training Series 2026
Talking About What We Don’t Talk About: Leadership Skills for Everyone
Matthew Loscalzo Leadership Training Series 2026
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Program Description
Inspired by Professor Matthew Loscalzo, the founder of Supportive Care Medicine at City of Hope, the goal of this training series is to equip professionals with practical and actionable leadership skills that are beneficial across multi-level and multidisciplinary roles within health care systems. Whether you are in a formal leadership role or aspiring to one, these sessions offer real-world insights to enhance team collaboration, patient care, and organizational efficiency. Each webinar session addresses specific aspects of leading in complex environments, from understanding the essentials of health care leadership to fostering high-performance teams, to recognizing opportunities that support the work you do, to managing the isolation that leadership can bring, and more.
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By the end of the training series, participants will:
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- Develop Leadership Competencies: Equip professionals with practical leadership skills to enhance communication, collaboration, and decision-making across multidisciplinary teams.
- Foster Inclusive Leadership: Promote a culture of staff leadership, enabling participants to cultivate trust, efficiency, and accountability.
- Address Leadership Challenges: Provide strategies to manage the emotional and psychological challenges of leadership.
Intended Audience: Leadership skills for everyone
Format: Live webinars
*Live attendance is highly encouraged, but recordings will be available for missed sessions
Duration: 6 live webinars totaling 7.5 hours
Dates: June 16, 2026 – July 21, 2026
Price: No cost to participate, funded by training sponsorships and grants
Credit: CE credits upon completion of the program
Format: Live webinars
*Live attendance is highly encouraged, but recordings will be available for missed sessions
Duration: 6 live webinars totaling 7.5 hours
Dates: June 16, 2026 – July 21, 2026
Price: No cost to participate, funded by training sponsorships and grants
Credit: CE credits upon completion of the program
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Leadership Essentials in Health Care: Welcome and Program Introduction
Date and Time: Tuesday, June 16, 2026 10:00 am – 11:00 am (PT)
Faculty:

Karen Clark, MS
Director of Supportive Care Research and Training
Department of Supportive Care Medicine
City of Hope

Matthew Loscalzo, LCSW, APOS Fellow
Founding Executive Director, Department of Supportive Care Medicine & Couples Coping Together Against Cancer
Emeritus Professor Supportive Care Medicine
City of Hope
Course Description:
There can be no running away from leadership. All societies have leadership structures in place. Evolutionary imperatives and dramatic social successes demonstrate that individuals are almost always better off working together. Leadership matters as it influences how "followers" manage conflict, and as important, the ways teams work together. Health professionals, in particular, have the requisite humanistic values, judgement, knowledge of human behavior, and communication skills to be both: superb leaders and followers. Traditionally, leaders are those who are designated by institutions and are held accountable for creating effective systems of coordination and collective action, while followers are those not in recognized managerial positions. Leadership Essentials in Health Care challenges the antiquated way leadership is defined and offers specific leadership and team building interventions based on staff leadership.
Skills and Learning Objectives:
- Understand the power of engaging others through shared: Values-Benefits-Outcomes
- Tailor communications to engage colleagues at all levels of hierarchy
- Describe staff leadership based on democratic values
Preparing the Next Generation of Health Care Leaders: Systematic Strategies to Develop, Harness, and Nurture Leadership Skills
Date and Time: Thursday, June 18, 2026 1:00 pm – 2:30pm (PT)
Faculty:

Juee Kotwal, MBS, PMP
Senior Business Manager
Department of Supportive Care Medicine
City of Hope

Joanna Luna, MSN, FNP-C, ACHPN
Nurse Practitioner
Department of Supportive Care Medicine
City of Hope
Course Description:
Health professionals are skilled communicators, innovators, problem-solvers, and values-based decision makers who are seldom trained to recognize these inherent leadership skills. This session will share proven replicable strategies for developing and nurturing inherent leadership skills crucial to the success of our changing field. A Staff Leadership Model, in which every team member is empowered to be a leader that is deeply committed to shared values, outcomes, and personal accountability will be covered in this session. Participants will discuss practical team-based strategies to help colleagues at all levels think like leaders and specific strategies to build a culture of trust, inter-connection and shared wisdom. Through a blend of theoretical and practical approaches, participants will be able to identify key leadership traits, enhance team collaboration, and implement strategies to increase trust, efficiency, and accountability.
Skills and Learning Objectives:
- Identify and Cultivate Leadership Skills: Assess and develop key personal and professional leadership competencies to drive individual and team success.
- Apply Team-Based Interventions: Implement practical strategies to enhance trust, efficiency, and accountability within health care teams.
- Develop Systematic Leadership Approaches: Apply systematic strategies to nurture leadership potential within teams, fostering a culture of growth and collaboration.
Running an Effective Meeting: Evolution of a Small Group Process in a Multidisciplinary Health Care Environment
Date and Time: Wednesday, June 24, 2026 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm (PT)
Faculty:

Karen Clark, MS
Director of Supportive Care Research and Training
Department of Supportive Care Medicine
City of Hope

Eleana Liou, EdD, MPA, PHR
Research Business Director
Biorepository Operations
City of Hope

Dhruti Ramchandani, MPH, MASM, MCHES
Program Manager
Patient, Family and Community Education
Department of Supportive Care Medicine
City of Hope
Course Description:
This interactive session will provide professionals across multiple roles and levels with a comprehensive framework for running effective meetings, especially relevant in multidisciplinary health care environments. Participants will learn how to implement strategic team-building meeting processes to foster collaboration, accountability, and efficiency within their teams. Using real-world case scenarios, the lecture will highlight common challenges such as managing diverse perspectives, communication breakdowns, and maintaining focus on outcomes. The session will also include breakout group exercises, enabling participants to practice the small group methods learned, ensuring they can apply these strategies in their own multidisciplinary teams. The content is designed to enhance the
leadership skills of professionals in roles ranging from clinical to non-clinical, from front-line workers to senior management.
leadership skills of professionals in roles ranging from clinical to non-clinical, from front-line workers to senior management.
This session will equip participants with practical tools to lead more productive, inclusive, and outcome-focused meetings, driving excellence in patient care and team performance>
Skills and Learning Objectives:
- Apply effective small group meeting strategies that promote collaboration, accountability, and efficiency in multidisciplinary health care teams.
- Enhance communication and conflict resolution skills to foster trust, creativity, and alignment with core team values.
Imposter No More: Rewriting Your Leadership DNA
Date and Time: Wednesday, July 8, 2026 10:00 am -11:00 am (PT)
Faculty:

Heather Bitar, DO, FACOI
Clinical Director, Training and Education
Assistant Clinical Professor, Palliative Medicine
Department of Supportive Care Medicine
City of Hope

Joan Chan, BS
Associate Project Manager
Department of Supportive Care Medicine
City of Hope

Rita Ta, BS
Clinical Research Associate II
Department of Supportive Care Medicine
City of Hope
Course Description:
This interactive session explores how individuals can lead effectively, regardless of formal authority, by strengthening leadership skills, building confidence, and overcoming imposter syndrome. Through actionable insights and personal reflections from a panel of experts, participants will gain practical strategies to maximize their personal and professional impact.
Learning Objectives:
- Examine the prevalence, subtypes, and risks of imposter syndrome and how it manifests in leadership roles through shared experiences and reflection.
- Strengthen leadership confidence and effectiveness by applying actionable strategies and practical tools for influence, delegation, and collaboration.
- Reflect on and discuss strategies for managing leadership challenges, including imposter syndrome, within participants' own roles.
Loneliness of Leadership: Interview with Dr. Susan Block and Dr. William Dale
Date and Time: Wednesday, July 15, 2026 11:00 am – 12:00pm (PT)
Faculty:

William Dale, MD, PhD
Professor and Vice Chair of Academic Affairs, Dept of Supportive Care Medicine
George Tsai Family Chair in Geriatric Oncology in Honor of Arti Hurria, MD
Director, Center for Cancer and Aging
Co-Lead, Cancer and Aging Research Group
City of Hope

Susan Block, MD
Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital
Professor of Psychiatry and Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Course Description:
Join us for an intimate and thought-provoking discussion featuring two distinguished health care physician leaders as they explore the often overlooked and personal challenges of leadership, specifically the loneliness that comes with guiding teams and complex health care organizations. The conversation will delve into how leaders must strategize, cope, and manage their responsibilities in ways that are seldom openly discussed. These renowned leaders will share their personal insights on how they maintain resilience, cultivate support systems, and develop practices to sustain themselves and their teams. This session will provide a rare glimpse into the internal workings of leadership at the highest levels in health care, offering valuable lessons for leaders at all stages of their careers. This conversation is designed to evolve organically, allowing the physician leaders to take the discussion into unexplored territory as they share their unique experiences and insights.
Skills and Learning Objectives:
- Recognize the emotional and psychological challenges of leadership in health care.
- Examine strategies for resilience and responsibilities to oneself and others as a leader.
- Explore insights into building supportive networks, mitigate the loneliness of leadership, and strengthen organizational effectiveness.
Multidisciplinary Leadership Panel: Realities of Leadership in Everyday Health Care Roles
Date and Time: Tuesday, July 21, 2026 1:00-2:30 pm (PT)
Faculty:

Heather Bitar, DO, FACOI
Clinical Director, Training and Education
Assistant Clinical Professor, Palliative Medicine
Department of Supportive Care Medicine
City of Hope

Natalie Schnaitmann, LCSW
Executive Director
Department of Supportive Care Medicine
City of Hope

Leana Cabrera Chien, MSN, RN, GCNS-BC, GNP-BC
Nurse Practitioner (M.S.)
Center for Cancer & Aging
Department of Supportive Care Medicine
City of Hope

Jeanelle Folbrecht, Ph.D.
Clinical Professor
Chief, Division of Psychology
Program Director, Psycho-Oncology Fellowship
Department of Supportive Care Medicine
City of Hope

Lucia Lemus Meija, MSW, LCSW, ACHP-SW, OSW-C
Clinical Social Worker Lead
Department of Supportive Care Medicine
City of Hope
Course Description:
This discussion is designed for professionals at all stages of their leadership journey, offering insights and tools to enhance leadership effectiveness in
multidisciplinary health care environments. Join an engaging panel discussion chaired and moderated by City of Hope's Department of Supportive Care Medicine, Clinical Director of Training and Education, where healthcare leaders from various levels and disciplines will come together to discuss the practical realities of leadership in their everyday functions.
multidisciplinary health care environments. Join an engaging panel discussion chaired and moderated by City of Hope's Department of Supportive Care Medicine, Clinical Director of Training and Education, where healthcare leaders from various levels and disciplines will come together to discuss the practical realities of leadership in their everyday functions.
This forum will reinforce the key leadership skills and methods highlighted throughout this series, covering high-performance team dynamics, the staff leadership model, the isolation of leadership, generating outcomes, and the strategic development of leadership. Panelists will share personal experiences, best practices, and insights into navigating the complex challenges of health care leadership. The session will provide real-world examples and actionable strategies for developing, harnessing, and nurturing leadership capabilities across an organization. Participants will have the opportunity to send in questions, engage with the panel, and reflect on how to apply these principles within their own teams.
Skills and Learning Objectives:
- Reinforce essential leadership skills in building and managing high-performance health care teams (from sessions 1 and 2).
- Explore practical strategies for managing the loneliness of leadership and fostering collaboration across disciplines (from sessions 3 and 4).
