Keynote Sessions

Emergency physicians deeply understand how the last few years have forever changed where we work, who works, how we work and measure work, what we do for work and, most importantly, why we work. Future-of-work strategist Heather E. McGowan helps leaders prepare their teams and organizations for the post-pandemic world of work. 

She is a sense maker, a dot connector, a deep thinker, and a pattern matcher who sees things that others miss, and will translate that knowledge to the emergency medicine workforce during her opening session presentation.

In 2020, Ms. McGowan was recognized as one of the top 50 female futurists in the world by Forbes. In 2019, she was appointed as a faculty member of the Swinburne University Centre For the New Workforce in Melbourne, Australia. In 2022, McGowan was awarded an honorary doctorate from Pennsylvania College of Art and Design, in addition to earning her MBA from Babson College and her BFA in Industrial Design from Rhode Island School of Design.

Ms. McGowan is the co-editor and author of the book, Disrupt Together: How Teams Consistently Innovate and a Forbes contributor. Her first book on the future of work, The Adaptation Advantage: Let Go, Learn Fast, and Thrive in the Future of Work, reached number three in business management books on Amazon and was named one of the best business books of 2021 by Soundview. Her most recent book The Empathy Advantage: Leading the Empowered Workforce was published in March 2023 and was a finalist for the Next Big Idea Book Club, as well as a top ten business book to read in 2023 by Business Chief.