2026 Community of Human and Organizational Learning 32nd Annual Conference

RaDonda Vaught was the subject of one of the highest profile healthcare criminal cases in recent years.  She holds a BSN and a Certificate in Leadership from Western Kentucky University. While working as a BSN prepared registered nurse, Mrs. Vaught committed a medication error that ended the life of a patient in 2017.  


She was charged under administrative law by the Tennessee Department of Health, leading to the revocation of her nursing license by the Tennessee Board of Nursing in a July 2021 hearing.  Additionally, she was charged under criminal law and found guilty by jury trial of two felony charges in March of 2022: Negligent Homicide, and Abuse of an Impaired Adult, with placement on an Elder Abuse registry in the state of Tennessee. 


Mrs. Vaught is uniquely qualified to speak first hand on the impact this sentinel event has had on her life and her profession, along with the implications of the legal actions that followed.  A passionate advocate for safety and improvement, her story will be one that is not easily forgotten. 

Theories are boring. Facts lack dimension. Rules distance people.  Stories, on the other hand, are one of the most powerful ways to describe nuance, invite curiosity, build interest and change behavior. This presentation will examine the power of the story, the oldest tool of influence in human history, in the quest to improve safety, and illustrate how common themes of children’s bedtime stories can explain the transition from traditional to modern approaches of safety improvement.

In October 2024, I underwent a heart transplant after a long and complex battle with heart failure. What no one expected was what came next: when my heart was removed, surgeons discovered a large, cancerous sarcoma — a one‑in‑ten‑million finding that had gone undetected through years of testing, procedures, and clinical assumptions. This presentation uses my medical journey as a real‑world case study in how deeply held paradigms can shape — and sometimes limit — human judgment, even among highly skilled professionals.
For two years, I was treated for Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD), a condition expected to heal in months. Despite ten heart attacks, bypass surgery, and mounting evidence that the diagnosis didn’t fit, the paradigm held. My experience illustrates how cognitive anchors, organizational norms, and diagnostic momentum can prevent teams from seeing emerging information clearly. These same dynamics appear in every industry: when people lock onto a narrative, contradictory signals are often minimized or missed.
Through this deeply personal story, participants will explore how to recognize paradigm traps, create space for dissenting data, and build cultures where learning from anomalies is not just encouraged but expected. The session also highlights the profound gift of organ donation — the reason I am here to share this journey — and invites attendees to consider the life‑changing impact donors make.
Attendees will leave with renewed insight into how human beings interpret information, how organizations can better support adaptive thinking, and how embracing uncertainty can lead to better decisions, better outcomes, and, sometimes, a second chance at life.

Preventing serious injuries and fatalities demands more than compliance—it requires shared learning, courageous dialogue, and a committed community of practice. Now entering its tenth year, the Serious Injury and Fatality (SIF) Roundtable has brought together practitioners and senior leaders from diverse sectors including Pharmaceuticals, Energy, Heavy Industry, Construction, Healthcare, and Manufacturing to advance thought leadership and practical solutions for SIF prevention.  Our goal of offering the SIF Roundtable at this year’s CHOLearning conference is to build on the legacy of the SIF Roundtable and expand its reach to a new group committed to the same goal.