2026 Community of Human and Organizational Learning 32nd Annual Conference

Assorted Breakfast Pastries, Whole Fresh Fruit, Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Breakfast Potatoes, yogurt parfaits, frittata, steel cut oatmeal with toppings, pancakes with toppings 

RaDonda Vaught is a former BSN-prepared registered nurse, keynote speaker, safety advocate, and proponent of Human and Organizational Performance. Her experience became one of the most widely discussed healthcare criminal cases in recent years after a 2017 medication error resulted in a patient’s death and led to her 2022 conviction for criminally negligent homicide and gross neglect of an impaired adult. She holds a BSN and a Certificate in Leadership from Western Kentucky University.

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.

Ceasar salad, Family style assorted flatbread margherita and peperoni flatbread, penne pasta, balsamic roasted vegetables, grilled herb chicken, cannoli sugar cookies, tiramisu, coffee and teas 

This session builds on the legacy and continued value of the SIF Roundtable that was created over 10 years ago.  

Early on, members of the Roundtable recognized its role in advancing dialogue around preventing serious injuries and fatalities. Today, many of the companies that attend CHOL are similar in nature to the Roundtable members in that they operate in high-risk, complex industries where employees face significant exposure to serious injury events that may be life-threatening, life-altering, or life-ending. While the five principles of Human and Organizational Performance have served us well by establishing a strong mindset and framework for learning and improvement, there remains a need to articulate Serious Injury and Fatality principles that are fundamental to preventing the most severe outcomes. Traditional approaches to risk reduction remain valuable, but they are inherently limited in addressing the complexity and rapid rate of change that define today’s operating environments. These are not problems to be solved once and for all, but ongoing challenges to be addressed by building the prevention and resilience capabilities needed for continual learning and adaptation. In this panel-format session, we will explore these principles in a practical and engaging way, creating space for participants to share perspectives, challenge ideas, and contribute feedback in real time. The intended outcomes are designed to be relevant and actionable for all member companies, regardless of size or level of sophistication.