DEADLINE: April 30, 2026 at 12 p.m.
Day 1: Wednesday, May 6, 12pm–3:30pm (EDT)
Day 2: Thursday, May 7, 12pm–3:30pm (EDT)
This year's conference will include presentations on patient priorities and communication, the ethics of surrogate decision making, as well as addressing weight stigma, bias and treatment considerations.
Types of certificates offered: Continuing Medical Education, Nursing CE, Social Work CE, Pharmacy CE, Registered Dietitian CPEU, Certificate of Completion. Please view the agenda here for more details. (Please login to register and view documents)
The learner must have an approved and active MICMT account, be registered individually ahead of the session, and join by using their own device to login on the day to be counted as attended.
Wednesday, May 6
Welcome/When Communication Heals: Why Your Words Are as Critical as Any Clinical Intervention
12:00 p.m. 1:10 p.m. [Day1, Session 1]
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Welcome (12:00 p.m. – 12:10 p.m.)
Julie Wietzke, MHSA, MLS
Administrative Director
MICMT
When Communication Heals: Why Your Words Are as Critical as Any Clinical Intervention (12:10 p.m. – 1:10 p.m.)
When we understand that stressed brains cannot process information the same way calm brains can, we can design our team communication to work with rather than against human neurobiology—resulting in fewer errors, better patient outcomes, and healthier care teams. My talk challenges care teams to recognize that communication is not merely a "soft skill" for coordinating care—it is a biological intervention with measurable impacts on patient outcomes, team effectiveness, and clinician wellbeing. Drawing on neuroscience, public health, and 20 years as a health communication professor, this session demonstrates how we communicate in high-stress, high-stakes team environments can literally save lives or cost them.
Malynnda Stewart, PhD, BCPA
CEO, Conflict Mediation Consultant, Patient Advocate, Health Communication Educator
Compassionate Navigation
Patient Priorities Care: My Work and Family Experience
1:20 p.m. 2:20 p.m. [Day 1, Session 2]
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Patient Priorities Care is an evidence-based approach for identifying patients’ health priorities and aligning decision-making and care to those priorities. This approach helps patients be active partners in their health care decisions. Patient Priorities Care improves communications among patients, clinicians, and care partners by ensuring everyone is focused on the same outcomes. The presenter, a physician, will share her work and family experience with Patient Priorities Care and demonstrate how it can be used as part of team-based care.
Grace Jenq, MD
Clinical Domain Officer for Primary Care and Post-Acute Care and Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine
University of Michigan Medical School
Who Decides, and to What Extent? Applying Ethical Frameworks to Decision Making
2:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m. [Day 1, Session 3]
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Healthcare professionals frequently encounter situations where patients are unable to make decisions on their own, requiring reliance on a surrogate decision-maker. These scenarios present complex legal, ethical, and emotional challenges. This session will examine the legal and ethical principles that guide surrogate decision-making and outline the responsibilities of healthcare professionals in safeguarding patient rights during periods of impaired capacity. Participants will gain practical strategies, decision-making frameworks, and effective communication techniques to ensure choices reflect the patient’s values and best interests, ultimately enhancing support for both patients and their surrogates.
Stephanie Van Slyke, MS-Bioethics, BA, RN, HEC-C
Sr. Coordinator of Ethics
Patient Care Manager
Munson Medical Center
Thursday, May 7
Healthcare for Every Body – Caring for Higher Weight Patients
12:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. [Day 2, Session 1]
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A comprehensive look at what research and lived experience tell us about the best ways to care for higher weight patients, the ways that weight stigma impacts healthcare from research to direct care, and what healthcare providers can do to make sure that they are providing the highest level of evidence-based, ethical care to their higher-weight patients.
Ragen Chastain, MEd
Healthcare Speaker, Writer, Researcher, Board Certified Patient Advocate
Sized for Success
Beyond the Scale: Team-Based Approaches to Preventing and Managing Pediatric Eating Disorders
1:10 p.m. 2:10 p.m.
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Eating disorders affect youth across all body sizes, genders, and races—yet most go undiagnosed until medical complications arise. In this interactive session, learn how every member of the care team plays a vital role in prevention, early detection, and treatment of pediatric eating disorders. Discover practical motivational interviewing techniques to engage patients and families in weight-sensitive conversations, establish clear team communication pathways, and implement evidence-based screening strategies that challenge weight bias. Walk away with actionable tools to support young patients and their families from your unique role on the care team.
V. Bernadene Stoody, MD, MSc
Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine
Department of Pediatrics
University of Michigan Medical School
First Do No Harm: HAES Informed Conversations About Weight and Health/Closing
2:20 p.m. 3:30 p.m. [Day 2, Session 3]
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First Do No Harm: HAES Informed Conversations About Weight and Health (2:20 p.m. 3:20 p.m.)
This presentation supports physicians, healthcare, and health-allied providers in improving client care as it relates to conversations about weight and health. Grounded in Health at Every Size® (HAES) principles, it offers practical guidance for discussing weight and health outcomes without reinforcing weight stigma or bias, while preserving trust and strengthening the provider–patient relationship.
Anna Flores, DCN, MSN, CNS
Co-Founder and Executive Director of Authenticity Recovery, Doctor of Clinical Nutrition
Authenticity Recovery LLC
Justyne Ortquist, MS, MEd
Co-founder and Clinical Director of Authenticity Recovery, Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC Supervisor, Trauma-Informed Yoga Instructor
Authenticity Recovery LLC
Closing (3:20 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.)
Julie Wietzke, MHSA, MLS
Administrative Director
MICMT
Conference Agenda and Flyer