NEW NORTH, August 4, 2026 – The Healthcare Forward Symposium, a regional forum focused on the future of Wisconsin’s healthcare workforce, will be held Wednesday, August 5, from 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Culver Family Welcome Center, 625 Pearl Ave. on the UW-Oshkosh campus. Hosted by the NEW Healthcare Alliance in partnership with UWO, the event’s confirmed attendees include Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Secretary Amy Pechacek, along with prominent healthcare and education leaders from the New North region.

The symposium will explore challenges and opportunities related to digital transformation, emerging talent needs, rural healthcare, workforce innovation and regional collaboration. It brings together stakeholders committed to building a stronger, more resilient healthcare workforce throughout Northeast Wisconsin.

“Healthcare employers throughout Wisconsin continue to face workforce shortages amid evolving talent demands,” says Rebecca Deschane, overseer of the NEW Healthcare Alliance as vice president of talent development for New North Inc. “Bringing together healthcare leaders, educators, workforce experts and policymakers to engage in strategic discussions and identify collaborative solutions is the goal of the forum. The symposium also reflects a growing regional commitment to align healthcare employers, educational institutions, workforce organizations and economic-development partners around shared workforce priorities and long-term solutions.”

The formal program will begin at 8:15 a.m. with opening remarks from UW-Oshkosh Chancellor Dr. Manohar Singh and Dr. Ashok Rai, president and CEO of Prevea Health and a member of the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents.

“I recognize that healthcare organizations compete for patients, for contracts and – most relevant to the symposium – for the same people,” says Dr. Rai. “The distinction I’d offer is that, while we compete over the talent pool, we do not compete over the size of it. Recruiting from each other is zero-sum; growing the pipeline is not zero-sum. Upskilling and reskilling the people on our payrolls today – people who already live in our communities and aren’t planning to leave them – may be the fastest lever any of us in healthcare have.”

A keynote address – “Healthcare in the Digital Age” – will be shared by Matt Kures, community economic development specialist and researcher for the UW-Madison Division of Extension, followed by healthcare student perspectives. Strategic discussions on “Designing the Healthcare Workforce of the Future” and “Breaking System Bottlenecks,” along with an update on the NEW Healthcare Alliance, are highlights of the morning programming.

A panel on rural healthcare, moderated by Marie Barry of the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative, will take place in the afternoon. Panelists include Kristie McCoic of Froedtert ThedaCare Health, Dr. Ashwani Bhatia of BayCare Clinic and DWD’s Pechacek.

“There is real urgency in addressing Wisconsin’s healthcare workforce challenges. We can meet these challenges through collaborative, regional solutions that feature cross-sector partnerships,” says Seon Yoon Chung, dean of the Mary Novak-Jandrey College of Nursing, Health Professions and STEM at UWO and a member of the NEW Healthcare Alliance steering committee. “It is critical to open talent pathways that support recruitment, retention, upskilling and career advancement across healthcare occupations.

“As healthcare continues to evolve in a digital age shaped by emerging technologies, we must also prepare professionals to succeed in technology-enabled care environments. UW-Oshkosh stands ready to be an engaged workforce development partner, leveraging our strengths in healthcare, STEM, innovation and industry collaboration to help grow the talent pipeline and meet the workforce needs of Wisconsin’s communities.”

Those still interested in attending can contact Deschane at rebecca.deschane@thenewnorth.com.

The NEW Healthcare Alliance was formed in 2026 to strengthen the healthcare ecosystem within the New North region through collaboration between healthcare professionals, organizations and community partners using shared expertise.