The biggest medical liability risks facing health care right now — and what experts are watching next
The 2026 Crittenden Medical Liability Conference is scheduled for April 15–17, at the Hyatt Regency Savannah in Savannah, Georgia, offering More
Crittenden Medical Liability Conference
April 15-17, 2026 | Hyatt Regency, Savannah, GA
Conference Lineup
Please note – all information in the agenda is subject to change as we continue to add more speakers.
Wednesday, April 15
Thursday, April 16
Friday, April 17
Wednesday, April 15
10:00 am
📋 Registration Opens
Registration Desk is located at the top of the elevator on the second floor, near the pre-function space
Check-in begins at 10:00 am. Have your confirmation ready for a smooth check-in experience and get excited for the next three days!
1:00-2:15pm
Opening Reception
PREFUNCTION SPACE
New and returning attendees are welcome to the Opening Reception, designed to help first-time participants network, connect with others and ease into the conference in a welcoming atmosphere.
2:30-3:30pm
✅ Risk
VERELST/PERCIVAL/VERNON
The risk manager’s blind spot: Clinical exposures that undermine coverage
A focused look at how clinical exposures can create unseen coverage risks, and what risk managers can do about them.
Moderator: Catherine Jones, CEO, Risk Transitions Healthcare Risk Management Company, LLC
Lisa Turman, Senior Clinical Risk Manager, Grady Health System
Erica Ladler, Risk Manager, Joseph M. Cleland Atlanta VA Medical Center
David Ferrainolo, Founder and Attorney, Ferrainolo Allen
✅ Claims/Legal
BALLROOM ABC
Bad faith and medical liability: Avoiding large verdict pitfalls
Rising nuclear verdicts have increased scrutiny of settlement decisions in medical malpractice cases. Attorneys and claims leaders examine bad faith exposure, how professional liability differs from other lines, and key legal developments to watch.
Moderator: Daniel Huff, Founding Partner, Huff Powell Bailey, LLC
Joseph Sheahan, National Claims Division Manager, MedPro Group
Tanya Springman, VP, Head of Healthcare Liability Claims, QBE North America
3:45-5:00 pm
🔑 Opening Keynote
Hot topics and emerging risks in medical professional liability
BALLROOM ABC
Industry leaders from claims, underwriting and clinical practice examine the key trends reshaping medical professional liability, from social inflation and nuclear verdicts to evolving care models and regulatory change.
Moderator: Graham Billingham, MD, FACEP, FAAEM, Chief Medical Officer, MedPro
Tim Zawacki, Principal Research Analyst, S&P Global Market
Brant Poling, Attorney, Poling Law
Paul Greve, Senior Director, Healthcare Risk Solutions, Markel Specialty
5:00-6:30 pm
🍸 Cocktail Party & Networking Party
PREFUNCTION SPACE
Join us for a relaxed evening with tasty cocktails, delicious bites and fantastic networking opportunities. It’s the perfect chance to connect in a social setting and enjoy a fun-filled atmosphere before getting dinner.
Thursday, April 16
8:00-9:30 am
HARBORSIDE BALLROOM
Farm-to-Table breakfast buffet
Roudtable: AI in Healthcare – Innovation, Liability, and Risk.
Hosted by Wicker Smith with speakers John Floyd, Sr. and John Floyd, Jr.
9:00-10:00 am
✅ Risk
BALLROOM ABC
SAM safety: Profile of a highly protective health system
Using real-world assessments, this session examines how leading health systems identify and address sexual abuse and molestation risks, and where unexpected gaps often emerge.
Moderator: Bob Allen, President, Pro-Axis
Madison Edwards, Executive Vice President of Clinical Risk Services, OmniSure
✅ Claims/Legal
BALLROOM DEF
When to try, When to settle: Avoiding the pitfalls of undervaluing medical claims
Undervaluing medical claims can lead to costly surprises at trial. This session explores how and why it happens, how to recognize the warning signs, and when settlement may be the better path.
Moderator: Ben Newman, Mediator & Arbitrator, Newman ADR
Dominique Bartholet, Mediator, Bartholet Mediation
Marcie Stacks, Vice President of Claims, MedPro
Joseph Menello, Partern, Wicker Smith
✅ Underwriting
VERELST/PERCIVAL/VERNON
Virtual care, Real risk: The evolving underwriter’s View of telemedicine
This session explores how telemedicine is reshaping medical liability risk from an underwriting perspective, with a focus on emerging claim trends, regulatory challenges and practical approaches to assessing virtual care exposure.
Moderator: Mandy Murphy, Executive Underwriter, Team Lead, Admiral Insurance Group
Julia Soda, VP & Segment Lead, Medical Facilities Underwriting, TDC Specialty
Mary-Lynn Ryan, Senior Risk Management Consultant, ProAssurance
Kevin Luna, Digital Health – Senior Underwriter, HudsonPro
10:15-11:15 am
✅ Risk
VERELST/PERCIVAL/VERNON
Patient portals: The benefits and legal risks
Patient portals improve access and communication, but they also introduce legal and liability risks. This session examines common exposure areas, from messaging and response times to documentation and data security.
Moderator: Gina Kittek, System Director, Risk Management & Corporate Compliance, United Health Services
Melissa Dziak, Shareholder, Marshall Dennehey
Robert Aldrich, III, Shareholder, Marshall Dennehey
✅ Claims/Legal
BALLROOM DEF
Trial tactics: Meeting emotion with emotion in medical liability cases
Moderator: Drew Graham, Partner, Hall Booth Smith, P.C.
Suzanne Blundi, President, MMC Risk Consultants
Courtney Koch, Head of Excell and Healthcare Claims, Tokio Marine
Linda Fulop-Slaughter, VP and Head of Healthcare Claims, Sompo
Dan Phillips, Managing Director, Marsh
✅ Underwriting
BALLROOM ABC
Navigating jurisdictional impact on sexual abuse insurance in healthcare
A panel discussion on how jurisdictional differences across the U.S. affect sexual abuse insurance coverage, underwriting decisions and risk management for healthcare organizations operating in multiple states.
Moderator: Ben Accardo, Underwriting Manager | US Safeguard – Beazley
Candace Collins, Global Safeguarding Managing Director, Gallagher
Michelle Foster Earle, President and CEO, OmniSure
Emily Vance, Partner, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
11:30-12:30 pm
✅ Risk
BALLROOM ABC
Current trends in medical malpractice driving alternative risk growth
This session examines the medical malpractice trends driving growth in alternative risk strategies, including rising claim severity, technology-related exposure and a hardening insurance market.
Moderator: John Upright, ARM, Senior Vice President, Healthcare Practice Leader, Lockton Companies
Gina Kittek, System Director, Risk Management & Corporate Compliance, United Health Services
Nita Blevens, Division Vice President, Insurance Administration, ScionHealth
Lisa Wall, Executive Consultant, Lockton Alternative Risk Solutions
✅ Claims/Legal
BALLROOM DEF
Litigation funding in medical liability: Rising costs, emerging solutions
As litigation funding expands in medical liability, this session explores its impact on claim duration, settlement dynamics and defense costs, along with emerging strategies to manage the risk.
Moderator: Mario Giannettino, Partner, Kaufman Borgeest & Ryan LLP
Remi Stone, Assistant Vice President, Government Relations The Doctors Company
Bill Bower, Executive Vice President and Healthcare Vertical Leader, Gallagher Bassett
Hugh Harris, Partner, Wicker Smith
✅ Underwriting
VERELST/PERCIVAL/VERNON
Pricing risk in the modern era: Data, metrics and market forces shaping underwriting
Actuaries and underwriters are balancing new data sources with shifting market forces. This session explores the metrics, trends and pressures influencing pricing models and decisions in medical professional liability.
Moderator: Brian Kern, Principal, OneDigital
Amanda McHale, Vice Presdient of International Underwriting, Coverys
Bill Burns, Vice President of Research, MPL Association
Dr. Marc Granson, Founder and Chief Quality Officer, SurgeonCheck
12:45-2:15 pm
HARBORSIDE BALLROOM
Networking Luncheon
Join fellow attendees for lunch and informal networking with peers across the medical professional liability industry. Serving a Southern Pride lunch buffet.
2:30-3:30 pm
✅ Risk
BALLROOM DEF
Home care and hospital-at-home: Expanding care, expanding risk
This session explores how home-based and hospital-at-home models are expanding medical liability exposure, with practical insight into identifying and managing emerging risks outside traditional care settings.
Moderator: Hala Helm, Managing Director and Strategic Healthcare Risk Advisor, Marsh
Randall Jenkins, President, Healthcare Education Insurance Company (HEIC), Clinical Associate Professor, University of Florida
Tatum O’Sullivan, Healthcare Loss Control Expert, Munich Re
✅ Risk
VERELST/PERCIVAL/VERNON
Importance of teamwork and psychological safety in preventing medical errors
Effective teamwork and a culture of psychological safety play a critical role in preventing medical errors. This session examines how these factors influence outcomes and reduce liability risk.
Moderator: Michael Krasner, Co-Chief Medical Officer, Vice President of Education, Manager for EmPRO Insurance Company
Sarah Smithson, MD, MPH, Co-founder and CEO, Relational Leadership Partners
Stefanie Simmons MD, FACEP, Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation
Douglas Shaw, Esq., Vice President, Risk Management and Insurance, RWJBarnabas Health
✅ Underwriting
BALLROOM ABC
Legislation with potential to change the landscape
An overview of key legislative proposals that could alter the medical liability landscape.
Moderator: Elizabeth Healy, Vice President, Government and Community Relations, The Doctors Company
Marc Craw, Senior Director of Government Affairs, MLMIC Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway company
Seth Lamont, VP of Government Relations, CNA Insurance
3:45-4:45 pm
✅ Risk
BALLROOM ABC
Don’t lose big insuring weight loss: The insurance implications of increased GLP-1 use across patient populations
As GLP-1 use expands beyond diabetes, insurers face growing uncertainty around medical risk, claims trends and potential mass tort exposure. This session explores what underwriters and claims professionals need to know.
Moderator: Jennifer Schoenthal, Head of Digital Health for HudsonPro, Hudson Insurance Group
Kyle Laudadio, Healthcare & Life Sciences Practice Leader, CFC
Anthony Abeln, Member, Hamel, Marcin, Dunn, Reardon & Shea, P.C.
✅ Claims/Legal
BALLROOM DEF
Building the successful defense team: Beyond trial counsel
Using de-identified cases, this session explores how coordinated defense teams manage high-value medical liability claims, including early motion strategy, damages evaluation, mediation and trial considerations.
Moderator: Christine Samuels, Vice President Claims, Berkley
Healthcare
Rich Henderson, Senior Vice President, Trans Re
Avraham Schwartz, Vice President, Deputy Counsel, Northwell Health
Lori Semlies, Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP
Caryn Lilling, Partner Mauro, Lilling Naparty LLP
5:00-6:00 pm
HARBORSIDE BALLROOM
🍸Cocktail Party
Join us for another relaxed evening with tasty cocktails, delicious bites and fantastic networking opportunities. It’s the perfect chance to connect in a social setting and enjoy a fun-filled atmosphere before getting dinner.
Friday, April 17
8:00 am
HARBORSIDE BALLROOM
Southern Sunrise breakfast buffet
8:30-9:45 am
BALLROOM ABC
🔑 Closing Keynote
Politics and public policy: Critical healthcare updates
An overview of the political and public policy updates most likely to impact healthcare operations and medical liability in the year ahead.
Moderator: Michelle Foster Earle, President and CEO, OmniSure
Remi Stone, Assistant Vice President, Government Relations, The Doctors Company
10:00-11:00 am
✅ Risk
BALLROOM DEF
Private police forces in healthcare: Security vs. liability
With more hospitals establishing private police departments, this session explores the balance between enhanced security and increased liability, including civil rights exposure and specialized insurance needs.
Moderator: Mike Midgley, Head of Loss Control, Munich Re Specialty – North America
Drew Neckar, MBA, CPP, Principal Consultant, COSECURE Enterprise Risk Solutions
Audrey Greening, Chief Broking Officer, Aon
Tim Davidson, Managing Consultant, AON Global Healthcare Consulting Practice
✅ Claims/Legal
BALLROOM ABC
One size does not fit all: Navigating malpractice claims across FTCA, hospitals, practice groups, and individual providers
This session examines the unique challenges of managing malpractice claims across different insureds, including FTCA entities, hospitals, group practices and individual physicians.
Moderator: Cynthia Robinson, Partner, Heidell, Pittoni, Murphy & Bach, LLP
Tim Shea, Chief Claims Officer, EmPRO
Margaret Weiss, Assistant Vice President, Professional Liability Claims & Litigation, Healthcare Risk Advisors, TDC Specialty
Featured Articles
Indigo reaches 20% AI underwriting milestone in medical professional liability
Indigo’s AI is no longer an experiment — it’s a workhorse. The vertically integrated, AI-driven medical professional liability platform announced More
CFC taps Kyle Laudadio to lead U.S. healthcare division
CFC expanded its U.S. presence this summer with the appointment of Kyle Laudadio as healthcare practice leader. Laudadio, who stepped More
Proudly Sponsored By
Presenting Sponsor
Wednesday, September 21
2:00 – 3:00 PM
Roundtable Discussion
Start the conference off right, with small group discussions designed to help you meet other attendees and start making new connections. Choose from four groups — Telemedicine, Technology, COVID claims and Emerging risks. A moderator will guide the topics and discussion. Coffee, sodas and snacks provided.
3:30 – 5:30 PM
– Opening Workshop –
Telemedicine Standards and Malpractice
This interactive workshop will explore important differentiators between in-person delivery of medical encounters and suggested helpful strategies in understanding the liability and underwriting nuances of telemedicine. Includes a short break.
Victoria Vance
Partner, Tucker Ellis
Alice Epstein
Risk Management Thought Leader
Jagedy Blue
Deputy Head of Healthcare Claims, Bowhead Specialty Underwriters
Robin Maley
Director, Patient Safety and Quality, Yale Health, Yale University
Rob Panza
Senior Healthcare Underwriter, CFC Underwriting
5:30 – 7:00 PM
Opening Reception
Join fellow attendees, speakers, and sponsors for an evening of camaraderie, fun and great food. Open bar and heavy appetizers.
7:00 – 10:00 PM
A Night at Petco Park: Dinner and Game
Join fellow attendees for even more fun, baseball and good food at one of Major League Baseball’s most dynamic stadiums. Crittenden has reserved 100 tickets, which includes an all-you-can-eat barbecue and open bar at 7pm. The Padres and Cardinals face off at 7:40pm. Plus, explore the stadium, with its historic Western Metal Supply building, Beer Alley, a boardwalk-inspired zone complete with a beach and views of downtown. The hotel is connected to the stadium via a pedestrian bridge. Additional fee required. Included with VIP pass.
Thursday, September 22
7:45 – 8:45 AM
Early Morning Coffee Roundtables
Connect with other attendees over coffee to ask questions and network with peers. Tables organized by topic: Emerging Risks, Trials & Mediation, Technology.
9:00 – 10:15 AM
– Opening Keynote –
Claims Frequency after COVID-19
Stephanie Sheps
Vice President Claims, Coverys
Peter Kolbert
Senior Vice President, Claim and Litigation Services, Healthcare Risk Advisors
10:15 – 10:45 AM
Morning Break
Enjoy coffee, juices, fruit and baked goods while mingling with speakers, sponsors and attendees.
10:45 – 11:45 AM
3 Breakouts
• Macroeconomic Impacts on Medical Specialist Carriers
• Legal Environment “Post” COVID
• Missed opportunities: Why and how to overcome bias that stops innovation
12:00 – 1:00 PM
3 Breakouts
• Medical malpractice claims management
• Are health care providers immunized from COVID-19 liability?
• Mindset in Winning Malpractice
1:00 – 2:30 PM
Networking Luncheon
Meet new people or enjoy lunch with old friends at this optional gathering. Additional fee required. Included with VIP pass.
2:45 – 3:45 PM
3 Breakouts
• Time for the Talk: How to Really Avoid Sexual Abuse & Molestation Liability Losses
• COVID MPL Litigation Trends
• Opioid Litigation: Liability, Risk Management, and Coverage Issues
4:00 – 5:00 PM
3 Breakouts
• Using Technology to reduce Medical Malpractice
• Health Care Litigation and Negotiations
• Is medical liability reform on the rise?
5:00 – 6:30 PM
Networking Reception
Crittenden’s 50th Anniversary Celebration: Rated as the highlight of the conference, this reception features open bars, heavy appetizers and plenty of time to meet speakers, sponsors and other attendees in a relaxed and intimate environment.
Friday, September 23
8:00 – 9:00 AM
Breakfast Roundtables
Enjoy a hot breakfast while meeting in small group discussions. Opportunity to network and ask questions. Choose from four groups: Emerging Risks, Claims Management, Legal, Technology. A moderator will guide the topics and discussion.
9:15 – 10:15 AM
2 Breakouts
• Potential Liability for Physicians Using Artificial Intelligence
• Virtual Trials & Mediations: The Impact of COVID
10:15 – 11:00 AM
Morning Break & Sponsor Giveaways
Enjoy coffee, fruit and baked goods while mingling with speakers, sponsors and attendees. Sponsors will announce the winners of various prizes. Must be present to win.
11:00 – 12:00 PM
Closing Keynote
A Future Outlook: Technology Disruption, A.I., & Emerging Risks
Robert Allen
President & CEO, Pro Praxis Insurance
Nir Gabay
Senior Vice President, Underwriting, Professional Liability, Admiral Insurance Group
Jennifer Schoenthal
Global Product Leader, Beazley Group
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