Join a national collaborative of leading U.S. hospitals and health systems committed to advancing leadership and organizational excellence. LENS connects senior healthcare leaders through shared learning, evidence-based practices, and innovative strategies that drive real impact.
Senior leaders from LENS member organizations participate in a variety of shared learning activities and joint initiatives through a council structure.
⁂ All Councils, LENS Premium Member
^ Academic & Industry Collaborative
‡ Culture, Community, and Access Leadership Council
† Leadership & Professional Development Council
§ Well-being Council
~Workforce Planning & Development Council
LENS Councils are peer-driven leadership communities where members share strategies, benchmark practices, and solve real-world challenges together.
Provides strategic direction for LENS, ensuring alignment with member priorities, emerging healthcare trends, and organizational impact.
Purpose
Advance strategies that strengthen workforce culture, community impact, and equitable access to care—grounded in data, partnerships, and real-world application.
What Members Do
Share and benchmark approaches to workforce culture, belonging, and community engagement
Explore strategies to reduce disparities through partnerships, hiring pathways, and access initiatives
Exchange practical solutions to organizational challenges in culture and community impact
Learn from peer organizations advancing measurable outcomes in equity and access
Who Participates
Chief Diversity Officers, community health leaders, HR/DEI leaders, community impact leaders, and program directors
Why It Matters
Culture and community trust directly impact workforce engagement, patient outcomes, and long-term system sustainability.
Interactive, member-driven sessions focused on timely challenges. Combine expert insight with peer exchange to deliver practical, actionable strategies.
Deep-dive discussions on emerging topics (e.g., Experience, Technology, Operational Effectiveness & Finance, etc.).
Designed to explore what’s next and what it means for healthcare leaders.
Skill-building sessions designed for immediate application.
Focused on developing capabilities in areas like leadership, communication, and emerging competencies.
On an annual basis, NCHL offers an in-person Leadership Excellence Summit.
In 2026, the Leadership Excellence Summit will take place November 16-17 in Chicago. Learn more here.
The LENS Executive Briefings is a quarterly communication that provides highlights of current leadership development-related articles and publications. The briefs focus on topics such as succession planning, talent management, coaching, clinical leadership development, leadership competencies, behavioral change, cultural competency, performance improvement, and measuring learning effectiveness. The briefings are created as a member benefit for NCHL’s Leadership Excellence Networks™ (LENS) and Council senior leaders.
Opportunities in 2025 include a healthcare leader as a coach training, Level One coaching certification, and Level Two coaching certification.
These courses are conducted virtually and are led by DJ Mitsch, one of the first 25 Master Certified Coaches in the world and Past President of Global ICF. The master coach faculty provide a highly experiential training format with a course that has been crafted over the past 25 years. The specific focus in healthcare makes this a perfect fit for our members. NCHL members are offered a substantial discount on registration as a benefit for their membership.