2025 Annual Convention
Celebrating Medical Marvels 99 Years & Beyond
Sioux Falls Convention Center
1201 North West AvenueSioux Falls, SD 57104
United States
Suit up, healthcare heroes! The 99th Annual Convention of the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations (SDAHO) is assembling—and you are invited. For nearly a century, you've been the real-life superheroes of South Dakota's healthcare story, and this year, we're celebrating your incredible legacy and bold future.
With the theme Celebrating Medical Marvels – 99 Years & Beyond, we’ll spotlight the innovation, resilience, and heart that have shaped our healthcare community—and power us into the next chapter.
This action-packed event will unite champions from hospitals, nursing homes, home health, hospice, and assisted living organizations statewide. Expect powerful keynote speakers, thought-provoking education sessions, supercharged networking, and moments to recognize the extraordinary everyday work of our healthcare stars.
Whether you wear scrubs, suits, or capes, come ready to be inspired, recharged, and celebrated.
Together, let’s honor the past, elevate the present, and assemble for the future of healthcare!
Opening Keynote: COMPASSIONOMICS: The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence That Caring Makes a Difference
Healthcare workers have always had an ethical imperative to treat patients with compassion, as a cornerstone of the “art” of medicine. But are there also evidence-based effects of compassion belonging in the science of medicine? In a two-year journey through the scientific literature, Dr. Trzeciak tested the hypothesis that compassion matters – for patients, for patient care, and for those who care for patients. Abundant research shows that compassion has measurable beneficial effects across a wide variety of patient conditions and moves patients to take better care of themselves. Numerous studies show that compassion is also associated with higher quality healthcare and lower costs of care.
Science supports that compassion is a powerful beneficial therapy for the giver, too. More caring, and the relationships that flow from that, can promote resilience in healthcare workers. Compassion can be protective against burnout, and for those already in the throes of burnout, compassion can be a vital antidote. Importantly, it’s not just compassion for patients, but compassion for each other (i.e., coworkers). Dr. Trzeciak will share his story of going through burnout, and how compassion was the key to his recovery. Your audience will gain new understanding that compassion matters (not only in meaningful ways, but also measurable ways) and new appreciation for the power that compassion holds.
Stephen W. Trzeciak, MD, MPH
Closing Keynote: What's Your Pink Cadillac? The Transformational Power of Prioritizing Joy
Dive into the joy-fueled resilience hidden in our hobbies, interests, and simple pleasures. In a fast-paced world where our challenges are relentless and the solutions seem out of reach, Ryan delivers a message of accessible, attainable change. From the highs of a world record-breaking expedition to the most unimaginable low of a plane crash and paraplegic diagnosis, Ryan uses his story to highlight the realities of adversity and the role of resilience. A message built on the importance of mental health and self-care, What’s Your Pink Cadillac? uncovers the most unexpected, transformational tool discovered in the most unexpected place, the purchase of a 1960 Pink Cadillac. Get ready to smile like a kid, step back, and show up better.
Ryan Campbell