Keynote Speakers

Emily Patterson, Ph.D.

School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
The Ohio State University

Emily S. Patterson, Ph.D. is a professor in the College of Medicine, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at The Ohio State University. She specializes in human factors engineering, focusing on the design of automated decision support to aid cognition in complex healthcare settings.

Patterson has led federally funded research projects for AHRQ, the VA, the Air Force, the Navy, and the National Patient Safety Foundation. She has served as a scientific advisor on patient safety for organizations including The Joint Commission, the National Board of Medical Examiners, and NIST.

A member of HFES and AMIA, she is Associate Editor for the healthcare section of Human Factors and has presented invited work to the Institute of Medicine and the ACGME.

Lennox A. Wildman Sr.

Assistant Medical Center Director
VA Augusta Healthcare System

Lennox Wildman has served as Assistant Medical Center Director for the VA Augusta Healthcare System since November 2022, overseeing critical operations across two hospitals and three outpatient clinics, including Biomedical Engineering, Emergency Management, Facility Planning, and Safety.

With more than 35 years of healthcare experience, Lennox has held leadership roles focused on quality and operational excellence, including Quality Manager for Pathology and Director of Surgical Services at Winn Army Community Hospital. His career reflects a deep commitment to process improvement and patient-centered care.

A retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant, Lennox brings extensive leadership expertise from roles such as Senior Enlisted Advisor at U.S. Army Public Health Command. He holds a bachelor’s in Health Science/Biology, a master’s in Adult Education, and has completed doctoral coursework in Healthcare Administration/Leadership.

He is an active member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, continuing to champion innovation and excellence in healthcare delivery.