Three days, more than 400 physician leaders, up to 18 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, and one big idea: healthcare's next era needs physicians ready to lead it.
That was the 2026 AAPL Annual Leadership Conference, held October 22–24 at The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona, under the theme, "Live Your Purpose, Lead With Passion."
Thursday opened with a keynote from Vin Gupta, MD, MPA, managing director of healthcare innovation at Manatt and former chief medical officer of Amazon Pharmacy. The afternoon's AAPL Convocation & Awards featured a candid look at what executive search firms want in physician leaders, then honored AAPL's newest Fellows, award winners, and Certified Physician Executives.
Friday brought quality and policy to the forefront. AAPL Interim CEO, Claude Brunson, MD, MSCHS, CPE, FAAPL, FASA, and NAHQ CEO, Stephanie Mercado, made the case that quality and leadership are now one discipline, and a lunchtime policy panel urged attendees to get ahead of the changes coming their way. The HALM Prep Course and the Vanguard filled the day, followed by golf, pickleball, and a sound bath.
Saturday was the busiest day of all, with three general sessions:
- Insights from Women Leading the Way
- AI Is Here. Are Physician Leaders Ready?
- Leading Healthcare Into the Next Era, with Peter WT Pisters, MD, president of UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Throughout the week, Communities of Practice gave attendees room for frank, peer-to-peer conversation, from Learning & Development and Interprofessional to Women in Leadership, Artificial Intelligence, and Case Studies for CMOs.
AAPL thanks the sponsors and academic partners who made it all possible:
2026 AAPL Annual Leadership Conference Sponsors
Platinum
- HygenX.Ai
- Nozin
- SC Johnson Professional
- VitalPay by Global Rewards
Gold
- Ludi
- My Financial Coach
Silver
- American Board of Medical Specialties
- AMN Healthcare / B.E. Smith
- Clinician Nexus
- Elsevier
- Haslam College of Business, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
- HCA Healthcare
- Jackson + Coker Locum Tenens
- Jackson Physician Search
- livemed
- MaxWorth Consulting Group
- QGenda
- simpliphy
- WellSky
Bronze
- WellBeam Connected Care
University Partners
- Indiana University Kelley School of Business
- UMass Amherst Isenberg School of Management
- Arizona State University
- Auburn University Harbert College of Business
- Weill Cornell Medicine SC Johnson College of Business
As the conference wrapped up, attendees returned to their homes, organizations, and practices, energized with new leadership skills and strategies to share with their peers and teams.
And the planning for next year is already underway. The Annual Leadership Conference returns to The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, October 14–16, 2027, and again October 12–14, 2028.
Save the date: 2027 Annual Leadership Conference, October 14–16, Scottsdale. Special preview rate available through January 5 at www.physicianleaders.org/conference.
