Colleen Sweeney

Colleen Sweeney is the founder of Sweeney Healthcare Enterprises, and she’s on a mission to transform healthcare.

Colleen conceived and conducted the Patient Empathy ProjectSM, a three-year research study which explored patients' greatest fears about healthcare. During this research, she discovered that 96% of all patients have serious fears about health care, coining the term ClinicaphobiaSM to describe the phenomenon. Colleen put this finding to use, developing the Patient Experience PyramidSM as a tool for healthcare teams to uncover and respond to patient fears. She’s identified the Top 11 Patient Fears and collected artwork from the Patient Empathy Postcard ProjectSM. Her initiatives include keynotes such as "What Patients Fear and Why We Have to Know," and workshops like the Patient Pyramid Workshop aimed at enhancing service delivery in healthcare settings.

Colleen’s previous role was Director of Ambassador and Customer Services at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, IN, where her contributions were pivotal in achieving top performance scores in patient experience measures. She also excelled as the Director of Innovation at Memorial’s School of Innovation, generating a 3:1 return on investment. Additionally, she engages volunteers in healthcare through programs like "Volunteer Offerings: Secret Agents for HCAHPS Improvement," to further elevate the patient experience.

A member of the National Speakers Association and a Certified Facilitator with the Tom Peters Company, Colleen holds degrees in nursing and business, and a master’s certificate in project management. Her background in improvisational comedy has profoundly influenced her approach, enabling her to infuse enthusiasm into her presentations and teaching methods, such as in the keynote "You Don't Say," which focuses on effective patient communication. This dynamic approach helps her audiences harness the power of possibility and understand the importance of empathy and leadership in healthcare.