Learn to Become a Transformative Leader

OR Excellence

By: Outpatient Surgery Editors

Published: 7/26/2022

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Second Day Keynote Sept. 30 | 8 a.m.


Sheri Prentiss, MD, MPH, CPS/A, CPE, FACPE, a dynamic personality who is often referred to as Dr. Sheri, wanted to be a physician ever since she was two years old. She says becoming a doctor is all that she ever wanted and what she put all her attention and energy toward — and what she eventually became. Everything was going according to plan until Oct. 1, 2008, the day Dr. Sheri discovered a lump on her right breast. “I knew it was cancer from the moment I felt it, because no one knows my body better than I do,” she says.

A grueling medical journey — one that included an array of surgeries and treatments, a partial mastectomy and the removal of 16 lymph nodes, 15 rounds of chemotherapy and 33 radiation treatments — followed. Then, a year after her aggressive and ultimately successful treatment, Dr. Sheri developed lymphedema, which caused swelling in her arm that was so debilitating that she was unable to perform the clinical duties of the career she’d dreamed about since she was a toddler. “After 16 years of practicing medicine, I had to completely reinvent myself,” she says.

PASSIONATE CAUSE Dr. Sheri (seated, center) is the founder of LIVE Today Foundation, a nonprofit that enhances the quality of life for breast cancer survivors, particularly those suffering from lymphedema.

Much like her initial dedication to becoming a physician, Dr. Sheri threw herself into the reinvention with everything she had, amplifying her voice and continuing in her quest to provide health equity to the public. Since her cancer diagnosis, Dr. Sheri has become a certified speaking professional who has delivered more than 500 keynote addresses to national and international audiences, as well as a best-selling author, a public health expert, a physician leader and the founder of LIVE Today Foundation — a nonprofit that enhances the quality of life for breast cancer survivors, particularly those suffering from lymphedema.

After 16 years of practicing medicine, I had to completely reinvent myself.

Nearly 14 years to the day since she discovered the lump on her breast that altered the trajectory of her life, Dr. Sheri will step onto the OR Excellence stage to deliver a keynote address that will no doubt leave attendees energized and inspired. She aims to help individuals unlock their potential, boost their self-esteem, set new directions and prepare for lifelong achievement. By relaying exactly how she was able to transcend tragedy, reinvent her professional self and tap into the unrecognized potential that was always there just below the surface, Dr. Sheri hopes to motivate individuals of all backgrounds and circumstances.

“Leading Strategic Change: How to L.I.V.E and Thrive as a Transformative Leader” is the title of Dr. Sheri’s keynote, a talk that focuses on the acronym in the title of her speech, which she often refers to as her prescription for life:

Love myself and others
Inspire those around me
Voice my dreams and ambitions
Enjoy life!

Throughout the course of Dr. Sheri’s talk, you’ll see just why she swears by these four prescriptions for a happy and fulfilling professional and personal life and leave her keynote ready to put them into play in your own life immediately. OSM

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