ASHHRA Talent Acquisition Summit 2026

Brian Uridge has more than three decades of experience in law enforcement, healthcare security, and fire service. He oversees security and law enforcement personnel for a health system with 34,000 employees.

Mercedes Ramirez Johnson is a survivor of a 1995 commercial airplane crash. She is a transformational speaker who focuses on personal success, overcoming challenges, and her proprietary Second Chance Living concept.

Eric Ly is the Founder & CEO of KarmaCheck.com, an industry trailblazer. It uses data-driven technology to bring truth, speed, and efficiency to credentialing verification. In addition to founding KarmaCheck, Ly is the co-founder of LinkedIn where he served as the Chief Technology Officer. Ly helped launch LinkedIn strategically, designing and implementing the networking and search algorithms. Ly is a technology veteran who focuses on the invention and creative use of new technologies that aim to change how we express ourselves and interact with the world. Holding two U.S. patents, Eric is on the leading edge of leveraging the power of social networks in online marketplaces. He received his education at Stanford University with a Bachelors in Symbolic Systems as well as his Ph.D. in Computer Science. To complement his passion for social networking, he also studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he earned his M.S. in Media Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Berkowitz has over 25 years of experience in executive healthcare management and consulting. Prior to moving to Arizona, Dr. Berkowitz was the Chief Physician Executive and president of the medical group for Northern Light Health, a nine-hospital system in Maine. Previously, for 13 years, he was the Chief Medical Officer of St. David’s Healthcare, a six-hospital system in Austin, Texas, as well as the Chief Medical Officer for the Central and West Texas Division of HCA. He was Chairman of the Board of Capital Area Providers, a 5.01-(a) Texas medical foundation with over 800 participating physicians. In 2008, St. David’s won the Texas Award for Performance Excellence and in 2014 was the recipient of the national Malcolm Baldrige award. Prior to these positions, Dr. Berkowitz was National Practice Leader for Physician Services with the Hay Group. He was a senior executive for Harris Methodist Health System serving as Medical Director of the HMO and Chief Medical Officer for the integrated delivery system. He was Medical/Executive Director for The Travelers in Phoenix, Arizona. In February of 2014, Dr. Berkowitz was appointed by Texas Governor Rick Perry to serve as Chairman of the Board of the Texas Institute for Health Care Quality and Efficiency. He has sat on the boards of the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care, the Texas Hospital Association, the Texas Health Care Information Council and the Texas Association for Healthcare Quality. Dr. Berkowitz is board certified in internal medicine and is a prominent national speaker and writer in the healthcare industry, and as a consultant he specializes in healthcare quality improvement. In April of 2016, Dr. Berkowitz was awarded Fellowship in the American College of Cardiology. He and his wife Tina now live in Scottsdale, Arizona, and enjoy spending time in the desert.