We Forgot We're on the Same Team: My TEDx Talk

In January 2026, I stepped onto the TEDxLakeShoreDrive stage in Chicago to deliver a talk called "We Forgot We're on the Same Team."

The talk explores a question I've been wrestling with since a failed handoff between two hospitals changed my life: why do patient handoffs keep failing despite everything healthcare has thrown at the problem?

The answer isn't what most people expect.

It's not about better checklists. It's not about more training. It's about how we see the people on the other side of the handoff.

When we see them as teammates, information flows. When we don't, no protocol can compensate.

The talk introduces the Relay Race Methodology™ and the idea that patients aren't the baton being passed. They're runners too. Runners who've never been trained, never been briefed, and never been told what they're carrying.

Video coming soon. Stay tuned.

Cheo Rose-Washington at TEDxLakeShoreDrive | Chicago, January 30, 2026