UNMC hosted the 2026 statewide stroke conference, this year titled “Future of Stroke Care: Balancing Innovation, Access, and Sustainability,” on Sept. 18 at the Davis Global Center and three other locations throughout the state, with conference organizers once again leveraging the simulation and communication technology of the iEXCEL Program to maximize the conference’s statewide impact.
“We’ve seen major growth in the technology that we’re using to broadcast the different subject types,” said Nichole Cooks, stroke program coordinator for Nebraska Medicine and one of the conference’s organizers. “We’ve really engaged with iEXCEL, with their technology capabilities and have incorporated them into presentations.”
Conference sites included Omaha, Kearney, Scottsbluff and Norfolk, and total attendance was more than 150 people.
“Just having all the groups participate as one big group, even though they’re miles apart, that’s been a big success this year, which is exciting,” Cooks said.
Attendees featured stroke care providers from EMS, acute care, rehabilitation, outpatient, community services and other areas. The interprofessional focus was on coordinated, patient-centered stroke management.
In one innovation, a stroke survivor using iEXCEL’s Holobox technology was able to take questions from participants at all four locations.
“This is the third year we’ve had a survivor, which really brings it all home,” Cooks said. “They can tell us, ‘Hey, this is what I felt could have been different,’ and then we can take that feedback to our facilities. Survivors sharing their stories, how they got through, what what worked well and what we can improve on – that’s how we improve stroke care across the state.”
The technology that allows participants to stay nearer to home and still take part in all aspects of the conference has been a huge advantage to growing conference participation, Cooks said.
“We are seeing more attendees from outside of Omaha,” she said. “Our goal every year is to get more; this year, Kearney attendance grew significantly, which is super exciting. We had to add the second iWall room at Kearney, which is outstanding.”
Michael Hollins, assistant vice chancellor for creative production and emerging technology, iEXCEL, said he was excited about the success of the conference as well.
“Distance shouldn’t limit the opportunity to learn from one another,” Hollins said. “With these various technologies, we can connect providers across Nebraska to participate in the same conversation and hear directly from people whose lives have been affected by stroke. Our goal is to make that shared learning accessible close to home, so providers can bring those insights back to the communities they serve.”