John Nance

John J. Nance has logged more than 15,000 hours of flight time, argued cases in federal court, appeared on ABC World News as aviation analyst for years, and written 22 books — 15 of them bestselling novels. He speaks on aviation and patient safety, teamwork, risk management, and the organizational culture changes required to prevent catastrophic error. His flagship book, Why Hospitals Should Fly, won the American College of Healthcare Executives Book of the Year Award for 2009, and his work helped pioneer the application of aviation safety principles to medicine.

A Pioneer in Safety Culture
Nance is one of the founders of the National Patient Safety Foundation, established in 1997, and has served on its Executive Committee. A decorated Air Force pilot, Vietnam veteran, and Lieutenant Colonel in the USAF Reserve, he was a Boeing 737 Captain for Alaska Airlines and a flight officer for Braniff International. His pioneering development of Crew Resource Management training for the Air Force helped lay the groundwork for the collaborative cockpit culture that defines aviation today. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree and Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University, where he was later named Distinguished Alumni.

Transforming How Organizations Think About Error
Nance has delivered thousands of presentations across three continents to hospitals, corporations, military groups, and government departments. His unique combination of law, aviation, broadcasting, and medicine makes him unlike any other speaker on risk and safety.

John Nance delivers keynotes on patient safety, organizational culture, aviation-informed risk management, and leadership.

Communicating at the Sharp End

Firing Captain Kirk

You Can’t Manage a Risk You Can’t See

You’re Paying Them, Why Aren’t You Using Them?

Enhancing Patient Safety by Avoiding Medical Error

The Teamwork Solution

The Big Picture–and how the average employee can revolutionize a company