Hala Durrah is a national speaker, patient family centered care consultant and advocate.  Her professional background includes event and meeting management, non-profit work, development, and writing. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs and Master’s degree in Tourism Administration, both from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Her current work in patient family centered care stems from her experiences as a mother of a chronically ill child who has undergone two liver transplants and a bone marrow transplant.

Hala began her journey in the patient family centered care world as a volunteer patient/family advisor at Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) in Annapolis, MD.  In her various roles at AAMC, from 2012-2015, Hala provided education to staff on patient family centered care issues.  In addition, she served on leadership committees that have focused on hospital wide patient family centered care strategic goals through LEAN process improvement.  Hala was a founding member and chair of the first Women and Children’s PFAC and development of the first advisor-nurse shadowing program.

Hala has been an invited speaker for organizations such as the National Academy of Medicine, American Academy of Pediatrics, Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative, the Institute for Patient Family Centered Care, a number of state healthcare organizations; as well as being a regular invitee to a number of national meetings and forums to share her perspective. 

Hala currently serves on a number of national committees, including, but not limited to, the American Academy of Pediatrics Family Partnerships Network Executive Committee, the CMS Executive Leadership Council of the Strategic Innovation Engine, the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative Care Delivery and Integration Cabinet. In addition, Hala has served on the Institute of Medicine Patient Family Leadership Network consultative group and the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Care and Gold Foundation Triple "C" advisory group. 

Hala also serves as a consultant on a number of national projects focusing on patient/family engagement, patient centered outcomes and measurement, interprofessional education and practice, patient quality, and patient safety.

Hala continues to share her story and perspectives at various forums and associations. She truly believes that healthcare will only move forward when we ALL partner together; together we are better.