2025 Global Drowning Prevention Leadership Institute (GDPLI) 

🌊 Leadership. Team Building. Systems Thinking — in Action.

This week has been nothing short of transformative.

From plastic snakes and LEGO Technic to jungle music and powerful reflections from Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, our time at the Global Drowning Prevention Leadership Institute (#GDPLI2025) has been a masterclass in creativity, collaboration, and applied systems thinking.

And what a week it’s been here in Baltimore — a true immersion in public health leadership.

We kicked things off with an offsite at Sandy Point State Park, grounding ourselves in reflection and connection before diving into a full schedule of expert panels on Trauma Care Systems, the Economics of Drowning, and Change Management & Leadership. These sessions, led by incredible minds including Drs. Richard Franklin, Cyrus Engineer, Antonio Trujillo, and Kent Stevens, pushed us to think critically about how evidence, economics, and empathy intersect in real-world problem-solving.

Between lectures, we’ve been deep in group work, preparing for Friday’s presentations — applying systems thinking to develop innovative, implementable drowning prevention strategies. It’s been challenging, collaborative, and deeply rewarding.

One highlight of the week: visiting the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, walking the campus that has shaped so many leaders and thinkers driving global health innovation. Standing there, I was reminded that prevention isn’t just about saving lives — it’s about building systems that sustain life.

And speaking of systems — I had the opportunity to apply those lessons in real time.
Mid-session, I got a call: my youngest somehow wasn’t enrolled for the first day of school — just two hours before it started. From 3,000 miles away. A classic systems breakdown.

But instead of panicking, I found myself mapping it out: communication failures, process gaps, misaligned accountability — the same issues we see in public health systems every day. And just like that, theory met practice. Systems thinking, live and unfiltered.

It reminded me that public health is education — and leadership is learning.
Both demand patience, perspective, and a willingness to engage with complexity rather than run from it.

And on the economics of drowning front — here’s a question I can’t stop thinking about (and I’d love your thoughts):
👉 Why will some home insurance providers refuse to insure a house with a trampoline, yet be perfectly fine with a swimming pool?
When you unpack it, it says a lot about how we perceive — and misprice — risk, responsibility, and prevention.

As we head into our final day, I’m filled with gratitude, inspiration, and about a dozen new research ideas (and hopefully a publication or two!).

Every conversation, exercise, and challenge this week has reinforced one truth:
When we approach complex problems with curiosity, empathy, and systems thinking, we don’t just solve — we transform. 🌍✨