Comms Corps was born from a shared understanding of the profound impact communication has in the aftermath of medical harm.
Our Mission
Founded by Leilani Schweitzer and Kyle Sweet, the Comms Corps Certified Medical Harm Communicator (CMHC) training fills a critical gap in healthcare by equipping providers with the skills and confidence to navigate difficult conversations after medical harm occurs. Through structured training, Comms Corps empowers healthcare professionals to move from silence to meaningful dialogue—fostering healing, rebuilding trust, and reducing litigation risks..
Meet the Team
Leilani Schweitzer, Lead Instructor
Leilani Schweitzer, a leading Medical Harm Response Expert, guides healthcare systems in responding to people impacted by unexpected outcomes with compassion, transparency, and accountability. Her expertise stems from the loss of her son Gabriel due to medical errors in 2005.
This experience led her to work at Stanford Health Care—the same hospital system where her son died—where she spent 12 years developing their Communication and Resolution Program to engage with patients and families affected by medical harm. As Assistant Vice President for Communication & Resolution, Leilani bridged the gap between harmed patients and families, and the health system's clinical, legal, claims, and leadership teams. This unique position provided her with a comprehensive understanding of the complex challenges healthcare systems face regarding disclosure and accountability.
Drawing from thousands of conversations with impacted patients, families, attorneys, physicians, and administrators, Leilani created an innovative curriculum: the Certified Medical Harm Communicator (CMHC) training program. This course equips healthcare staff with specific skills to communicate effectively with patients harmed in their care. The program offers concrete, actionable steps through the entire disclosure and apology journey - from initial introduction to signed settlement agreements - focusing on rebuilding broken trust and providing answers to patients and families.
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As the outgoing president and eight-year board member of the Collaborative for Accountability & Improvement at the University of Washington, Leilani continues to shape policy and practice in the field. She currently serves on the Patient Safety Advisory Board for Philips Healthcare and AHRQ's Technical Expert Panel. Additionally, Leilani is a champion for Patients for Patient Safety US and co-chairs their transparency committee. Her expertise is frequently sought by organizations in the US and internationally, as they work to improve patient safety and their responses to medical harm. Through these platforms and engagements, Leilani consistently advocates for accountable, responsible and compassionate communication after medical harm events.
Leilani's work has garnered media platforms. Her insights have been featured in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, as well as on CNN.com, TED Radio Hour, and RadioLab. Her TEDx talk on transparency and compassion in healthcare has become a staple in medical education curricula worldwide. Leilani is sought-after to speak on patient safety and apology, and is frequent podcast guest. Her expertise has also been highlighted in numerous small media outlets, further extending her reach and influence in the field.
Leilani’s work has been featured in the following publications:
Kyle Sweet, JD - Comms Corps Partner
“In the thousands of depositions I have taken, in my career as lead trial counsel, I asked one question of all plaintiffs and their family members: “Why did you sue this health care provider?” The answer was the same. Every. Single. Time. “No one would talk to me and tell me what happened, or what was to come.” Not once did I hear that they sued for money. Or revenge. It was because a fundamental part of their care, communication, did not happen.
I frustratingly understand why. Healthcare providers aren’t trained to effectively communicate with a patient or their family members in the wake of a possible harm event. We have become so focused on not creating liability in communicating with the patient, that we make the liability problem worse. Not all providers are good at communicating in the best of circumstances, much less when things are stressful after a harm event.
Our goal at Comms Corps is not to turn all healthcare providers into the perfect person to lead a disclosure discussion. Our ambition is to provide all healthcare providers the opportunity to be trained to communicate in a way that offers compassion and reassurance to a patient or family member, while significantly reducing the anxiety and stress on the healthcare provider.”
Kyle Sweet, JD has decades of experience as a lawyer working for healthcare systems and providers managing complex litigation and advising clients on risk and safety issues across the country. Effective, ethical communication is something Kyle has focused on during the entirety of his career.
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Kyle Sweet, JD has decades of experience as a lawyer working for healthcare systems and providers managing complex litigation and advising clients on risk and safety issues across the country. Effective, ethical communication is something Kyle has focused on during the entirety of his career. He is a nationally-recognized thought leader on safety and process surrounding patient harm events. Kyle works nationally to create collaboration amongst defense lawyers, risk managers, plaintiff attorneys and insurance companies to build trust and transparency in advance of patient harm events so that the stakeholders can have a more ethically sound experience. Kyle has taught in seminars, panels and classes in medical, dental, nursing schools and health systems around the world on managing liability exposure through more effective communication.
What Our Community is Saying
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"My perspective on communication in the healthcare space has been fundamentally shaped by my work Leilani Schweitzer. Before working with her, I was skeptical apologies and explanations could meet the needs of everyone involved in adverse medical events. Now I know accountability and compassionate responses are vital for improving patient safety. Her passion for greater disclosure and transparency changed the purpose and direction of my life. "
Cheryl De Kleine Callaghan, Esq.
Vice-President, Risk Management, Claims & Litigation, Ascension Healthcare -
"Leilani takes the intention of disclosure and accountability and puts them into action. She understands the risks and benefits transparency presents to a health care system, as well as, its necessity to patients and their loved ones. I have seen Leilani present the merits of Communication and Resolution Programs to C-Suite executives and explain the gritty details of implementation to risk managers, patient experience professionals and attorneys. She draws on her years of experience to demonstrate actionable steps to meet the needs of patients, their families, clinicians and administrators after adverse medical events."
Edward Hall
Senior Executive Administrator, Integrated Risk at Keck Medicine of USC -
"Leilani has an uncommon grasp of human nature coupled with a deep respect for healthcare professionals’ dedication to their patients and shares her insights with authenticity, sincerity and clarity. I have worked with patient safety and communication consultants and patient advocates around the country, but none who deliver the benefit of her hard-learned wisdom as clearly as Leilani does. The value she offers is unparalleled in the arena of communication following unintended clinical outcomes."
Richard Boothman, JD
Former Chief Risk Officer, University of Michigan Health
Frequently Asked Questions
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The CMHC course is fully online and self-paced. Broken up into four trainings, the course takes about 4.0 hours to complete. Each course requires passing a quiz for accreditation.
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The full course is $270 per learner. This includes access to the core content, and certification upon passing the final test. Renewal of the certification requires an annual one hour training and assessment, cost is $70 per learner.
Discounts are available when three or more learners from the same institution register together—making it easy to train teams and promote a shared approach to communication after harm events.
Please connect with us to discuss discounts for groups.
4.0 CME credits are available to Physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists.. -
Yes! The CMHC course is approved for 4.0 Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits. These credits are available to Physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Pharmacists, Dentists, and Social Workers. A statement of participation is available for other attendees.
The course is designed to meet the educational needs of a wide range of healthcare professionals involved in patient care and communication after harm events. -
The CMHC training is designed for healthcare professionals involved in patient care and safety, including clinicians, risk managers, patient safety leaders, social workers, and malpractice insurers. Whether you're on the front lines or behind the scenes, the course will strengthen your skills in communicating effectively and compassionately after a harm event.
It’s also an ideal way to educate entire organizations—including leadership teams and boards—about best practices for responding to medical harm with transparency, empathy, and accountability.