Fatality Review Facilitation Training
April 21-23, 2027
9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
3-Day In-Person Training in Denver, CO
Fatality review facilitation requires skill, neutrality, compassion, and the ability to guide partners through some of the most complex and emotionally charged conversations.
This 3-day in-person fatality review facilitator training (April 21–23 in Denver, CO) is designed to help new and experienced facilitators deepen their practice, build confidence, and strengthen their ability to lead meaningful, productive reviews.
Throughout the training, you will:
Learn foundational and advanced facilitation techniques
Practice leading key portions of the meeting with supportive coaching
Strengthen skills for managing group dynamics, conflict, and emotional content
Build routines for grounding, self-care, and resilience
Connect with peers who understand this work
Enjoy food, movement breaks, reflective activities, and even a little fun
This is more than a training — it’s a space to grow, practice, recharge, and return home equipped to lead effective, inclusive, and actionable fatality review meetings that make a difference in your community.
ABOUT THE TRAINING
3-Day In-Person Training
When: April 21-23, 2027
Where: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (4300 Cherry Creek Drive South, Denver, CO 80246)
Parking information will be shared when you register.
PRICING
Includes lunch, snacks, and coffee/drinks daily.
$750— Early registration (before February 1, 2027)
$800 — Standard registration (February 2, 2027 – April 4, 2027)
$850 — Late registration (April 5-16, 2027)
TRAINING LOCATION
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (4300 Cherry Creek Drive South, Denver, CO 80246)
TRAVEL AND LODGING INFORMATION
Please hold off on making your travel arrangements until you receive an invoice and confirmation that the training will happen.
Travel and lodging information to assist with budget estimates for internal travel approvals.
U.S. General Services Administration Federal Rates
Daily Lodging (Excluding Taxes) - $227
Daily Meals - $92 (lunch is covered in the training registration fee and is $26 per day)
Recommended Hotel
4150 East Kentucky Avenue, Glendale, CO
(303) 692-1800
600 S Colorado Blvd
Denver, CO 80246
(303) 754-9800
455 S Colorado Blvd
Denver, CO 80246
(303) 388-5561
TRAINING HOSTS
Training is co-hosted by Salus Consulting LLC and the Colorado Department of Health
TRAINERS
Melissa Heinen is the founder of Salus Consulting LLC and a facilitator who specializes in leading groups through the hardest conversations in the room. Her expertise was forged in fatality review facilitation — training practitioners across the country, to lead high-stakes, emotionally complex meetings with clarity and care. Beyond that specialty, she has facilitated national communities of practice, advisory boards, strategic workgroups, and internal staff meetings — building the same clarity, engagement, and follow-through into rooms of every size and stakes level. This training draws on that full range of experience: practical techniques tested from the boardroom to the case review table, adapted for any facilitator who wants to lead with more confidence and skill. Learn more about Melissa here.
Mallory O'Brien, PhD, MS, has spent more than 30 years bringing together people who see problems differently and helping them find common ground. As an Associate Scientist in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, she works at the intersection of public health, public safety, and community where progress depends on getting law enforcement, medical examiners, clinicians, treatment providers, community organizations, and families to talk openly, trust one another, and act together.
Much of that work happens in the room. Dr. O'Brien has facilitated fatality reviews where participants examine deeply painful cases, share sensitive information across agency lines, and work through disagreement to reach concrete recommendations.
Trained as an epidemiologist, she brings a data-informed perspective to facilitation, helping groups move from individual stories to patterns and from patterns to system change. Her work has been recognized with the FBI Director's Community Leadership Award, the U.S. Department of Justice Project Safe Neighborhoods Outstanding Contribution by a Researcher award, and the Johns Hopkins Excellence in National Public Health Practice award. Learn more about Mallory here.
Jennifer Skolaski, Ph.D., is the owner of Community & Nonprofit Leadership Consulting, LLC (www.canpl.com). She
has been involved with a variety of nonprofits including organizations and collaborations that focus on environment,
education, health care, safety, youth, domestic violence, substance use, and poverty. Jennifer has taught at both
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. She has played various roles in nonprofits over the years from staff member, board member, intern, to volunteer. These experiences have inspired her to continue working in the nonprofit sector to bring results through working collaborations and making an impact in the community. Since 2018, Jennifer has facilitated the Winnebago County Overdose Fatality Review (OFR), which is a multidisciplinary team that works to prevent overdose deaths through systems change and collective impact work. She currently serves as the Project Manager of the OFR team. Jennifer continuously looks for opportunities that use her skills, strengthen her personally and professionally, and strive to meet her life goal of making a difference in our communities. Learn more about Jennifer here.
Comments