Why You Should Attend the 2026 HSPA Annual Conference: Education, Networking, and Real-World SPD Insights

Have you ever wondered whether you should attend the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) Annual Conference?

This year’s conference will take place in Baltimore, Maryland, from April 25 to 28, 2026, at the Baltimore Convention Center.

If you choose not to attend, you will miss valuable opportunities for education, collaboration, and connection with fellow sterile processing professionals who understand the challenges you face every day. From navigating borescopes to managing workplace dynamics, the conference offers both practical insight and peer support.

This year’s sessions include “On the Road Again: Mapping out TIR109” by Annetta L. McNight and “It’s Getting Hot in Here: What to Do When Your HVAC System Isn’t Working” by Matthew Strand.

To illustrate the depth of content offered, consider this interview from the 2025 conference.

Leslie Kronstedt, RN, LPN, BHCA, CRCST, CIS, CHL, FCS, author of The SPD Plot Twist: A Leadership Guide for Sterile Processing in Healthcare and clinical assessor for Advantage Support Services, Inc, presented at HSPA25 and later spoke with Infection Control Today^®.

“My name is Leslie Kronstedt. I am a presenter this year for HSPA presentations, and my presentation is on ‘Emotional Intelligence: Music to Our Ears,’” she said. “The purpose of my presentation is to go over how emotional intelligence can improve the entire gamut of surgical conversations, improve patient experiences, and how mastering your emotions leads to the intelligence of being able to communicate for the benefit of patients as well as for your career development.”

Kronstedt described her current work across both dental and hospital settings, emphasizing the importance of staying connected to clinical practice.

“I currently work as a dental administrator for a local private dental office, but I also volunteer for a health care system in their surgery at my local hospital, so I can stay in the [operating room],” she explained.

She highlighted a significant gap in sterile processing practices in private dental settings.

“The biggest challenge that I see in SPD [sterile processing department] right now, working in the dental field, especially with private dental offices, is that SPD has really been left behind,” Kronstedt said. “My biggest focus right now is bringing the level of infection control to the dental setting, especially in the private setting, so that we can feel confident having our patients come in.”

She noted that limitations in space and equipment often create barriers.

“They have very small areas where they’re reprocessing. They’ve got tabletop sterilizers,” she said. “I think my biggest thing is the ultrasonics. A lot of the tabletop ultrasonics, they [sterile processing personnel] do not change the water unless it looks dirty.”

To address this, Kronstedt uses practical analogies to make the issue relatable.

“I like to use analogies when I’m teaching,” she said. “I tell them, ‘Can you imagine being in a large family, and you are the ninth child, and you have to share that same bath water? At that point, do you still feel that water is clean?’ They tell me every time, ‘No, that’s gross.’ I say, ‘Well, your instruments feel the same way. They want fresh water too.’”

She also emphasized the broader value of attending HSPA conferences.

“I think the best part about being at HSPA is the opportunity for education and networking,” Kronstedt said. “I love seeing all these people from all over the world. It reignites my passion, and it does the same for others.”

As the former president of the Wisconsin chapter, she has seen firsthand how involvement in HSPA supports professional growth.

“I have had the opportunity to help individuals get connected with other chapters and get that mentorship, as well as the support that they absolutely need in order to take their career to the next level,” she said.

Kronstedt underscored that HSPA opens doors far beyond a single workplace.

“There are so many opportunities with being involved with HSPA to branch out beyond just your hospital or your dental facility,” she said. “Even if you’re working in veterinary care, there are so many things that HSPA can help you with.”

Ultimately, she sees sterile processing as a lifelong career with wide-ranging possibilities.

“It’s really a career for life,” Kronstedt said.