First Year Trip to Chicago

By Alyssa Pennington

The first year MHA and MPH in Policy students recently visited the city of Chicago on April 17-19. The trip included visits to a wide variety of health care providers as well the opportunity to meet and network with alumni currently working in the Chicago area. Students were first treated to a visit with both the American Hospital Association and the American Medical Association where each of the organizations gave presentations regarding how they are influencing the future of health care delivery. During the time in Chicago we also visited several different health care organizations including The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Vanguard corporate offices, and John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County.

Ever since entering the MHA program at Iowa, my classmates and I have heard about how exciting and enriching the Chicago trip had been for past first year classes. Other than getting a few days away from class to enjoy the city life, we were excited to visit several very unique health care settings. Our first stop was the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, which turned out to be a truly amazing experience for our class. Being a specialty hospital, RIC gave us an in depth look at the types of services a rehabilitation hospital provides and also treated us to a presentation regarding the ethical component of treating patients with disabilities.

We were given the opportunity to tour RIC and see the amazing type of care they are providing for patients every day. As we toured their new AbilityLab, where clinicians and researchers work side by side, we got to watch part of daily therapy sessions, in which some patients were learning to walk again. In addition to patient care, we were also introduced to the breakthroughs in research currently happening at RIC. Our experience we had at RIC was truly unique and reminded some of us the real reason why we desire a career in health care, to help others.

After our time at RIC, we took a quick walk over to Lurie Children’s Hospital. Our time at Lurie included a presentation that described how their organization is preparing for the many changes that are being brought about by the Affordable Care Act. We were also treated to a tour of the new hospital, complete with a look at inpatient rooms, the emergency department, and the many interactive additions to the hospital, like a fire truck complete with working lights. Lurie was an enriching experience and gave our class much insight into how a fun and healing environment can enhance the patient experience.

Our last stop for on our first day in Chicago was at the corporate offices of Vanguard Health. Our trip at Vanguard began with a presentation by the CEO of Vanguard Health’s Chicago region, William Foley. Mr. Foley gave us an in depth look at Vanguard’s mission, vision, and values, as well as how the company plans to expand and improve within the Chicago area. We were also granted a unique opportunity to participate in a brainstorming exercise facilitated by the Vanguard administrators and fellows. The exercise gave the MHA and MPH classes a chance to apply our knowledge of population health by taking real life situations and generating unique ways that a health care organization could mitigate those problems and better serve the patients of a community. Overall, our experience at Vanguard gave us a better understanding of the corporate healthcare environment and the role that administrators at the corporate level play in
developing strategies to better serve their patients.

Nick Waggoner, '12, and Scott Hurtgen at the alumni reception

Our trip to Chicago culminated with a visit to John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County. During our visit to Cook County, we were granted the opportunity to speak with different clinicians and tour the trauma ICU, emergency department, outpatient clinics, neonatal ICU, and radiology departments. Our tour at Cook County was an eye opening experience and was a great way to experience how public health care is delivered. Our first-year class trip to Chicago was a great experience for each MHA and MPH student, and exposed us all to different career paths we could potentially take in the future. We were able to spend time bonding as a class while also increasing our knowledge of the many roles that administrators can take in the health care industry.

Presentation Skills Seminar

Cerone sharing presentation tips with the class

By. Jeremy Murdock

One of the best aspects of the Iowa MHA program is the tremendous Iowa alumni support. This support comes in many different ways and is very much appreciated and acknowledged by current students. The extent to which many alumni give of their time, talents, and resources is inspiring and I believe it instills the need for current students to “pay it forward” and find ways to stay connected and support the program beyond graduation day.  

On the first Friday in April, the 1^st year MHA students were enlisted in what you might call a one-day “Presentation Skills Bootcamp” organized and directed by two Iowa MHA alumni, Shane Cerone, '95, and Chris Klitgaard, '99. Mr. Cerone is President of Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak Michigan and Mr. Kiltgaard is the President of MediRevv, a revenue-cycle management company based in Coralville. Both healthcare professionals, by virtue of their years of experience in healthcare management roles, have had extensive presentation experience. Presenting to leadership teams and executives, community boards, and other groups within the community is an integral part of being a healthcare administrator.

Students watching presentations and giving feedback

Since we’re all friends here, let’s be honest: formally presenting in front of a group makes almost everyone nervous and or mildly terrified. Your heart rate speeds up, breathing becomes a chore and you might start fidgeting or doing things you wouldn’t normally do, like using your hands as six-shooters when making an important point (I’ll admit to it). So to begin the training session, Mr. Cerone and Mr. Klitgaard spoke to the class on several important topics involved in presenting: How to prepare and plan the presentation so you are an expert on the presentation topic and its delivery, how to make a strong first impression (visual cues/appearance and sound of voice are key here) in addition to the many “technical” details of presenting were also discussed and emphasized.

For the duration of the training, our class was split up into two groups. Mr. Cerone mentored one group and Mr. Klitgaard mentored another as we were asked to prepare and deliver several short presentations. I must mention that these live presentations were recorded, and not just to induce hypertension, but to allow for the mentors and our classmates to give us constructive feedback and for the presenter to view him/herself afterwards and make adjustments or identify areas of improvement. In my own experience, I recognized how much more comfortable I was presenting when I had a clear understanding of the material I was going to deliver than when I “winged it.” Having the chance to see yourself present on the screen was actually a good exercise in discovering certain mannerisms or distracting habits we all exhibit when presenting. The challenge is practicing the delivery and disciplining one-self to avoid repeating the same mistakes (i.e. “uhs” and “ums” between words) and improve. The overall experience was very valuable. The feedback and coaching we received from Mr. Cerone and Mr. Klitgaard were very helpful.

Shane Cerone, '95, and Chris Klitgaard, '99

University of Iowa Dance Marathon 2013

By Claire Watkins

Current MHA students were among the many DM participants this year

Dance Marathon is a non-profit organization that raises money for children’s hospitals all across the nation.  Participants work year-round to fundraise and plan events to raise awareness about this remarkable cause for the kids.  All of the hard work and dedication culminates in the marathon itself where participants stay awake for hours on end, dancing and standing for those who can’t.  

I was introduced to this organization my sophomore year of undergrad at Indiana University when I participated as a dancer for the first time.  I immediately fell in love with the cause and was blown away by the miracles it can make in the lives of children.  My junior year I became a member of the Morale committee, and my senior year I had the opportunity to lead all of the dancers in the teaching of our Morale line dance.  After three years of participation in the organization, when it came time to graduate, I was rather heartbroken to have to give that experience up. 

Fortunately, after getting to know the fellow students in our graduate program, I discovered that one of the second year students was extremely involved in the University of Iowa’s Dance Marathon.  In fact, this year he served as president.  After sharing our experiences and passion for the organization, it did not take him very long to convince me to get involved. 

Over the past 18 years, University of Iowa’s Dance Marathon has raised more than $11.3 million to benefit over 600 families who have been treated at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital Pediatric Oncology Unit.  This year several of my classmates and I participated in the marathon.  At the end of the fundraising year was the 24-hour BIG event that celebrated children’s fight against cancer and remembered those who have lost their battle.  As hard as it was to stay awake and standing all 24 hours, my classmates and I leaned on each other and reminded one another that our situation was insignificant to what many of the children at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital face in their battles for a healthy life.  We stayed encouraged by participating in all of the different activities that they had for the dancers, keeping up with the line dance, and most importantly, listening to the incredibly inspiring stories of the children and their families. 

In the end, we laughed, we cried, and we had a really great time.  The mantra of the marathon that helped to get us through was: “A dream for every child, a dance for every heart, creating tomorrow by dancing today.” At hour 24 of the marathon when the fundraising total was raised, it was truly a moment that took my breath away.  The marathon had another record-breaking year, raising $1,529,560 all for the kids!  We were so proud to have helped play a part in making a difference in the lives of these children, and I am already looking forward to dancing again next year.

This year's dancers raised $1,529,650 for the kids

Hospice and Palliative Care in Trivandrum, India

By Andrew Patzke


Imagine how you would feel if you were afflicted with a disease that you did not fully understand, the cost of your medical treatments had consumed all of your family’s resources, and you were suffering from immense pain that you could no longer afford to manage properly. Such are the circumstances of many of the patients that Pallium India serves. Pallium India is an NGO that seeks to provide the population of Trivandrum, India with access to hospice and palliative care. As a result, Pallium India is also giving its patients access to dignity and relief during an incomprehensibly difficult time.

Over the past three weeks, I have spent my winter break studying hospice and palliative care at Pallium India in Trivandrum, Kerala. This unique opportunity has afforded me the ability to learn about several different aspects of health care delivery in great detail that will greatly supplement the “normal” course work I have and will complete as a master of health administration and master of public health policy student at the University of Iowa.

I chose to spend my winter in India with goals of keeping my mind busy during the long break, experience health care in a different culture and learn more about hospice and palliative care. I have undoubtedly met those goals, as well many others.

Trivandrum

Trivandrum is about the size of the Chicago…with three times the population. The bustling, loud and chaotic hordes of people, rickshaws, cars, mopeds and bikes certainly overwhelmed me during my first few days in the city. However, with each day, I found Trivandrum to be more and more hospitable and alluring. As I prepare to leave, I am honestly quite saddened to have to leave a place that stimulates all of the five senses and return to the snow-covered plains of Iowa.

Our Hosts

Pallium India is truly an inspirational example of health care delivery. Surviving on the generosity of donors and volunteers, Pallium provides free hospice and palliative care treatment to some of the most desperate and impoverished people in the region. Usually working in teams of a physician and two nurses (there are also social workers and physiotherapists), Pallium’s providers load in to vans and embark on the time and energy consuming process of visiting patients’ homes and staffing outreach clinics 6 days a week. Once at a patient’s home, they will sit and talk to them – rarely spending less a half hour, and usually over an hour. A fantastic example of how compassion and health care can and should be intertwined.

Hospice and Palliative Care

A typical patient bed

Prior to this trip, my understanding of hospice and palliative care was largely based on textbook definitions. Nothing has been more valuable than the real-life examples of palliative medicine’s positive impact a patient and their family that I have been privy to. Pallium strives to meet the needs of their patients, which – apart from the medical treatment of their pain – is often focused on aspects of health care that are largely nonmedical. As an example, many of Pallium’s patients do not have access to bedding, wheelchairs or commodes. By supplying such items, Pallium can greatly improve the quality of life for their patients. Improving the quality of life for its patients is the bottom line for Pallium. They will do anything to help their patients, even if it does not fit into any definition of hospice or palliative medicine.

A Story

A prime example of the impact that Pallium has on its patients is the story of Lija. Lija was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis at a very young age. Her medical treatments resulted in massive debt for her family (health insurance here is about as common as pet elephants is in the US). Though potentially beneficial medical treatments were still available, her family could not afford further medical care.

Lija, who was sitting while she spoke
due to the continued pain in her legs

By the time Pallium India came to Lija, she had become completely bedridden. She was about 20 years old at the time. Determined to help in any way possible, Pallium invited the support of a local school to raise enough money for Lija to undergo surgery that had the potential to drastically improve her quality of life – but not cure her. Over the course of a year, the students and their teachers at the local school raised over $4,000 dollars (a huge amount in this part of the world) for Lija’s surgery. By that time, Lija had been bedridden for six years.     
       
I met Lija last week, when she walked into our classroom with her mother to tell us her story. She told us how her love of singing had kept her positive and hopeful during difficult times. Of course, we invited her to sing for us. As Lija sang, the sense of positivity that she exuded and the pride in the face of her mother were like nothing I had ever seen before in any person.

My time here in India has been an invaluable experience. Health care delivery in this part of the world is different from anything that I have ever experienced while studying in the US, Europe and working in Japan. The compassion demonstrated by the caregivers at Pallium is – I am confident – without rival in any other health care organization. This has truly changed my perspective on the health care field, and has changed me as a person. I cannot thank the University of Iowa, Dr. Joann Eland and the people at Pallium India enough for this experience.

You can see additional photos from Andrew’s on his blog.

Deloitte Consulting Workshop

Steve Birchard, '86, presenting to current HMP Students

On December 3, two program alumni, Steve Birchard, ’86, and Nathan Patton, ’11, presented a workshop on consulting for current students. Birchard is a Partner and Patton is a Senior Consultant at Deloitte Consulting.

During the event they discussed a day in the life of a consultant, example projects, summer internship and postgraduate opportunities, and held a question and answer session for interested students. Students were very appreciative of the opportunity to explore and learn about other careers in healthcare and would like to thank both Mr. Birchard and Mr. Patton for taking their time to visit.

Nathan Patton, '11, fielding questions from students

College of Public Health Poster Session

During the recent Fall 2012 College of Public Health Poster Session, 3 HMP students presented their posters on various topics. The following students were among many presenters that participated in the day:

Nico Aguilar: “Health Policy Practicum – US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions”

John Heinemann: “Public Health Advocacy & Policy Development: A Reflection of my MPH Practicum”

Jessica Waters: Implementing the Johnson County School-Based Pertussis Immunization Program

Below are photos from the event:

Third-year MHA/ MPH student John Heinemann

Third-year MPH student Jessica Waters

Second-year MHA/ MPH Student Nico Aguilar

HMP Holiday Potluck

Before students left for break, the Iowa Student Association of Healthcare Leaders (ISAHL) hosted a potluck for the students, faculty, staff, and their families to celebrate the holidays together. Attendees each brought a dish to share and it was a great way end the semester.

Below are photos of the celebration: