University of Iowa Health Management & Policy

By: Lauren Waggoner Last week, I had the unique opportunity to attend The Ohio State University Case Competition. This case competition is restricted to first year graduate students. From the case, we had the opportunity to act as consultants and provide an implementation strategy for a hospital taking on the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, or MACRA. Before the competition, we had the ability to present to the University of Iowa Health Management and Policy Alumni Board. This was a great opportunity for my team because it allowed us to practice before the case competition. Following our presentation, the alumni proposed questions to us that we may receive from our panel of judges and also gave us feedback on our presentation skills. After our practice presentation, we flew to Columbus, Ohio, the night before the competition. All of the teams participating gathered at The Boathouse, a restaurant on the Olentagy River that overlooks the Columbus Skyline. A dinner

By: David Gast My experience at ACHE Congress stands out as one of the most engaging events of this year. As a first year MHA student, I had plenty of questions about ACHE Congress in the weeks leading up to leaving for Chicago. Eager to beat the rush and get our materials for the week, a fellow classmate and I walked to the Hilton Chicago as soon as we arrived on Sunday. While there, we noticed exhibits being set up and fellow Congress attendees arriving, but the extent of the convention’s size only became clear the following morning during the opening session. Walking into the ballroom packed with a few thousand students and healthcare professionals was impressive, and the keynote speaker did a great job of kicking off the week’s sessions. That night, our two cohorts were able to attend a networking event for students at Congress, where we met students from various graduate programs across the nation. Students from other programs had heard of the size of our program’s delegation

By: Morgan Smith Many in our program had the opportunity to travel to Chicago last week for the American College of Healthcare Executive’s 60th Congress. We registered for learning and networking sessions throughout the week to enrich our learning experience and connect with program alumni and other leaders in the healthcare industry. Several student colleagues and I reflected on the impressive speakers we had the chance to listen to, with wide-ranging experiences and career trajectories. One of the most enthralling presentations came from Ann Compton, a former white house correspondent. Ann gave the Parker B. Francis Distinguished Lecture on Monday, March 25th. She discussed her time working with several presidents, but ended with a poignant lesson and a call to action. Ann discussed an indelible lesson-learned during her time at the white house: a leader’s true character is revealed in times of crisis. She also mentioned that hospital administrators have the power to influence

      As the president of the Department of Health Management and Policy Student Leadership Council, I am excited to share the events with which we have been involved this year. SLC has worked hard to expand their reach and better help students in the department prepare to be effective leaders in the fields of health management and policy.       In the fall, we were able to host and co-host a series of events, both social and professional. We provided resume editing services for students as they prepared for internship, fellowships, jobs and other opportunities. We also hosted an opportunity for students to practice their presentation skills over pizza and comradery. We provided feedback for one another and were provided with valuable notes from our program director, Dan Gentry, as well. The Iowa Student Association of Healthcare Leaders was also gracious enough to allow us an opportunity to co-host an annual Friendsgiving, this fall. Good food and good times were had by all.      

     Iowa Student Association of Healthcare Leaders (ISAHL) has had an exciting 2016-2017 school year so far! We have been very busy participating in events that support our three pillars of professional development, civic engagement, and member relations. This past fall we raised a record amount of donations at our annual ISAHL Golf Outing from players, alumni, faculty, and local business owners. These funds are being utilized to assist 38 students with their registration expenses this March at ACHE Congress in Chicago. This will be the largest number of students we have had in attendance and we are excited to learn more about the current events and challenges facing the healthcare field from executives across the nation! This will also be an amazing opportunity for students to interact with Iowa alumni who will also attend the healthcare conference.       We have offered our members unique experiences such as mock interviews with alumni, etiquette guidelines for a formal cocktail