Iowa HMP Department Hosts Nihon Keiei Group

By: Nora Kopping (MHA ’18)

This November, students and faculty from the Iowa MHA program were excited to host senior managers from the Nihon Keiei Group, one of the largest consulting firms in Japan. The MHA program enjoys a special relationship with Nihon Keiei, which hosts an Iowa intern each summer.

Senior managers from Neihon Keiei Group pose after dinner with representatives
from the Iowa Health Management and Policy Department including MHA Program
Director Dan Gentry, Liz Theisen (MHA '19), Associate Professor Xi Zhu,
and GerhardHartman Professor and Interim Dean of the College of Public
Health Keith Mueller.

One highlight of the visit for second-year MHA students was having our guests attend an Organizational Ethics class discussion, where they exchanged perspectives on the community obligations of health care organizations in Japan and the United States. During the visit, our guests toured the Grinnell Regional Medical Center (where Todd Linden (MHA ’87) is President and CEO), the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and Mercy Hospital, Iowa City. They also visited The Bird House – Hospice Home of Johnson County and Oaknoll – A Lifecare Community. Two first-year MHA students accompanied the group on some of their tours:

Liz Theisen (MHA ’19):

Because of my interest in long-term care, I had the opportunity to travel with the Japanese guests to Oaknoll and The Bird House. Oaknoll is a lifecare community, which offers a continuum of care from independent living to nursing home care. While visiting Oaknoll, we had the opportunity to visit with Dr. Boyd, a resident and former University of Iowa President. The Bird House is a not-for-profit hospice home dedicated to giving end of life care in a non-medical setting. Both facilities were very beautiful and shared a mission to celebrate the end of life.

Sachiko Syouji, head of the Nursing Care Management Advisory Department at Nihon Keiei, shared my passion for long term care. The opportunity to share knowledge with our Japanese visitors was a truly an amazing experience.

Loralyn Werkmeister (MHA '19) takes representatives from the Nihon
Keiei Group on a tour of the College of Public Health Building.

Loralyn Werkmeister (MHA ’19):

I had the pleasure of leading a tour of the College of Public Health building for our guests. Seeing these spaces gave the Nihon Keiei guests a complete look into the average day of an MHA student. Our tour also highlighted the many factors that contribute to the building’s Platinum LEED certification, including the many recycling bins placed throughout the building, as well as the hand dryers and showers for personal use. Our tour concluded on the fifth floor which offers an impressive view of the Iowa River, colorful fall foliage and the Old Capital building. Overall, the tour was a great way to interact with the Nihon Keiei guests and show off the impressive facilities that MHA students enjoy!