Hawkeyes In the Windy City: ACHE CHEF Fall Trip
By: Marisa Polonsky (MHA '19)
| University of Iowa MHA Students at Rush University Medical Center |
The Iowa MHA Program has made it an annual tradition to attend the ACHE CHEF Fellowship Fair in Chicago. It was hosted this year in the beautiful facilities of the Northwestern Prentice Women’s Hospital on the evening of September 20th. This annual event provides an opportunity for our students to interact with other fellowship candidates from health administration programs across the Midwest, and network with current fellows and program sponsors from 30+ administrative fellowship programs across the country. To kick off the night, our very own Matthew Jerome (2nd year MHA Student) helped kick off the event by facilitating the Q & A session with ACHE President Deborah Bowen. Students then attended the Fellowship Fair and were able to rotate to tables representing each of the fellowship programs in attendance to learn about the program structure, application process, and unique foci of each organization.
 |
| Students at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab |
Our busy Thursday didn’t stop with the ACHE CHEF event. Prior to the reception, we were hosted by Kelly Cox Watkins, VP of Market Development for the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Executive Director of Corporate Strategy Barry Fleischer and Global Patient Services Manager Matt Ginsberg-Jaeckle gave us an overview and tour of the facility, highlighting the role that open spaces play in healing and the AbilityLab’s unique mission to facilitate translational research to create breakthroughs in “Human Ability.” We learned about some of the challenges of transferring patients to the facility, and how the AbilityLab is increasing access for international patients. All of our students were inspired by the clinicians and patients we saw engaging in cutting-edge research and rehabilitation throughout the facility, and our passionate hosts. To finish off the evening, we hosted alumni and friends of the University of Iowa program for dinner and cocktails at Francesca’s on Chestnut.
Before heading back to Iowa City on Friday, we made several stops to take advantage of our drive to the Chiacgoland area. After delicious lattes and croissants at our hotel, the Freehand Chicago on Ohio St (highly recommend!), we stopped at Rush University Medical Center and were hosted by Dr. Tricia Johnson (MA ’95), Professor and Associate Chair of Education and Research. Tricia is a member of the faculty in Rush University’s Department Health Systems Management, and truly blew us away with the informative and engaging presentations she arranged for us. We learned about Rush’s unique approach to supply chain management, and the robots they use to support efficient, reliable delivery of products throughout the hospital. While at Rush, we also learned about the organization’s commitment to the local community, and how they support economic vitality in the area by making simple but intentional choices – such as committing to ordering catering only from small local businesses.
We wrapped up our “field trip” with a lunch and discussion with Jim Skogsbergh (MA ’82), President and CEO of Advocate Aurora Health, and William Santulli, Chief Operating Officer of Advocate Aurora Health. All of our students were impressed and appreciative for the time these two exceptional leaders took out of their day to speak with us. They led an informal conversation and provided us with a delicious lunch. We discussed everything from the health system’s strategy for expansion and recent merger, how they approach managing work-life balance and how this has changed throughout their careers, and even the Chicagoland sports rivalries in the room!
Comments
Post a Comment