University of Iowa Health Management & Policy

By Bri Johnson-  Coordinator for Executive Academic Programs Executive MHA recruitment and admissions is in full swing, and inquiries and prospective applications are once again very strong. The most recent incoming cohort this past August saw the highest numbers of newly enrolled students for the Iowa MHA executive track yet, with 15 new EMHA students matriculating, along with two students enrolling in our new Healthcare Management Certificate for working professionals.  Unlike the traditional track of the Iowa Program which has a fairly fixed admissions cycle of October to April, admissions activity for the executive track occurs year-round. These activities now include at least six EMHA Open Houses at healthcare organizations within one hour driving distance of Iowa City or Des Moines, a robust and growing social media presence, and direct email marketing to healthcare leaders across Iowa. Coming soon is the re-launch of the executive track pages on the College of Public He

The University of Iowa looks forward to the many highlights ACHE's 2019 Congress on Healthcare Leadership has to offer the students, staff, faculty and alumni of the program. Please consider joining us for any of the events listed below! 

By: Kelsie Ferstl (MHA '20) "It is Not What You Eat But  HOW  You Eat It" In Iowa’s MHA program we focus on preparing students to become the future leaders of the healthcare industry. Before entering the program I would have never included dining etiquette among the curriculum I expected to engage with during my time here, but now it makes perfect sense. Learning to become a leader is all about telling a story – your story. This does not happen just in the board room or at the quarterly budget meeting. It happens every single day when you decide how you are going to show up. Today, with the help of Professor Ian Montgomery, we answered this question: How will you tell your story over a meal? How will you convince the people sitting around the table that you are comfortable, in control, and that they can count on you?  Planning for a professional meal takes preparation.  You begin to write your story long before sitting down at the table. Putting in the work a

By: Katie Fredricks (EMHA '18) Overview of Projects and Experiences:  Some of the projects I’ve worked on lately include an Emergency Department Lactate Pilot to identify septic patients as soon as possible in the waiting room. We performed a 2-week pilot and quantified that 100% of patients during the pilot survived sepsis and were eventually discharged home. My favorite part of this project has been working with nursing and physician leadership to ensure positive outcomes for our patients. As my team presented the results of the pilot to our Quality Leadership Committee, I thought to myself “This is the reason I went into healthcare! Finally!” After many years of working and studying, I feel like I’m  finally  a part of the team that helps save lives. By far, this has been the most rewarding project. It makes the challenging days worth it. Katie Fredricks (EMHA '18) - Administrative Fellow at Kaiser Permanente I’ve also been working closely with o

By: Brayden Longnecker (MHA '19)              Kim Ogden MHA '18 Current Administrative Fellow - University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics  As the only Administrative Fellow at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics this year, Kim Ogden (’18) has taken her role in stride. From providing guidance to the graduate assistants who work in hospital administration, to reviewing contracts with the legal team, and everything in between, she has no problem staying busy. Following in the footsteps of past fellows at Iowa, Kim has also been a teaching assistant for two courses in the MHA program: Legal Aspects of Healthcare and the Integrative Capstone. Former Administrative Chief of Staff, Michael Baca (’15) accepted a new role within UIHC and Kim also received some of his responsibilities in the interim. Despite her extremely busy schedule, she has thoroughly enjoyed the vast number of opportunities that come with her position. In the next couple of months, she will h

By Ian Montgomery -  Executive MHA Program Director,  Clinical Associate Professor Department of Health Management and Policy  Bri Johnson - Coordinator for Executive Academic Programs Bri Johnson has been promoted to the new position of Coordinator for Executive Academic Programs. This position became necessary due to the volume and complexity growth of the department’s Executive programs: the Executive MHA, the Healthcare Management Certificate, and training programs under the CHESS umbrella.  Bri focuses largely on supporting our current Executive students; implementing marketing activities (copy design, social media, open houses, etc.); and assisting faculty, many of whom are adjuncts (ICON management, Zoom class connectivity, etc.). She also provides daily onsite representation for all of the Executive programs, especially when Ian is offsite.

By Ellie Keuter (MHA '19) Suresh Gunasekaran, MBA, joined UI Hospitals and Clinics as the Chief Executive Officer and Associate Vice President of UI Health Care in November, 2018. Along with his new role, he has jumped right in to educate the next generation of health care administrators by teaching the MHA Integrative Capstone course. The course is a 3 hour seminar for students in their final semester of the MHA program. Students have the opportunity to learn about various areas of hospital operations, including diversity and inclusion, quality and safety, the patient experience, supply chain, revenue cycle, and information systems. The second-year students have found the class nicely ties together concepts they’ve been learning in their curriculum over the past two years, and are thrilled to have Mr. Gunasekaran as their instructor this spring.  Mr. Gunasekaran has also continued the support of the administrative fellowship program at UIHC through his mentorship of Kim

By: Alexa Saco (MHA ’20) Case competitions offer healthcare administration students a valuable experience to apply knowledge, think critically, network with students and professionals, and make an impact by providing feedback and innovative ideas to real challenges happening within the healthcare industry. The University of Iowa Master of Healthcare Administration Program recognizes such values and has responded by continuously increasing participation in case competitions.  Our students are eager to test their knowledge and capabilities though case competition particpation.  This year alone, 96% of students who either wanted to participate or observe in a case competition, had the opportunity to do so. None of this would be possible without the University of Iowa’s MHA Program Director, Dr. Dan Gentry. His commitment to student success and providing them equal opportunities to improve their skills is unprecedented. Before his arrival, students only had the opportunity to parti

By: Gwen Archibald  -Director, Student Services and Academic Program Support- Department of Health Management & Policy HMP is thrilled to welcome Dusty Persinger as the new Coordinator of Student Services and Academic Program Support. As part of the Student Services team, Dusty provides operations, logistics and support to faculty, staff, and students in the MHA, MPH, MS and PhD programs in the department from recruitment to graduation and beyond.  Dusty graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 2014. She found during her time at UNI that she loved student affairs and being a part of a college campus. After working in admissions at Hawkeye Community College and Cornell College she joined the Higher Education and Student Affairs master’s program here at the University of Iowa in 2017. She will graduate in May. Dusty grew up on an acreage outside the small town of Coggon, Iowa. Along with student affairs, she loves the outdoors, rural life, and her home state. She

By: Mackenzie Schutz (MHA ’19) Like many of my classmates, the last six years of my life were primarily spent in classrooms and coffeeshops learning, applying, discovering, and inquiring; packing boxes and bags to create a temporary home in new apartments and new cities; acquiring new part-time job titles to mitigate the burden of accumulating student loans; and learning new lessons through successes and failures. For me, the time has come to drop my shoulders, take a deep breath, and admit that the cliché is spot on: “Hard work pays off”.  I am filled with excitement to be joining Allina Health for my administrative fellowship after graduation in May. Allina Health is a not-for-profit health system based in Minneapolis, MN, serving both Minnesota and western Wisconsin. I feel very fortunate to be beginning my career as the Administrative Fellow for the Allina Health Group under the guidance of Executive Vice President, Chris Bent.  As graduation approaches I am beginni

By: Garrett Danelz (MHA ’19) Students pursuing administrative fellowships dedicate countless hours to researching prospective institutions, initiating informational phone calls, leveraging connections, and interview preparation. Throughout my fellowship search, I prioritized organizations that matched that level of dedication, demonstrating a truecommitment to recruit and develop future healthcare leaders. Loyola Medicine’s enthusiasm and devotion to me as an applicant was unrivaled and served as a keycontributor in my decision to complete my administrative fellowship at this institution.  The Loyola Medicine Administrative Fellowship is a one-year program structured to develop robust leadership and management skills within a Chicago-based nationally ranked academic health system. The program promotes curiosity, innovation, and application of practical skills in operations, strategy, and front-line management to prepare fellows for dynamic careers in healthcare. Loyola Medicin