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Richard Lichtenstein, PhD Named 2015 Recipient of the Filerman Prize for Educational Leadership

By Lacey Meckley, CAE posted 05-22-2015 10:08

  

The Filerman Prize Selection Committee is pleased to announce its selection of Richard Lichtenstein, PhD, the S.J. Axelrod Collegiate Professor of Health Management and Policy at the University of Michigan, as the 2015 recipient of the Filerman Prize for Educational Leadership. He will receive the Prize during an award luncheon at the Annual Meeting of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) on Thursday, June 4th, in Miami, FL. 

The Filerman Prize was established to honor Gary L. Filerman, PhD, the first president of AUPHA, for his many years of service to the Association and healthcare management education. The Prize recognizes individuals from AUPHA member programs who have made outstanding contributions to the field of healthcare management education, who have exhibited leadership in the field, and who have enriched their institutions, their students, and healthcare management education through their work.

Dr. Lichtenstein was nominated by Kyle Grazier, DrPH, the Richard Carl Jelinek Professor of Health Services Management and Policy and Chair of the Department of Health Management and Policy, and David Mendez, PhD, Associate Professor, both of the University of Michigan.  In her nomination letter Dr. Grazier commented, “For the past thirty years, Rich has been the face of health equity and diversity education for the Michigan program, for our campus, and to AUPHA member programs.”

Richard Lichtenstein earned both his MPH and PhD in Medical Care Organization from the University of Michigan, where he has spent his entire forty-five-year career. He received his BS from Cornell University in industrial and labor relations.  He was one of the first doctoral students of Sy Axelrod and Avedis Donabedian, who were among the first to articulate the notion that problems with health care quality and access were legitimate public health issues.  

Dr. Lichtenstein’s impressive contributions to the University of Michigan started early in his career when he founded the Summer Enrichment Program (SEP), which he still leads today.  Entering its 30th year, SEP is a health administration internship program that recruits and educates future leaders interested in eliminating health disparities.  Each year, 25 undergraduate students are brought to Ann Arbor for a summer of mentorship; in-class and on-the-job education via internships with health systems and other health agencies; and advice and skills-training to prepare for success in graduate school.  To date, the program has over 550 alumni, with 90% going on to graduate study in public health, medicine, health sciences, or business, and more than twenty individuals completing doctoral degrees.  “Professor Lichtenstein is undoubtedly, and justifiably, best known for the Summer Enrichment Program (SEP),” writes Dr. Mendez.  “This unique and uniquely valuable program has opened the doors to health administration careers to dozens of minority students. The program vividly demonstrates the impact that one dedicated person can have on changing the face of health care, and the color of that face.”

In the classroom, Dr. Lichtenstein is continually named as one of the most influential teachers in the graduate experience of the over 3,000 active alumni from the Michigan program.  He is known for “flipping the classroom,” as Dr. Grazier describes his unique approach to course development.  “With each course offering, he sought ongoing feedback from students, and through rapid cycle pilots, modified the course while underway. In the next round, he implemented, evaluated, and constantly sought to improve the experience for the students.”  His dedication to educational leadership is reflected in the numerous teaching, service, and impact awards he has received locally and nationally.

Dr. Lichtenstein’s scholarship and publications speak directly to his academic leadership at the University of Michigan and his dedication to his community.  His publications have focused on vulnerable populations, such as the poor, underserved children, Medicaid recipients, the uninsured, and residents of Detroit’s most blighted neighborhoods, and has been featured in peer-reviewed and high-visibility journals.  He has received local and national funding from, state and federal agencies and institutes ranging from the US Department of Health and Human Services, to the Kellogg Foundation, to the Detroit Empowerment Zone.

In response to his being selected as the recipient of the 2015 Filerman Prize, Dr. Lichtenstein said, “I am very honored to receive the Filerman Prize.  Throughout my career, I have worked hard to educate graduate students about the health care system and about the health inequalities that plague many lower-income populations and populations of color. I also founded the University of Michigan Summer Enrichment Program 30 years ago to attract undergraduate students interested in eliminating health inequalities in the health administration field.  I am proud that many of the 566 alumni of this program are now executives in health care organizations across the country and are working to make the American health care system more equitable. The Filerman Prize is a wonderful acknowledgement that my work on health inequalities is highly valued by my colleagues.”

The Filerman Prize is administered by AUPHA with the generous support of the University of Minnesota’s Healthcare Alumni Associations/Foundation and the many friends of Dr. Filerman. Nominations for the Filerman Prize are made each year by individuals from AUPHA member programs or affiliate programs or by Individual members of the Association. For additional information on the nomination process or selection process, please see the AUPHA website at www.aupha.org > Resource Center > Faculty.
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05-31-2015 14:57

I was in the UM Summer Enrichment Program in 1994. This experience solidified my commitment to a career in public health.