MHA Community Advisory Board Announces New Chair
CEO of University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics David Entwistle is the new chair of the Community Advisory Board for the Masters of Healthcare Administration at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business. He assumes the role after serving as a member of the Community Advisory Board since its inception in 2011.
“It is exciting that a healthcare executive with his accomplishments is willing to invest the time to help us build our program,” said Dr. Debra Scammon, MHA program director.
Entwistle has been CEO of University of Utah Hospital and Clinics since 2007. Prior to coming to Utah, he was Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for six years at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison. He earned his MHA degree from Arizona State University, and his bachelors degree in Health Sciences from BYU.
The MHA Program received accreditation from CAHME, the Commission on the Accreditation of Health Management Education, in 2012. According to Dr. Scammon, accreditation put the MHA program in elite company with top programs around the country. Scammon says that the Community Advisory Board has already played a strong role in helping the program achieve accreditation, and with Entwistle’s leadership, it is now ready to make even greater contributions. Taking a page from an initiative he implemented at University Hospital, a key goal will be to create an “exceptional student experience,” Scammon said.
Entwistle has already made opportunities available to students through hiring Administrative Interns and Administrative Fellows from the David Eccles School’s MHA program. Upon arriving in Utah, Entwistle established an Administrative Fellowship program for the University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics, with the fellowships providing recent graduates with a fast track into hospital administration. Graduates work closely with top administrators and gain exposure to all facets of an organization quickly, often receiving job offers at the end of the assignment. Entwistle, who completed an Administrative Internship at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, following completion of his own MHA program, recognized the value of these positions to both students and healthcare organizations. He wanted to make such opportunities available in Utah, and the University of Utah program is now in its sixth year.
Entwistle’s career experience provides a wonderful example for MHA program students, and his vision now is to create a mentorship program whereby program alumni and local area healthcare executives can provide personal coaching for our students. With Entwistle’s leadership, we anticipate many positive additions to the exceptional student experience.