AUPHA’s Annual Meeting, held in Tampa earlier this month, was a resounding success. Over 330 members and guests convened at the JW Marriott Hotel Tampa Water Street for three days filled with educational, poster, and keynote speakers, as well as doctoral, undergraduate, and global tracks. The meeting also featured some optional events held both pre- and post-conference: An Art of Teaching Institute and Leadership Academy course; an opportunity to volunteer at Metropolitan Ministries of Tampa; a site visit to the Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation, and a sunset cruise on Tampa Bay.
A pre-conference keynote jumpstarted the meeting, featuring a session sponsored by the National Association of Health Services Executives (N.A.H.S.E), featuring Unstoppable: Trailblazing Women, with a panel of four amazing women moderated by Lisa Maria Mallory, PhD, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer of N.A.H.S.E.
The meeting formally opened with the Pattullo Lecture featuring Sue Lehrman, PhD, MPH, Rowan University, followed by a welcome reception later that afternoon. Thanks go to Quint Studer and the Healthcare Plus Solutions Group for sponsoring the reception and for gifting keynote speakers and moderators with a special book bundle of Quint’s books.
A special thanks to the Annual Meeting Planning Committee (AMPC), chaired by Cathleen Erwin, PhD, MBA, and current Chair of AUPHA’s Board of Directors, for producing a fantastic event. Much gratitude also goes to Gerry Ibay, MHA, JD, for leading early morning yoga classes two days in a row!
Wednesday’s Keynote Panel, New Leadership to Accelerate Healthcare’s Digital Transformation, featured a panel from different health organizations in the state of Florida, moderated by Christy Harris Lemak, PhD, FACHE. The Awards Presentation showcased AUPHA’s faculty prize recipients, including Leigh W. Cellucci, PhD, MBA, (The Gary L. Filerman Prize for Educational Leadership); Sue Boren, PhD, MHA, FACMI, FAMIA (The Quint Studer Gratitude Prize for Teaching Excellence); and Kimberly R. Enard, PhD, MBA, MSHA, FACHE (The John D. Thompson Prize). New this year was the Journal of Health Administration Education (JHAE) Best Paper Award, presented to Kevin D. Broom, PhD; Haiyan Qu, PhD; Stephen J. O’Connor, PhD, FACHE; Christy Harris Lemak, PhD, FACHE; and Nancy Borkowski, DBA. Two honorable mentions were also awarded this year: Julie L. Agris, PhD, JD, LLM, and Krista J. Emma, MBA, PMP, and to Dorothy Howell, DHA, MSN; Whitney N. Hamilton, DrPH, MPH; and Melissa Jordan, RRT, DHSc, EdD. Congratulations to all!
Thanks to the Baxter International Foundation and this year’s William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research recipient, David M. Cutler, PhD, in particular, the presentation on Wednesday evening. We continue to be grateful to Baxter for their support and our nearly forty-year relationship with the Foundation.
Highlights of the final day of the meeting included AUPHA’s Business Meeting, where Chair of the Board of Directors Reid Oetjen passed the gavel to Cathleen Erwin. The new Board members, along with the new Executive Committee were celebrated. Challenge coins were also awarded to the following individuals for their outstanding contributions to the organization:
Mario Garner, EdD, MHA, FACHE
Darren Liu, DrPH, FGSA
Carla Jackie Sampson, PhD, MBA, FACHE
Julie Carmalt, PhD
Jacqueline Wiltshire, PhD
Jaime Stephens, CMP, CAE
and to
Nir Menachemi, PhD
Karoline Mortensen, PhD
Steve Shortell, PhD, MPH, MBA
The winners of the poster competition were also announced:
Third Place
Providing Early Feedback to Gen Z Students via a First-Year Preliminary Exam
Kimberly Enard, PhD, MBA, MSHA, FACHE
Marcea Walter, MHSA
Kathleen Gillespie, PhD
Saint Louis University
Second Place
The Effectiveness of Virtual Service Learning on Ageism and Social Competence
Zo Ramamonjiarivelo, PhD, MBA
Texas State University
First Place
Transforming Teaching Techniques to Meet the Needs of Today’s Students
Cory, Moss, DHA,MBA
Miland Palmer, PhD, MPH, RHIA
Darcy Carter, DHSc, MHA, RHIA
Weber State University
Planning for the 2025 Annual Meeting, scheduled to be held in Columbus, Ohio, June 17 – 19, will begin later this summer. Visit the AUPHA Annual Meeting website for updates at the beginning of this fall.