Greetings fellow AUPHA members:
Words on paper cannot express my pleasure, honor, and joy of being selected as the next, and seventh, President and CEO of AUPHA. I am humbled, grateful, and thrilled to be offered the opportunity to lead an organization and community that I love. When I announced I was leaving the University of Iowa last July, not for retirement but for “preferment” (to do only what I preferred to do!), I explained that I hoped to find opportunities to serve more than one academic program at a time, a departure from my roles and leadership positions at SLU, Rush, Memphis, and Iowa the past 26 years. I did not know at the time that my longtime colleague and friend, Dr. Jerry Glandon, would announce his retirement within days. When he did, I was immediately “all in,” and I became more engaged and committed at every step in the recruitment and selection process. It was a remarkable process; I was impressed. It was the most rigorous, stakeholder-involved, and substantive hiring process I’ve experienced as a candidate. I had the best discussions I’ve ever had regarding healthcare management education; AUPHA’s mission, vision, values, and priorities; and, healthcare and health. I sincerely thank and applaud the search committee chaired by Dr. Diane Howard, our AUPHA Board chaired by Dr. Leigh Cellucci, Jaime Stephens and our talented team at AUPHA, and Flip Jaeger and his team at Isaacson Miller (please see the full lists of all involved in the recruitment and selection process here.).
At the recent 14th Annual Health Administration Case Competition at UAB, February 26-28, I had the opportunity to formally represent AUPHA for the first time - and make brief remarks to the 40 teams of graduate students and their faculty advisers. It was surreal since for the past 13 years, I’ve been in the audience with my student teams from SLU, Rush, Memphis, and Iowa. I shared with them my reflections of lessons learned about this and other case competitions through a framework, “the 4 C’s,” that I feel can be applied to their studies, internships, fellowships, and careers. The first C is Create. I encouraged them to focus not only on “doing things,” but producing something tangible, a deliverable, and creating value. For example, there is a growing literature on co-producing health through partnerships with patients, families and communities. The second C is Compete. Yes, compete - albeit in a healthy way, and in a way that always reflects good sportsmanship. Healthy competition makes us all better, and that includes programs and universities, and healthcare organizations. Healthy competition makes health insurance rates more affordable, and competition means that healthcare organizations work harder to retain talent and ensure joy at work. The third C is Compare. It’s only through benchmarks and comparisons that we know how we are performing, and comparisons allow us to identify best practices and prompt us to share what has worked and what needs to be improved. The fourth and final C is Collaborate. I emphasized to the students that they were among colleagues that they would work with, for, and who might work for them, over a 35 to 40-year career. I encouraged them to meet as many other graduate students as possible and to form relationships at case competitions, ACHE Congress, and other events and venues.
As I’ve reflected further, I believe we can apply the 4 C’s framework to our work together as an academic community of leaders and faculty focused on excellence in undergraduate and graduate healthcare management and policy education. I am going to think on this some more and hope to share further ideas in a forthcoming AUPHA Exchange or at one of our future gatherings. I welcome your thoughts!
The AUPHA team and I had very much hoped to see many of you at our planned Graduate Program and Practitioner Workshop (GPPW) in Chicago next week. As you are aware, from Jaime’s communications the past few weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to cancel, along with ACHE’s 2020 Congress on Healthcare Leadership. We have been working with ACHE and our GPPW speakers and panelists to offer this important and timely content virtually. More information about those plans will be forthcoming in the next few days. While the word “Graduate” appears in the title of this event, please know that all AUPHA members and leaders, faculty, and practitioners affiliated with undergraduate and graduate programs, are very warmly welcomed to participate in these virtual sessions. The GPPW has always been intended as an inclusive event! More on that - the professional, ethical and moral imperative to be inclusive and not exclusive In all that we do - coming soon.
Warmest regards,
Daniel Gentry, PhD, MHA