Clinicians | Executive and Continuing Education | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Programs

Health Care Quality ImprovementFrom Design to Implementation
- January 6 – 16, 2025
Health care leaders and professionals want to undertake improvement projects in their practice or organization, and many don’t know where to begin, or how to analyze and properly gauge their successes. Health Care Quality Improvement: From Design to Implementation will use a real case study to take participants through the journey of identifying, planning, measuring, and creating process changes that will lead to results.
Program for Chairs of Clinical Services
- January 19 – 31, 2025
- January 25, 2026 – February 6, 2026
The Program for Chairs of Clinical Services brings together chairs of major clinical departments in teaching hospitals for intensive and systematic study of the critical leadership and management issues facing chairs, their departments, and teaching hospitals.
Responsible AI for Health CareConcepts and Applications
- February 4 – 7, 2025
Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) have captured the public imagination and have the potential to drive significant change in health care. This course, Responsible AI for Health Care: Concepts and Applications, aims to unveil the core principles of responsible AI, the capabilities of LLMs and Generative AI, and their profound implications for health care, emphasizing ethical considerations and safety measures.
Conflict, Feedback, and Negotiation in Health Care
- February 18 – 20, 2025
Increase your competence as a physician leader in the critical management areas of navigating conflict, providing feedback, and skillfully approaching negotiations.
Financial Management in Health Care for Non-Financial Managers
- March 18 – 20, 2025
Increase your financial literacy as a physician leader. In this course, you will learn financial management and control, and how to interact more effectively with finance personnel.
Principles and Practice of Clinical Research
- March 27, 2025 – December 11, 2025
This program explores clinical research (including research basics, statistical methods, data collection, and study design) to ensure that participants can conduct clinical trials in an effective manner. By participating, you will become a more efficient and effective clinical researcher.
Transforming Health Care EducationThe Science of Learning and Art of Teaching
- April 1, 2025 – June 24, 2025
Teaching is a powerful tool that can be a transformative agent, promoting social changes when used correctly. To learn how to teach, however, you first must understand how people learn. Transforming Health Care Education: The Science of Learning and Art of Teaching will show how both these abilities intersect—with neuroscience, motivation, and technology—enabling participants to become more effective teachers in the health care field.
Health Care Leadership Intensive for Managers
- May 5 – 9, 2025
This management and leadership development program is designed to improve your skills and increase your knowledge, preparing you to tackle complex challenges, comprehend cost analysis, drive change, and effectively manage health care departments and divisions.
Innovation with AI in Health Care
- May 6 – 9, 2025
Innovation with AI in Health Care will help leaders of health care organizations develop the skills needed to realize the value of AI in health care and advance their careers through demonstrating leadership in digital transformation of health care. It also brings together a diverse community of leaders from the technical, clinical, and business worlds.
Health Care Leadership for Emerging Executives
- May 14 – 16, 2025
Master essential leadership skills to influence stakeholders, solve complex challenges, and navigate the evolving health care landscape. This program empowers current and emerging executives to lead with vision and drive transformative change.
Emerging Women Executives in Health Care
- June 3 – 6, 2025
This leadership development program focused on women provides you with the skills to lead complex health care organizations. Participating in this course will help you bridge the gaps in your understanding, strategies, and skills, and prepare you for the next stage in your career.
Implementing Health Care AI into Clinical Practice
- June 9 – 12, 2025
The successful implementation of AI solutions in clinical practice requires teams that are skilled in multiple disciplines, including data science, user-centered design, subject-matter expertise, change management, and more. However, the health care field currently lacks professionals who sit at the intersections among those disciplines. This executive education program equips clinicians and executives with the cross-disciplinary knowledge and skills needed to ensure AI solutions are implemented successfully in clinical practice.
Leadership Development for Physicians in Academic Health Centers
- October 5 – 17, 2025
Leadership Development for Physicians in Academic Medical Centers brings together physicians in administrative positions in academic medical centers, who lead a clinical division and report directly to the chair of their department, for intensive and systematic study of the critical leadership and management issues facing academic medical centers.
Mental Health LeadershipTransformation Through Innovation
- November 17 – 20, 2025
The importance of reducing the mental health care gap has never been more critical. The current reality of limited financial resources, stigma associated with mental health problems, and too few professionals to support the vast mental health needs of the population means that professionals and organizations have an obligation to innovate mental health care delivery
Leadership Development to Advance Equity in Health Care
- November 18 – 21, 2025
Traditional medical education lacks training on how the health care system is influenced by racism and how outdated policies perpetuate disparities. This program will teach you how to confront and remediate unfair practices and advance health equity in your community or practice.
Integrating Sustainability in Decision Making
The International Leadership Development Program for Physicians
Measurement, Design, and Analysis Methods for Health Outcomes Research
Health Care Project Management

News & Resources

Why It’s So Important to Train Your Leaders—Starting Now

Immense Changes Come from Giving Managers the Tools for Success While it’s certainly true of other industries, it’s particularly true in health care: there aren’t enough formal training programs for leaders. “We’re always trying to do more with less, and leadership training can feel like too big of an investment,” explains Louise Keogh Weed, program … Continue reading “Why It’s So Important to Train Your Leaders—Starting Now”

Posted on December 3, 2024
Why Health Care Executives Must Be Intentional About Learning Leadership

There’s a common trend in health care leadership: skilled and competent physicians with impeccable track records and quality credentials become department leaders. “We take somebody who’s never had any training in leading and say, ‘Go lead a department’—and we expect them to do well,” explains Eric J. McNulty, associate director of the National Preparedness Leadership … Continue reading “Why Health Care Executives Must Be Intentional About Learning Leadership”

Posted on November 8, 2024
Why Negotiation Skills are Essential for Working in Health Care

There are few things as predictable in life as conflict. But in a health care environment, many people misunderstand both the nature of conflict and how to manage it constructively. “Human beings have conflict. Conflict is simply a difference of opinion,” says Ted Witherell, a faculty member in the Department of Health Policy and Management, … Continue reading “Why Negotiation Skills are Essential for Working in Health Care”

Posted on September 30, 2024
Why Physician Leaders Need to Build their Financial Management Skills

Physician leaders in today’s health care organizations face huge challenges: they are being asked to take on added responsibilities in clinical care, as well as to manage rising health care costs, all without sacrificing quality. Yet they have shrinking budgets and fewer resources to accomplish these goals. One of the best ways physician leaders can … Continue reading “Why Physician Leaders Need to Build their Financial Management Skills”

Posted on September 11, 2024
Digital Technology for Mental Health: Apps and Beyond

During and after the COVID pandemic, there’s been an influx of digital mental health applications. Experts debate their usage and efficacy, particularly regarding ethical and privacy considerations: for example, in a 2023 FTC settlement, online therapy app BetterHelp was fined for its use of private health data. Digital health technologies (DHTs) have the capacity to … Continue reading “Digital Technology for Mental Health: Apps and Beyond”

Posted on August 6, 2024
Using Simulation Exercises to Find Breakthrough Results in Quality Improvement

When health care leaders and professionals want to undertake improvement projects in their practice or organization, they often need help honing in on where to start. Unfortunately, that stagnancy leads to a lack of progress. “If we continue to do what we’re doing, we continue to get the results that we’re getting. If we want … Continue reading “Using Simulation Exercises to Find Breakthrough Results in Quality Improvement”

Posted on August 4, 2024
The Future of DEI in Health Care: How to Maintain, Protect, and Support Initiatives

For many health care organizations, necessary diversity, equity, and inclusion work has been ongoing for the past few years. After these initiatives pass the development stage, many are now experiencing roadblocks, pushback, or stagnation. What do we do now? DEI experts may be wondering. “Now the office exists, and you’re trying to hold onto it. … Continue reading “The Future of DEI in Health Care: How to Maintain, Protect, and Support Initiatives”

Posted on July 26, 2024
The Skills Physician Leaders Need Today

Physician leaders who join the two-week Leadership Development for Physicians in Academic Health Centers program—usually those at the chief or medical director level—do so to hone the skills required for excelling at the next stage of medicine: the art of organizational business, increased financial literacy, and managerial skills. Yet, they walk away with those skills … Continue reading “The Skills Physician Leaders Need Today”

Posted on May 9, 2024
The Implementation Gap: Using Artificial Intelligence to Help Patients in Clinical Practices

While an extensive number of machine-learning models are developed, many of them are never put into use. “All those amazing models could be helping patients,” says Santiago Romero-Brufau, M.D., Ph.D., Program Director of Implementing Health Care AI into Clinical Practice and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Biostatistics at Harvard T. H. Chan School … Continue reading “The Implementation Gap: Using Artificial Intelligence to Help Patients in Clinical Practices”

Posted on April 24, 2024
Health System Leaders Face Disruption and Uncertainty in 2024

Senior health care executives recently shared their predictions for both challenges and opportunities in the year ahead. They include persistent issues such as evolving business models, high labor costs, talent retention, and new factors including virtual nursing and customized patient experiences. The bottom line is that leaders in health systems will be navigating turbulence and … Continue reading “Health System Leaders Face Disruption and Uncertainty in 2024”

Posted on March 14, 2024
How to Build, Manage, and Maintain Strong Teams in the Modern Health Care Space

The working world post-COVID-19 looks a lot different, both in terms of how we work and what we do—which means that managers in leadership positions need to adapt to this new environment. “Everything’s changed. There’s a tremendous amount of burnout in the industry. We’re on the other side of the Great Resignation. We’re seeing a … Continue reading “How to Build, Manage, and Maintain Strong Teams in the Modern Health Care Space”

Posted on March 8, 2024
Why Physician Leaders Need Strong Conflict, Feedback and Negotiation Skills

In today’s complex health care setting, conflicts arise on a regular basis. That’s why physician leaders, health care team members and other stakeholders need strong conflict resolution, feedback and negotiation skills to help their organizations navigate challenging situations in the most effective way. This is key to creating supportive workplace environments where employees feel strong … Continue reading “Why Physician Leaders Need Strong Conflict, Feedback and Negotiation Skills”

Posted on March 7, 2024
A Blueprint for Health Care Leaders to Implement Quality Improvement Efforts

Women are dying in childbirth. Medication compliance is low among some populations. Hospital-acquired infections are on the rise in surgical units. People have long wait times to be seen in emergency departments. This is just a sampling of the myriad of challenges facing health systems today. Health care leaders and providers who are well-versed on … Continue reading “A Blueprint for Health Care Leaders to Implement Quality Improvement Efforts”

Posted on February 7, 2024
Strategies to Improve Black Maternal Health Outcomes and Advance Health Equity

The statistics around Black maternal health in the United States remain unsettling. In the U.S., Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. Black women are also two times more likely to experience severe maternal morbidity and 1.5 times more likely to have a preterm delivery, … Continue reading “Strategies to Improve Black Maternal Health Outcomes and Advance Health Equity”

Posted on January 31, 2024
Emerging Women Health Care Executives Require Juggling as a Key Competency

For women and those who identify as women in health care, being promoted to a first-time leadership position can be fraught with challenges. Statistically, women don’t put themselves forward and apply for management positions as often as men, and therefore, they continue to be underrepresented in leadership circles (even more so for women of color). … Continue reading “Emerging Women Health Care Executives Require Juggling as a Key Competency”

Posted on January 30, 2024
Reinvigorate Your Health Care System: Build Meta-Leadership into Your Practices and Thinking

As the pandemic recedes, proactive health care leaders see a moment of opportunity. The past three years presented a host of unprecedented challenges. Now is the time to re-position their people, their system, and their leadership. How can you emerge from these three years into a renewed posture of leadership strength? “The pandemic response tested … Continue reading “Reinvigorate Your Health Care System: Build Meta-Leadership into Your Practices and Thinking”

Posted on April 21, 2023
Women on Boards: The Value of Strengthening ESG Expertise

Women who want to secure a seat on a public or private board today can increase their value by being up on the latest best practices for environmental, social and governance (ESG) topics, according to Ellen Zane, past president and chief executive officer of Tufts Medical Center and Tufts Children’s Hospital and co-program director of … Continue reading “Women on Boards: The Value of Strengthening ESG Expertise”

Posted on April 10, 2023
The Financial Pressures That Chairs of Clinical Departments Face—and How to Manage Them

Financial Challenges and Strategic Solutions for Healthcare Leaders Chairs of major clinical departments have always faced budgetary pressures. But the effects of the COVID pandemic—which have led to rising medical usage—as well as inflation and labor shortages are just some of the acute financial stressors taxing academic health centers right now. “Costs of labor and … Continue reading “The Financial Pressures That Chairs of Clinical Departments Face—and How to Manage Them”

Posted on November 28, 2022
How Health Care Leaders Can Build Effective, Bias free AI

As advances in technology have continued to evolve, many health care leaders and clinicians have been exploring the promise of artificial intelligence (AI) to empower patients and practitioners and improve the efficiency of health care organizations. Some of the benefits these technologies can bring to health care range from the ability to predict who is … Continue reading “How Health Care Leaders Can Build Effective, Bias free AI”

Posted on October 6, 2022
How Organizations Can Make Better Use of Limited Resources for More Effective Mental Health Services

It’s a well-known fact that, even in high-income countries like the United States, mental health resources are insufficient to address the overall mental health need. Waiting time to see a mental health specialist is usually from several weeks to several months. In practice, this means that there are fewer specialists able to see potential and … Continue reading “How Organizations Can Make Better Use of Limited Resources for More Effective Mental Health Services”

Posted on September 20, 2022
Approaching Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Through a Future-Oriented Lens

Recent social justice movements (Black Lives Matter, #MeToo and the Women’s March, Stop AAPI Hate, and others) have spotlighted the need for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across all facets of our society. The workplace is no exception; even though DEI initiatives have been around in some form since the 1960s, in the months and … Continue reading “Approaching Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Through a Future-Oriented Lens”

Posted on June 22, 2022
To Meet Future Needs, Health Care Leaders Must Look at the Data (Science)

As a health care leader or clinician, do you play an active role in your organization’s data science strategy? If not, you may miss out on important opportunities to help improve value, workflow, and patient outcomes. Today, health care organizations have access to more information than ever before—from emergency department records to radiology reports to … Continue reading “To Meet Future Needs, Health Care Leaders Must Look at the Data (Science)”

Posted on March 3, 2022
Why Leadership in Mental Health Care Is Needed Now More Than Ever—and How to Implement Change

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted population mental health. Among the many negative impacts, it has led to sickness and bereavement, increased uncertainty, decreased human connection, and lost opportunities for work and education. However, it has led to important discoveries, too. Societally, we have a greater acknowledgement that mental health is critically important and that … Continue reading “Why Leadership in Mental Health Care Is Needed Now More Than Ever—and How to Implement Change”

Posted on February 16, 2022
It’s More Important Than Ever for Physician Leaders to Develop Financial Literacy—Here’s How to Start

Financial literacy will always be an important skill for a physician leader. But now, because of the ongoing challenges of COVID-19 and the unique demands it imposes on budgets, the skill set is even more critical. Understanding how resources are allocated and how to negotiate and self-advocate during financial discussions has never been more important. … Continue reading “It’s More Important Than Ever for Physician Leaders to Develop Financial Literacy—Here’s How to Start”

Posted on December 14, 2021
The Art of Managing Conflict and Cultivating Influence as Health Care Leaders

It’s a stereotype with a grain of truth: leaders are often promoted for past performance, not future potential. That notion certainly rings true in health care, considering how many clinicians are regularly promoted to positions of leadership because of their clinical skills. When things don’t work out, though, it’s less often about their clinical performance … Continue reading “The Art of Managing Conflict and Cultivating Influence as Health Care Leaders”

Posted on December 14, 2021
Risk Analysis in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Weighing the Cost and Benefits of Vaccines and Masks

Every single day, people take risks. They drive in cars and fly in airplanes, expose themselves to environmental pollution and so much more. While some of these public health risks are so integrated into our lives that we’ve stopped worrying about them, other risks—such as engaging in activities that increase your likelihood of contracting COVID-19—can … Continue reading “Risk Analysis in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Weighing the Cost and Benefits of Vaccines and Masks”

Posted on November 7, 2021
Change Management: Why It’s So Important, and So Challenging, in Health Care Environments

Medical professionals excel at finding solutions in patient care. “We are great at coming up with the ‘next big thing’: we have brilliant people who are at the front lines of innovation,” says Louise Keogh Weed, program director of the Leadership Strategies for Evolving Health Care Executives program and a practice transformation specialist at the … Continue reading “Change Management: Why It’s So Important, and So Challenging, in Health Care Environments”

Posted on September 20, 2021
How COVID-19 Has Changed the Standards of Worker Safety and Health — and How Organizations Can Adapt

Ensuring health and safety in the workplace is already a critically important issue; organizations that invest in occupational safety perform better, reduce turnover, and help workers do their jobs more effectively. But COVID-19 has forced companies to act quickly and decisively to keep workers safe. As employers endeavor to slow the spread of the virus … Continue reading “How COVID-19 Has Changed the Standards of Worker Safety and Health — and How Organizations Can Adapt”

Posted on March 31, 2021
Algorithmic Bias in Health Care Exacerbates Social Inequities — How to Prevent It

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to drastically improve patient outcomes. AI utilizes algorithms to assess data from the world, make a representation of that data, and use that information to make an inference. From handling administrative tasks to actively diagnosing disease, AI could make treatment faster and more effective in clinical settings, especially as … Continue reading “Algorithmic Bias in Health Care Exacerbates Social Inequities — How to Prevent It”

Posted on March 12, 2021
Challenges and Opportunities for Women on Health Care Boards during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every facet of life in the United States—including forcing corporations and nonprofit organizations in the health care sector to rethink their business models in order to stay afloat. As a result, both public and private boards of directors and nonprofit boards of trustees have had to find new ways to … Continue reading “Challenges and Opportunities for Women on Health Care Boards during the COVID-19 Pandemic”

Posted on March 2, 2021
How to Build—And Lead—Resilient Health Care Teams During COVID-19

Health care workers currently face challenges that are more intense than usual during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The medical field is no stranger to crises, but COVID-19 has caused, in many cases, a profoundly heightened environment — extending not just to the professional but to the personal lives of employees, leaders, partners, and patients. “It’s … Continue reading “How to Build—And Lead—Resilient Health Care Teams During COVID-19”

Posted on September 21, 2020
The Unique Challenges – and Opportunities – Facing Leaders of Academic Health Centers During COVID-19

Academic health systems routinely test their disaster preparedness—but nothing has fully prepared organizations for the public health crisis of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, explains Mary Finlay, lecturer in the Department of Health Policy & Management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and program director of the Leadership Development for Physicians in Academic … Continue reading “The Unique Challenges – and Opportunities – Facing Leaders of Academic Health Centers During COVID-19”

Posted on May 21, 2020
The Importance of Meta-Leadership During the COVID-19 Crisis

The unprecedented worldwide crisis spawned by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) makes leading in health care more challenging than ever. Executives face the stress and consequences of a pandemic on top of the tumult of an unsettled marketplace. The concepts and tools of meta-leadership help those leaders reframe adversity. It is an opportunity for building … Continue reading “The Importance of Meta-Leadership During the COVID-19 Crisis”

Posted on May 7, 2020
It’s Not Just Personal: The Economic Value of Preventing Bullying in the Workplace

People who are bullied at work can suffer a myriad of negative health impacts—poor mental health, sleep deprivation, and stress-related illness among them. This can also impact their workplace at the organizational level, especially since some bullied workers leave their jobs, file HR claims, pursue legal action, or simply suffer from low morale. It’s a … Continue reading “It’s Not Just Personal: The Economic Value of Preventing Bullying in the Workplace”

Posted on March 4, 2020
Transform Your Health Care Organization with Quality Improvement Skills

Physician leaders who work in a variety of health care settings all around the world face similar challenges — from managing staff members to improving financial performance — in order to lead their organizations to success. They also require a deep understanding of the science of quality improvement, which is a framework used to improve … Continue reading “Transform Your Health Care Organization with Quality Improvement Skills”

Posted on January 16, 2020
Putting the Drug Debate into Context: the State of Pharmaceutical Cost Reform in the U.S.

U.S. medical care has experienced huge and unsustainable spending increases—especially in drug prices—for decades. Under the Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration accelerated the value-based care movement to address key spending categories such as hospital and physician care. Value-based purchasing seeks to reduce spending by improving quality and efficiency to address unnecessary costs. Most stakeholders … Continue reading “Putting the Drug Debate into Context: the State of Pharmaceutical Cost Reform in the U.S.”

Posted on January 8, 2020
Friction on the Board: How to Deal with Challenging Power Dynamics as a Female Board Member

Serving on a for-profit or not-for-profit board can be quite fulfilling. However, obtaining a board position can be challenging, especially for women. Currently, more than 80% of seats on corporate boards are occupied by men. Merely attaining a board seat is not the only hurdle. Being a director can bring its own set of unique … Continue reading “Friction on the Board: How to Deal with Challenging Power Dynamics as a Female Board Member”

Posted on May 16, 2019
The Path to Effective Health Care Project Management

At its core, effective health care centers around human health and life—so, working in a health care field means making life-changing decisions. Unfortunately, the industry is unique not just for the higher stakes, but also for its unpredictability and complexity. Different industries, professionals, and project management styles conjoin, often inefficiently, and professionals must fight for … Continue reading “The Path to Effective Health Care Project Management”

Posted on April 24, 2019
The Knowns and Unknowns of Health Care Meta-Leadership

The state of health care in this country could best be described as predictably unpredictable. The future of the Affordable Care Act—and the financing that underlies it—is open for question. Evolving technology challenges health care organizations both to keep up and to stay smart in how they adapt to new opportunities and capabilities. And the … Continue reading “The Knowns and Unknowns of Health Care Meta-Leadership”

Posted on April 3, 2019
Why Health Care CIOs Can’t Delay on Embracing AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform the health care landscape over the next few years, helping clinicians achieve better outcomes in patient care and enabling organizations to be more efficient. But many Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and other IT leaders today are still poised at the brink of change, having not yet adopted … Continue reading “Why Health Care CIOs Can’t Delay on Embracing AI”

Posted on February 4, 2019
Why Evolving Health Care Leaders Can Benefit from Stronger Management and Strategy Skills

Do you work in health care? Do you have leadership aspirations? If so, you’ll need to develop your strategy and management skills right now. That’s because in today’s rapidly changing marketplace, employees at all levels must be equipped with a much more diverse set of strengths than in the past. They need to adapt to … Continue reading “Why Evolving Health Care Leaders Can Benefit from Stronger Management and Strategy Skills”

Posted on October 22, 2018
Why Building Your Brand Is Essential to Leveraging Project Management Opportunities in Health Care

In today’s tumultuous health care landscape, there is a growing need for project managers who demonstrate key skill sets to lead their organizations for success, according to Karen Curley, Instructor in the Division of Policy Translation and Leadership Development at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She also serves as the Program Director … Continue reading “Why Building Your Brand Is Essential to Leveraging Project Management Opportunities in Health Care”

Posted on June 7, 2018
From Physician to Physician Leader: Developing Your Skills for Success

As academic health centers are challenged by the dynamic health care environment, they must find ways to adapt in order to thrive. This has resulted in the growing trend of bringing physicians into leadership roles with the goal of introducing change and setting new directions for the institution. Physician leaders ranging from department chairs to … Continue reading “From Physician to Physician Leader: Developing Your Skills for Success”

Posted on May 24, 2018
Exploring the Challenges Facing Women Leaders in Health Care

If you’re a woman executive working in today’s complex health care setting, you likely face many challenges on the job that make it difficult to advance your career to the next stage. That’s because women in leadership roles often meet resistance when they try to assert their authority or demonstrate the same management traits that … Continue reading “Exploring the Challenges Facing Women Leaders in Health Care”

Posted on March 28, 2018
The Changing Role of Health IT Leaders: Positioning for Success Moving Forward

Health care organizations have undergone much change in recent years, including the need to incorporate a growing array of technological advances into their day-to-day operations. In fact, as innovations such as population health, big data, and precision medicine are transforming the current landscape, in the process they’re also changing the role of chief information officers … Continue reading “The Changing Role of Health IT Leaders: Positioning for Success Moving Forward”

Posted on March 19, 2018
Leading Through the Complexity of Health Care Change

Health system leaders now face numerous challenges in guiding their organizations: Reimbursement is in question as the health policy debate ebbs and flows. The market is becoming increasingly consolidated and competitive. Technology provides tremendous opportunities along with significant costs and risks. In this ambiguous mix, decisions must be reached. Practices must evolve. And emotions come … Continue reading “Leading Through the Complexity of Health Care Change”

Posted on March 15, 2018
How Networking Can Help Women Secure Board Seats

If you are a woman whose career aspirations include securing a seat at the boardroom table, it’s important to hone your networking skills. This is because your professional contacts may lead you to those coveted board opportunities that best match your experience and skills, according to Ellen Zane, a nationally known health care expert and … Continue reading “How Networking Can Help Women Secure Board Seats”

Posted on November 1, 2017
How to Transform Employee Resistance through Team Building and Training

Teamwork is crucial to an organization’s ongoing success. When management runs smoothly, employees tend to enjoy their jobs, exhibit greater passion for their work, and collaborate more intelligently to positively shape their industry year after year. But when an organization is run by inefficient management who regularly causes day-to-day, or even hour-by-hour, workplace challenges that … Continue reading “How to Transform Employee Resistance through Team Building and Training”

Posted on September 20, 2017
Universal Challenges for Physician Leaders

To learn more about the unprecedented challenges facing physician leaders all over the globe, we spoke with Laurie Pascal, lecturer in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Director Cindy Hupke. They serve as co-directors for the International Leadership Development … Continue reading “Universal Challenges for Physician Leaders”

Posted on September 13, 2017
The Value of Applying Health Outcomes Research to Improve Treatment Results

With mounting pressure on health care organizations to provide high-quality care while containing costs, there’s been an increasing reliance on using health outcomes research to identify the most effective interventions and incorporate them into clinical practice. As such, health outcomes research can provide a valuable resource to help clinicians make strategic treatment choices that will … Continue reading “The Value of Applying Health Outcomes Research to Improve Treatment Results”

Posted on August 8, 2017
The Next Generation of Project Management: How to Develop Technical and Leadership Expertise

Project management is fundamental to the success of any project. As the process of systematically planning, organizing, and executing a pre-determined set of steps to maximize resource use and achieve objectives, it is crucial to have an efficient leader guide this process. Without a manager overseeing sufficient planning and checking off milestones along the way, … Continue reading “The Next Generation of Project Management: How to Develop Technical and Leadership Expertise”

Posted on May 4, 2017
Exploring the Next Phase of Health Care Reform: How Health Care Leaders Can Position Their Organizations for Success

These are uncertain times in American health care. The Republican Congress and President Trump have vowed to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly called Obamacare. They recently unveiled the American Health Care Act, the replacement plan, which has met with substantial resistance from all parts of the political spectrum. … Continue reading “Exploring the Next Phase of Health Care Reform: How Health Care Leaders Can Position Their Organizations for Success”

Posted on March 24, 2017
Leading Health Care Through Unpredictable Times

Health care leaders now face a perplexing mix of puzzles. With a political push to repeal and possibly replace Obamacare – more accurately the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or ACA – the financial, service delivery, and workforce foundations of the health system are in question. It is true that managing the current operations … Continue reading “Leading Health Care Through Unpredictable Times”

Posted on February 24, 2017
Measuring Up: The Need to Incorporate Key Nursing Indicators in Electronic Health Records

One of the key developments resulting from health care reform is a growing reliance on using “big data” to guide health care systems’ efforts to deliver high-quality, cost-effective care. This trend explains why increasingly many organizations are employing Electronic Health Records (EHR) as a way to track measurable indicators of patient care and outcomes, as … Continue reading “Measuring Up: The Need to Incorporate Key Nursing Indicators in Electronic Health Records”

Posted on October 27, 2016
Improving Patient Experience and Reducing Cost by Measuring Outcomes

In the climate of health care reform, much attention has been paid to the Triple Aim of improving population health, reducing costs, and improving patient experience. The goals of the Triple Aim framework, which was developed by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, are complex and challenging, but become less so when broken into smaller goals … Continue reading “Improving Patient Experience and Reducing Cost by Measuring Outcomes”

Posted on September 20, 2016
Vaccinating Against an Epidemic: The Story of an Ebola Vaccine

In August 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak then raging in West Africa a “public health emergency of international concern,” a formal designation by the WHO’s Emergency Committee that reflects the fact that the disease was spreading internationally and posed a risk to other countries yet unaffected. By the time the … Continue reading “Vaccinating Against an Epidemic: The Story of an Ebola Vaccine”

Posted on July 21, 2016
Tuberculosis in Rural America: What Tuberculosis in Marion, AL Tells Us

Many factors could be blamed for the spread of tuberculosis in a rural Alabama town earlier this year, including its residents’ fears of being stigmatized in a small town, poverty line, and the legacy of the Tuskegee experiments.

Posted on March 28, 2016
Leadership Development (Infographic)

Leadership in health care is an ever-evolving field, demanding professionals who are adaptable, knowledgeable, and skilled in navigating complex challenges. The courses and resources offered here are meticulously designed to cultivate these capabilities. The emphasis is not just on understanding the theoretical facets of leadership but also on practical application, ensuring that professionals are equipped … Continue reading “Leadership Development (Infographic)”

Posted on February 25, 2016
8 Healthcare Quality Improvement Tips

There have been promising improvements in healthcare quality as a result of improvement efforts nationwide. Even so, there is still much to be done. This article offers 8 tips to improve quality in health care.

Posted on February 18, 2016
How Health Care Executives Can Use Health Outcomes Research for Business Decision Making

Health outcomes studies can offer a lot of benefit for health care delivery organizations that utilize them for business decision-making. This article explores how health outcomes studies can be used to improve organizational performance.

Posted on December 22, 2015
An Update on United States Healthcare Quality Improvement Efforts

The National Strategy for Quality Improvement in Health Care was created in 2011 to guide national quality improvement efforts. This article provides an update on these efforts, five years later.

Posted on December 22, 2015
A Primer on Project Management for Health Care

Project management has emerged as one of the most prominent business skills of our time because its use can help control costs, reduce risk, and improve outcomes. Used across disciplines, project management is the process of systematically planning, organizing, and then executing a pre-determined set of steps in order to maximize resource use and achieve … Continue reading “A Primer on Project Management for Health Care”

Posted on December 17, 2015
Using Health Outcomes Research to Improve Quality of Care

Health outcomes research looks at the impact of different care models on health and provides guidance clinicians and hospital executives can use to make better decisions. This article provides an introduction to health outcomes research.

Posted on December 17, 2015
Leading Outside Your Authority

When most people think of being a leader, they think of guiding and influencing those over whom they have direct authority. This traditional form of leadership is often the easiest and most straightforward way to get work done, but formal authority is not the only kind of influence one can – or should – have … Continue reading “Leading Outside Your Authority”

Posted on November 6, 2015
Staying Relevant in the Midst of Health Care Reform: A Primer for Healthcare Executives

Dr. John McDonough, Professor of Public Health Practice at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, discusses the Affordable Care Act, health reform, and the changing health care landscape.

Posted on November 6, 2015
Teaching Patients About Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors: Communication is the First Step

In a world where obesity has reached epidemic proportions, medical professionals are faced with increasing pressure to help their patients lose weight and adopt healthy lifestyle habits. This is no easy task for clinicians, who often have little training in nutrition science or counseling patients on healthy lifestyle changes. “Most clinicians went into the profession … Continue reading “Teaching Patients About Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors: Communication is the First Step”

Posted on September 16, 2015
Women on Boards: A Roadmap to Success in Corporate Governance

Many women desire to hold governance positions for organizations operating in the healthcare space. Yet the road can be a very winding one, especially for women. Ellen Zane provides advice for women executive looking to obtain a board position.

Posted on August 11, 2015
Five Ways to Improve Customer Experiences with Health IT

Information technology in the healthcare industry has the capacity to improve the experience of consumers, but it if not handled properly those efforts could backfire. For every wearable device and mobile app, there’s a potential security breach lurking in the shadows. With the ability to crunch Big Data comes the responsibility to present that data … Continue reading “Five Ways to Improve Customer Experiences with Health IT”

Posted on July 8, 2015
Healthcare IT is ‘Like the Plane that Doesn’t Crash’

When it comes to information technology, the health care industry is “clearly lagging behind,” according to Ashish Jha, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s K.T. Li Professor of International Health. We live in an era when anyone with a smartphone can host a business meeting, deposit a check, and navigate the quickest route home … Continue reading “Healthcare IT is ‘Like the Plane that Doesn’t Crash’”

Posted on July 8, 2015
A Healthy Workplace Starts in Bed

Employees who sleep better, work better, according to emerging research. Studies conducted by people like Nicolaas Pronk, adjunct professor of social and behavioral sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, have broken ground when it comes to connecting the dots between productivity in the workplace and health indicators such as diet, exercise, and … Continue reading “A Healthy Workplace Starts in Bed”

Posted on June 26, 2015
The Business Benefits of a Healthy Workforce

Companies with strong health and wellness programs outperform others on the stock market, and some experts suggest the investment community could benefit from scrutinizing health and wellness metrics when they value companies. Robert McLellan, chief of occupational and environmental medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, is one of those experts. He’s co-author of a new paper in the … Continue reading “The Business Benefits of a Healthy Workforce”

Posted on June 1, 2015
Equipping Physicians To Manage The Rapidly Evolving World of Health Care

On Mother’s Day, 2003, 5-year-old Matthew Siravo, who had epilepsy, died at Boston Children’s Hospital, two days after suffering a seizure that lasted an hour and a half. Siravo’s story made headlines in the local news, and in September of that year, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health issued what The Boston Globe called “a … Continue reading “Equipping Physicians To Manage The Rapidly Evolving World of Health Care”

Posted on February 25, 2015