Hospital and Health Care Administration | Executive and Continuing Professional Education | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Programs

Conflict, Feedback, and Negotiation for Physician Leaders
- March 13 – 15, 2023
Increase your competence as a physician leader in the critical management areas of navigating conflict, providing feedback, and skillfully approaching negotiations.
Leadership Strategies for Evolving Health Care Executives
- April 3 – 7, 2023
Develop the health care leadership skills you need to achieve individual and organizational objectives. You will gain skills to lead more effectively, including conflict resolution, operational analysis, employee management, and quality management.
Leadership Development to Advance Equity in Health Care
- April 18 – 21, 2023
- November 7 – 10, 2023
Traditional medical education lacks training on how the health care system is influenced by racism and how outdated policies perpetuate disparities.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.
Foundations of Mental Health Care
- May 2, 2023 – June 1, 2023
This program will focus on understanding the mental health needs of diverse populations, across the life course, from relatively healthy to those who are ill, and from vulnerable groups to the privileged.
Innovation with AI in Health Care
- May 8 – 11, 2023
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.
Leading in Health SystemsActivating Transformational Change
- June 7 – 9, 2023
Initiate and implement change in health care by leveraging meta-leadership. You will explore both meta-leadership concepts and the ‘Walk in the Woods’ methodology, a proven method for interest-based negotiation.
Emerging Women Executives in Health Care
- June 19 – 22, 2023
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.
Leadership Development for Physicians in Academic Health Centers
- October 1 – 13, 2023
- October 22, 2023 – November 3, 2023
Leadership Development for Physicians in Academic Health Centers brings together physicians in administrative positions in academic health 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 health centers.
Program for Chairs of Clinical Services
- January 21, 2024 – February 2, 2024
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.
Health Care Financial Management for Physician Leaders
The International Leadership Development Program for Physicians

News & Resources

The Financial Pressures That Chairs of Clinical Departments Face—and How to Manage Them

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 goods are going up, but there is pressure … Continue reading “The Financial Pressures That Chairs of Clinical Departments Face—and How to Manage Them”

Posted on November 28, 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
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
Exploring Opportunities for Women on Boards: 7 Tips to Help Jump-Start Your Efforts

If you’re a female executive in the health care field looking toward the next phase of your career, you might want to explore opportunities to secure a board directorship. This can be a natural progression to take your extensive management and leadership experience to the next level, according to Ellen Zane, past president and chief … Continue reading “Exploring Opportunities for Women on Boards: 7 Tips to Help Jump-Start Your Efforts”

Posted on February 1, 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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
A Roadmap to Improve Customer-Centricity in Health Care

Healthcare lags behind in strategically engaging consumers. This article explores how health care organizations can engage in customer-driven strategies and improve customer centricity.

Posted on February 18, 2016
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
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
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
8 Challenges to Customer-Driven Health Care

Health care is increasingly driven by patients who are behaving more like consumers and customers as they seek the best care at the most affordable price. As the industry evolves—due to fierce cost pressures, the Affordable Care Act, advances in technology, a new emphasis on preventative care, health-system mergers, and a host of other factors—one … Continue reading “8 Challenges to Customer-Driven Health Care”

Posted on February 20, 2015