Health Leader Forge
The Health Leader Forge is a long form podcast featuring in-depth interviews with leaders who work in health and healthcare. In each interview, we explore the leader's career, discuss their current role and organization, and then conclude with their views on leadership. healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, August 08, 2024
Jen Gilkie, Chief Marketing Officer for Dartmouth Health
Today’s guest is Jen Gilkie, Chief Marketing Officer for Dartmouth Health, one of the largest health systems in northern New England. Jen has had a fascinating and surprising career journey from studying theater here at the University of New Hampshire to being the chief of staff for the 2014 Super Bowl Host Committee to finding her way to healthcare and marketing. In this podcast we discuss rebranding, messaging during COVID, and more. Thank you for reading Health Leader Forge. This post is public so feel free to share it. Links discussed in this podcast: Dartmouth Health https://www.dartmouth-health.org/ NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital https://www.nyp.org/ UNH Theatre and Dance https://cola.unh.edu/theatre-dance Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts https://www.lincolncenter.org/home Other options to listen to this podcast: YouTube: Apple Podcasts: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, July 11, 2024
Chris Dougherty, CEO, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital
Today’s guest is Chris Dougherty, President and CEO of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital in Brattleboro, Vermont. Chris knew from a young age that he wanted to be a healthcare leader to serve the most vulnerable in our communities. He has done exactly that, having been a hospital CEO on both coasts and in Texas. In this podcast, Chris shares his career journey and the lessons he learned from working in different types of hospitals and in different geographies, leading up to his current role as CEO of a community hospital here in northern New England. Thanks for reading Health Leader Forge! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Links discussed in this podcast: Brattleboro Memorial Hospital https://www.bmhvt.org/ Shriners for Children Medical Center in Pasadena, CA https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/en/locations/southern-california Covenant Women’s and Children’s Hospital and Lakeside Campus https://www.providence.org/locations/covenant-health/childrens-hospital Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia https://www.chop.edu/ Other options to listen to this podcast: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Fri, March 15, 2024
Darin Roark, President of Wentworth-Douglass Hospital
Today’s guest is Darin Roark, President and Chief Operating Officer of Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, New Hampshire. Darin has an unusual path, from working in an insurance company to becoming a nurse specialized in emergency medicine and intensive care, to leading large organizations. His path also took him from Illinois to Florida to Dover, New Hampshire, just one town over from UNH. I really enjoyed hearing Darin’s story and learning about his deep commitment to patient care while also incorporating a deep understanding of business. Thanks for reading Health Leader Forge! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Links discussed on this podcast: * Wentworth-Douglass Hospital https://www.wdhospital.org/wdh * Mass General Brigham https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en * Baptist Medical Center Clay https://www.baptistjax.com/locations/baptist-medical-center-clay * Advocate Health Care https://www.advocatehealth.com/ * Carle Foundation Hospital https://carle.org/locations/carle-foundation-hospital Other options to listen to the podcast: Spotify Apple Podcasts * YouTube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWAR9LUGZi4mT4d01Lo_VqU4TxJKoW0Fu&si=FtHyR4Nym9bQSGRV This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Mon, January 15, 2024
Kelly Barton, President of Maine Behavioral Healthcare
Today’s guest is Kelly Barton, President of Maine Behavioral Healthcare, part of the MaineHealth System. Maine Behavioral Healthcare offers a full spectrum of behavioral health care, from community-based counseling and rehabilitation to a dedicated behavioral health hospital. In this podcast we talk about Kelly’s career journey starting as a unit coordinator in the emergency department through leadership roles in a variety of organizations. We discuss some of the challenges facing behavioral health providers currently, and we close on a discussion of leadership. Links discussed on this podcast: * Maine Behavioral Healthcare https://www.mainehealth.org/maine-behavioral-healthcare * MaineHealth https://www.mainehealth.org/ * Community Health Network https://www.ecommunity.com/ * Gundersen Health System https://www.gundersenhealth.org/ Other options to listen to the podcast: * Apple Podcasts * YouTube : This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Mon, December 18, 2023
Paul Forte, PhD, CEO of FedPoint
Today’s guest is Paul E. Fort, the CEO of FedPoint . FedPoint is a fast-growing provider of benefit administration and technology solutions for large institutional sponsors, with focus on the federal government of the United States and its numerous departments and agencies. In this podcast we talk about Paul’s unusual career journey to become an insurance executive – he first earned a PhD in Renaissance English Literature before making his way into the insurance industry. Paul began working in the long-term care insurance space in the late ‘80’s, and has been a leader in the field for decades. Not only has he led FedPoint’s growth, but he has also published a number of articles making recommendations to the industry on how to reform long-term care insurance to make it more affordable and sustainable. We close on a discussion of leadership. Links to podcast: Spotify YouTube: Apple Podcasts: Links to Topics Discussed: FedPoint NYT/KFF article discussed: Facing Financial Ruin as Costs Soar for Elder Care Paul Forte, Realigning LTCI—Private Long-Term Care Insurance and the Health Care Continuum Richard Hooker Wikipedia Site: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Hooker This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, October 25, 2022
Dr. Jeffrey Fetter, Chief Medical Officer, New Hampshire State Hospital
Today’s guest is Dr. Jeffrey Fetter, the Chief Medical Officer for the New Hampshire State Hospital. Dr. Fetter is a board-certified physician in both internal medicine and psychiatry, and has spent his career caring for some of the most vulnerable patients in New Hampshire. The New Hampshire State Hospital is a secure, inpatient psychiatric hospital for patients with serious mental illness. In this podcast we talk about Dr. Fetter’s journey through medicine, including how he was sure the one specialty he would not do was psychiatry, to his previous roles as the chief medical officer for a community mental health clinic and chief medical officer for the New Hampshire state prison system. This is a great conversation about the practice of medicine, but also about the importance of physician leadership. For more information, please see our website, https://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2022/10/dr-jeffrey-fetter-md-chief-medical.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, September 15, 2022
Jason Dupuis, Chief Patient Experience Officer, PM Pediatrics Health
Today’s guest is Jason Dupuis, the Chief Patient Experience Officer for PM Pediatrics Health. In this podcast we talk about his early career at Boston Children’s where he rose to the director of the Emergency Department before he was thirty, and then how he got a job with PM Pediatrics when it was an emerging pediatrics urgent care chain because he had written his master’s thesis on the need for pediatrics urgent care in Massachusetts. When the founders heard what he had written, they told him to write his own job description. I had a lot of fun with this interview because Jason is also an alumni of my department’s undergraduate program and I’ve known him for several years, though I had never had the chance to hear his whole story. For more information, please see our website: https://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2022/09/jason-dupuis-chief-patient-experience.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, August 18, 2022
Dr. Bill Hudenko, PhD, Global Head of Mental Health at K Health
Today’s guest is Dr. Bill Hudenko. Dr. Hudenko is a licensed psychologist who has extensive clinical experience working with children who have disruptive-behavior disorders and autism-spectrum disorders. Dr. Hudenko is is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College, an Adjunct Assistant Professor of clinical psychology at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine. He is also an entrepreneur and innovator in the area text-based behavioral health care. In this interview, we talk about how he came to the field of psychology, his research into laughter, and how his love of technology, and desire for an iPad, led him to explore text-based psychotherapy, and ultimately set him on the road to being an entrepreneur in the field of behavioral health. You’ll hear me say, “wow!” a lot in this interview because Dr. Hudenko’s research and entrepreneurial efforts, especially now with his role at K-Health, seem to promise real improvements in cost, access, and quality for healthcare. For more information, please go to https://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2022/08/dr-bill-hudenko-phd-global-head-of.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sat, July 16, 2022
Colonel Tanya Peacock, Commander, BG Crawford F. Sams Army Health Clinic/MEDDAC-Japan
Colonel Peacock has had a fascinating career from being a medevac pilot flying black hawks to being the vice provost of the Army Medical Department’s facility for training the majority of medical specialties in the Army, to being the Commander of the BG Crawford F. Sams Army Health Clinic in Camp Zama Japan. In this podcast, Colonel Peacock shares her career journey, what it was like to command a military clinic in a foreign country during a pandemic, and we conclude with advice for emerging leaders. For more information see: https://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2022/07/colonel-tanya-peacock-commander-bg.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, June 15, 2022
Tyler Jamison, PhD, UNH Human Development and Family Studies
Today’s guest is my colleague Dr. Tyler Jamison, associate professor of Human Development and Family studies here at the University of New Hampshire. Tyler is an expert in the field of young adult romantic relationships. I asked Tyler to join me today because romantic relationships are an important part of health and leading a meaningful and fulfilling life. In this podcast we talk about how Tyler came to study emerging adults and romantic relationships, what emerging adulthood is, and ultimately how leaders should understand that emerging adults have unique needs particular to their life-stage. For more information, please see: https://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2022/06/tyler-jamison-phd-unh-human-development.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, March 15, 2022
Major General David Rubenstein, FACHE, US Army, Retired
In this podcast I had the honor of interviewing Major General (retired) David Rubenstein. Among the many duties of his career, General Rubenstein was the commander of the Army Medical Department Center and School, which was the unit where I was an instructor before I retired from the Army, and he was also the chief of the Medical Service Corps, the Army branch that I served in for 23 years. Although I did not work directly with him on active duty, I can say that General Rubenstein was one of the most respected Medical Department generals I knew of during my career. While I only saw him at a distance while we were on active duty, over the last several years I have had the opportunity to get to know him post-retirement through our mutual interest in health administration education, and we had corresponded regularly about my RWL newsletter, so it was a real pleasure to get to interview him about his remarkable career. For more information, please see our website: https://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2022/03/major-general-david-rubenstein-fache-us.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, February 01, 2022
Seoka Salstrom, PHD, Founder & Director, Hanover Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapies
Today’s guest is Dr. Seoka Salstrom, Founder & Director of the Hanover Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapies , in Hanover, NH. Seoka has a phd in clinical psychology and specializes in evidence-based behavioral health interventions, with a special interest in anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders. In this podcast we discuss how she grew up in a house without electricity, how she found her way to psychology through a vision quest, her rigorous training in clinical psychology, and how she has founded not one but two successful practices, and finally what her long-term goals are in building a behavioral health practice in rural New Hampshire. For more information see the episode page at https://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2022/01/seoka-salstrom-phd-founder-director.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Mon, January 03, 2022
Anita Tucker, PhD, MSW, LICSW, Department of Social Work, University of New Hampshire
Today’s guest is my colleague Dr. Anita Tucker, professor of Social Work, and associate director of the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare (OBH) Center here at the University of New Hampshire. She is also a co-author of the recent textbook, Adventure Group Therapy: An Experiential Approach to Treatment . Anita was an early practitioner of adventure group therapy in the Social Work field, and through her research she has been a leader in developing the practice. In this podcast we talk about Anita’s journey to the field of Social Work, and specifically adventure group therapy. We conclude with a discussion of the Facilitated Wave Theory that is the basis for her recent book. For more information, please see our website: https://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2021/12/anita-tucker-phd-msw-licsw-department.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sat, November 20, 2021
Andrew Calkins, CEO of Sage Family of Companies
Today’s guest is Andrew Calkins, the CEO of Sage Family of Companies. Andrew has extensive experience as a healthcare executive in a wide range of healthcare delivery organizations including long-term care, hospice, home health, and outpatient mental health. In this podcast, we talk about how he went from a clerk in the mailroom to managing complex, geographically dispersed organizations. Andrew’s career journey put him in contact with several private equity firms as he went through numerous mergers and acquisitions. We talk about what it is like to lead through a sale, and we talk about how private equity operates. I think one of the key take-aways from Andrew’s story, especially for early careerists, is how important professional reputation is, and how important it is to build a strong professional network. For more information, see our website: https://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2021/11/andrew-calkins-ceo-of-sage-family-of.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, July 15, 2021
Dr. Neil Meehan, Chief Physician Executive, Exeter Health Resources (abridged)
Today’s guest is Dr. Neil Meehan, the Chief Physician Executive of Exeter Health Resources. Dr. Meehan is a board-certified Emergency Medicine physician, and was the driving force behind the creation of the New Hampshire Physician Leadership Development Program, a joint effort between the New Hampshire Medical Society, the New Hampshire Hospital Association, and the University of New Hampshire. In this podcast we discuss Dr. Meehan’s own journey from living in a music studio above a peanut butter factory through medical school, residency, and his own development as a physician leader. We discuss in detail what the medical school and residency experiences are like because the New Hampshire Physician Leadership Development Program has a unique flavor based on Dr. Meehan’s own experience of medical training, as well as his observations about how physician training creates some specific challenges for physicians who want to transition from lead clinician to clinician-leader. I have been part of the Physician Leadership program since its inception, so it was fun to talk with Neil and capture some of the stories and insight I have heard him share over the last few years. This is the abridged version of the interview. In this version of the interview, I cut out our discussion of medical school and residency and what it is like to become a physician. If you would like to listen to the full version, please go to https://anchor.fm/healthleaderforge/episodes/Dr--Neil-Meehan--Chief-Physician-Executive--Exeter-Health-Resources-e13luf0 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, July 15, 2021
Dr. Neil Meehan, Chief Physician Executive, Exeter Health Resources
Today’s guest is Dr. Neil Meehan, the Chief Physician Executive of Exeter Health Resources. Dr. Meehan is a board-certified Emergency Medicine physician, and was the driving force behind the creation of the New Hampshire Physician Leadership Development Program, a joint effort between the New Hampshire Medical Society, the New Hampshire Hospital Association, and the University of New Hampshire. In this podcast we discuss Dr. Meehan’s own journey from living in a music studio above a peanut butter factory through medical school, residency, and his own development as a physician leader. We discuss in detail what the medical school and residency experiences are like because the New Hampshire Physician Leadership Development Program has a unique flavor based on Dr. Meehan’s own experience of medical training, as well as his observations about how physician training creates some specific challenges for physicians who want to transition from lead clinician to clinician-leader. I have been part of the Physician Leadership program since its inception, so it was fun to talk with Neil and capture some of the stories and insight I have heard him share over the last few years. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Mon, March 15, 2021
COVID-19: What We Learned - Staffing & People Resources
This podcast is a recording of a live panel held jointly sponsored by the sponsors of this podcast, the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of New Hampshire and the Northern New England Healthcare Executives, the local chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives. The panel was titled, COVID-19: What We Learned - Staffing & People Resources. I had the opportunity to moderate, and our panel featured Eileen Keefe, Chief Nursing Officer, Parkland Medical Center, Derry, New Hampshire, Carol Majewski, Associate Chief Quality Officer for Patient Experience for the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, and Colonel Kim Aiello, Commander, 44th Medical Brigade, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. If you would like to see the video of the event, please see our website, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Fri, January 15, 2021
Mary Helen McSweeney, Long-Term Care Educator and Author
Today’s guest is Mary Helen McSweeney-Feld. Mary Helen is an associate professor at Towson University in the Department of Health Sciences. Mary Helen is the author of one of the leading textbooks in the field of long-term care, Dimensions of Long-Term Care: An Introduction , and is a recognized leader in long-term care education nationally. In this podcast I talk with Mary Helen about her journey from an early interest in political science and international affairs to discovering the nascent field of health economics in the 80’s, and her transition to an interest in long-term care as a result of having to care for both her father and father-in-law when they suffered from debilitating terminal illnesses. Mary Helen makes a passionate case for long-term care, pointing out the economic opportunities for entrepreneurs, as well as young people looking for a meaningful and well compensated career. For more information, please see our web site, Http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, December 15, 2020
Steve Ahnen, President & CEO, New Hampshire Hospital Association
Today’s guest is Steve Ahnen, the President and CEO of the New Hampshire Hospital Association. The New Hampshire Hospital Association is an independent, non-profit association representing the interests of the hospitals in the state of New Hampshire. Steve joined the New Hampshire Hospital Association in 2008 after spending sixteen years in progressive leadership roles with the American Hospital Association in Washington, DC. In this podcast we talk about the role of both the American Hospital Association and the New Hampshire Hospital Association, and what it is like to work as an industry advocate at the national and state levels. For more information, please see our website: https://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2020/12/steve-ahnen-president-ceo-new-hampshire.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sun, November 15, 2020
Chris Sloan, COO, Capital Medical Center (full)
Today’s guest is Chris Sloan, the Chief Operating Officer of Capital Medical Center in Olympia, Washington. Capital Medical Center is a 107-bed hospital with about 600 employees. It is part of LifePoint Health, a for-profit hospital system headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee. Chris joined Capital Medical Center after retiring from the Army Medical Service Corps in September of 2019, with 23 years of service as a military medical logistician and hospital administrator. During his service he deployed to Kosovo and Iraq, and ended his career as the Chief Operating Officer for Madigan Army Medical Center, one of the Army’s largest hospitals. In this podcast we talk about Chris’s military career, transition to leadership in the civilian sector, his leadership philosophy, and, since this interview was originally recorded in October of 2020, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. for more information, please see our website: http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sun, November 15, 2020
Chris Sloan, COO, Capital Medical Center (abridged)
Today’s guest is Chris Sloan, the Chief Operating Officer of Capital Medical Center in Olympia, Washington. Capital Medical Center is a 107-bed hospital with about 600 employees. It is part of LifePoint Health, a for-profit hospital system headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee. Chris joined Capital Medical Center after retiring from the Army Medical Service Corps in September of 2019, with 23 years of service as a military medical logistician and hospital administrator. During his service he deployed to Kosovo and Iraq, and ended his career as the Chief Operating Officer for Madigan Army Medical Center, one of the Army’s largest hospitals. In this podcast we talk about Chris’s military career, transition to leadership in the civilian sector, his leadership philosophy, and, since this interview was originally recorded in October of 2020, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, see our website: http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, October 15, 2020
Learned the Hard Way: A Model of Executive Leadership Competencies
Earlier this fall, I was able to publish a paper with my colleagues Chris Mayhugh and Mark Mellott, based on the Health Leader Forge podcast interviews. The paper is called Learned the Hard Way: A Model of Executive Leadership Competencies. Using qualitative research methods, we analyzed the interviews and focused especially, though not exclusively, on answers executives gave to one of my favorite questions, what is a leadership lesson you learned the hard way? The paper was originally presented at the 2019 American College of Healthcare Executives annual congress. I recorded the presentation live, so the sound quality isn’t studio, but I think it still sounds pretty good. If you find the lecture interesting, I encourage you to check out the full paper here (free): https://globaljournals.org/GJMBR_Volume20/5-Learned-the-Hard-Way-A-Model.pdf The YouTube link below includes the slides used during the presentation: https://youtu.be/B1EUDRPV4R8 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, September 15, 2020
Arthur Mathisen, President, Memorial Hospital (abridged)
Today’s guest is Art Mathisen, the President of Memorial Hospital in North Conway, New Hampshire. Memorial Hospital is part of the MaineHealth system, the largest integrated healthcare system in Maine. Memorial Hospital is the only member hospital not located in Maine. Art had a first career in the US Army as a Medical Service Corps officer, and retired after twenty years as a lieutenant colonel. In this podcast we talk about his military career, his transition to civilian leadership, and his experiences with Bon Secours Health System in Virginia, his time as CEO of Copley Hospital in Vermont, and his leadership at Memorial Hospital, and what it is like leading a critical access hospital that is part of a larger healthcare system. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, September 15, 2020
Arthur Mathisen, President, Memorial Hospital (full)
Today’s guest is Art Mathisen, the President of Memorial Hospital in North Conway, New Hampshire. Memorial Hospital is part of the MaineHealth system, the largest integrated healthcare system in Maine. Memorial Hospital is the only member hospital not located in Maine. Art had a first career in the US Army as a Medical Service Corps officer, and retired after twenty years as a lieutenant colonel. In this podcast we talk about his military career, his transition to civilian leadership, and his experiences with Bon Secours Health System in Virginia, his time as CEO of Copley Hospital in Vermont, and his leadership at Memorial Hospital, and what it is like leading a critical access hospital that is part of a larger healthcare system. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sat, August 15, 2020
Richard Corder, Managing Director, TiER1 Performance Solutions
Today’s guest is Richard Corder, a healthcare consultant and Managing Director at the management consulting firm TiER 1 Performance Solutions. In this podcast we discuss Richard’s journey from his start as an apprentice in the hotel industry in London, England, following his heart to Boston, Massachusetts, his decision to enter the healthcare industry after his own experience as an inpatient, how he applied lessons he learned from the hospitality industry to become an expert on patient experience, and ultimately his move into healthcare consulting. We conclude the podcast with a discussion about leadership and mentorship. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, July 15, 2020
Vanessa Druskat, PhD, Associate Professor Of Organziational Behavior And Managment - Full
Today’s guest is my colleague Dr. Vanessa Druskat, associate professor of Organizational Behavior and Management here at the University of New Hampshire. Vanessa studies and teaches about team emotional intelligence, helping organizations develop more effective norms and behaviors. In the full length version of the interview, we go through Vanessa’s intellectual journey from an early interest in social work to work on leadership, teams, and emotional intelligence. We talk in detail about a few of her papers, particularly a Harvard Business Review paper she coauthored called Building the Emotional Intelligence of Teams, which I have included a link to in the show notes (see http://healthleaderforge.org ) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, July 15, 2020
Vanessa Druskat, PhD, Associate Professor Of Organziational Behavior And Managment - Abridged
Today’s guest is my colleague Dr. Vanessa Druskat, associate professor of Organizational Behavior and Management here at the University of New Hampshire. Vanessa studies and teaches about team emotional intelligence, helping organizations develop more effective norms and behaviors. In this podcast, we talk in detail about a few of her papers, particularly a Harvard Business Review paper she coauthored called Building the Emotional Intelligence of Teams, which I have included a link to in the show notes. This is the abridged version. In the full length version of the interview, we also go through Vanessa’s intellectual journey from an early interest in social work to a PhD in organizational psychology and research on transformational leadership, self-managing teams, and what led her to study the emotional intelligence of teams. If you would like to listen to the full length version of the interview, please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org for the link. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Mon, June 15, 2020
LTC Jarrod McGee, Commander, 11th Field Hospital (full length)
If you were paying attention to the news about the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City you will remember that two Army field hospitals deployed to provide support to the beleaguered health system. Today’s guest is LTC Jarrod McGee, commander of the 11th Field Hospital. In this podcast we discuss what a field hospital is, what its capabilities are, and what it’s like to move one from Ft. Hood, Texas to New York City with only a few days’ notice. This interview focuses mostly on the logistics of the movement to give listeners a sense of what it takes to accomplish something this complex and make it look easy. In the full length version of the interview we follow the discussion of the 11th Field Hospital’s mission with a discussion of LTC McGee’s career – he started out in the Army as a combat engineer “running around the woods and blowing things up” to later getting a commission as an Army Medical Service Corps officer and becoming a health services comptroller, so he has had a varied and interesting career. He is also the Army Regent for the American College of Healthcare Executives, so we talk about the importance of professional organizations, and how his ACHE contacts actually helped provide intelligence as he brought his unit into New York. We conclude with a discussion about leadership. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Mon, June 15, 2020
LTC Jarrod McGee, Commander, 11th Field Hospital (abridged)
If you were paying attention to the news about the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City you will remember that two Army field hospitals deployed to provide support to the beleaguered health system. Today’s guest is LTC Jarrod McGee, commander of the 11th Field Hospital. In this podcast we discuss what a field hospital is, what its capabilities are, and what it’s like to move one from Ft. Hood, Texas to New York City with only a few days’ notice. This interview focuses mostly on the logistics of the movement to give listeners a sense of what it takes to accomplish something this complex and make it look easy. In the full length version of the interview we follow the discussion of the 11th Field Hospital’s mission with a discussion of LTC McGee’s career – he started out in the Army as a combat engineer “running around the woods and blowing things up” to later getting a commission as an Army Medical Service Corps officer and becoming a health services comptroller, so he has had a varied and interesting career. He is also the Army Regent for the American College of Healthcare Executives, so we talk about the importance of professional organizations, and how his ACHE contacts actually helped provide intelligence as he brought his unit into New York. We conclude with a discussion about leadership. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Fri, May 15, 2020
Quarantine Graduation Special
A special edition of the Health Leader Forge dedicated to the University of New Hampshire Health Management and Policy Class of 2020 and all of the future health leaders who are graduating this spring. In this podcast, I go back through the archives and gather advice for early careerists from nine previous guests. I then share a little advice of my own, and close with a reading of a passage from Henry David Thoreau's Walden. for more information, please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, April 15, 2020
Brian Hall, President Of Physicians Resources LTD
Today’s guest is Brian Hall, the president of Physicians Resources Limited, a revenue cycle management firm based in Merrimack, New Hampshire. Brian was employee number one of PRL more than thirty years ago, and on his way to being the president and eventually the owner of PRL, he did everything from sweeping the floors to business development. In this podcast we talk about Brian’s career, and what it’s like to be an entrepreneur working in a family business. For more information, please see our website, https://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2020/04/brian-hall-president-physician.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sun, March 15, 2020
Mark Mellott, Senior Director, Cerner Corporation
Today’s guest is Mark Mellott, a senior director with the Cerner Corporation. Prior to joining Cerner in 2017, Mark served in the Army first as a combat medic, and later as a Medical Service Corps officer specializing in health information systems management. He describes the field of health information systems management as the confluence of people, problems, and technology, and it was helping people solve problems through the appropriate and efficient use of technology that drew him to the field. In particular, some fifteen years ago Mark began thinking about the problem of electronic health records in combat zones and how to ensure the information about injured soldiers was being captured and preserved. Mark had observed this problem during his deployments to Kosovo and Iraq. This passion led him to earn a PhD in policy and to deploy to Afghanistan to test his theories. After retiring from the Army, he followed his passion for improving medical records to the Cerner Corporation where he is part of the team working to deploy an integrated electronic medical record to both the Department of Defense and Veterans Administration. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, February 05, 2020
Eileen Keefe, CNO, Parkland Medical Center
Today's guest is Eileen Keefe, the Chief Nursing Officer for Parkland Medical Center in Derry New Hampshire. Parkland Medical Center is part of the HCA Healthcare system. This is a fun interview because Eileen is interviewed by Sara Elmendorf, Eileen's daughter, and a junior in the Department of Health Management and Policy where I teach. Sara and Eileen have a great conversation about Eileen's career from Med-Surge nurse in Boston to executive leadership. For more information, please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, January 15, 2020
LTC Amy Thompson, Division Surgeon, 101st Airborne
Today’s guest is Lieutenant Colonel Amy Thompson, the Division Surgeon for the 101st Airborne Division. The 101st Airborne Division is one of the Army’s most storied units, having played critical roles during World War II on D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, and other history changing moments. The 101st is currently located at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, but its units are deployed all around the world. LTC Thompson is a board-certified pediatrician with a fellowship in adolescent medicine, focused on young adults. As she notes in the podcast, more than half of the Army is under 25, so her specialty is actually perfect for her mission of taking care of soldiers. As you listen to LTC Thompson’s story, I think you will be struck by the level of commitment she has demonstrated to her mission of taking care of soldiers, volunteering to serve in challenging and dangerous environments when she could easily choose to remain in a hospital or clinic. In the podcast the themes of mission, service, and endurance repeat, and we conclude with a discussion of servant leadership. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, January 15, 2020
LTC Amy Thompson, Division Surgeon, 101st Airborne (abridged)
Today’s guest is Lieutenant Colonel Amy Thompson, the Division Surgeon for the 101st Airborne Division. The 101st Airborne Division is one of the Army’s most storied units, having played critical roles during World War II on D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, and other history changing moments. The 101st is currently located at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, but its units are deployed all around the world. LTC Thompson is a board-certified pediatrician with a fellowship in adolescent medicine, focused on young adults. As she notes in the podcast, more than half of the Army is under 25, so her specialty is actually perfect for her mission of taking care of soldiers. As you listen to LTC Thompson’s story, I think you will be struck by the level of commitment she has demonstrated to her mission of taking care of soldiers, volunteering to serve in challenging and dangerous environments when she could easily choose to remain in a hospital or clinic. In the podcast the themes of mission, service, and endurance repeat, and we conclude with a discussion of servant leadership. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sun, December 15, 2019
Steve Roach, President & CEO, Marlborough Hospital
Today’s guest is Steve Roach, the President and CEO of Marlborough Hospital. Marlborough Hospital is located in Marlborough, Massachusetts and is part of the UMass Memorial Health Care system. Steve is an alumnus of my program, Health Management and Policy, here at the University of New Hampshire, which makes this an especially enjoyable interview for me. Steve started his career working in the financial side of healthcare delivery, becoming a chief financial officer for a community hospital at only 30, and not long after, the chief executive officer of the same hospital at only 33, making him the youngest hospital CEO in Massachusetts at the time. He developed something of a specialty in working with financially troubled hospitals, helping turn around several non-profit and for-profit facilities. We conclude the podcast with a discussion about leadership, mentorship, and coaching. For more information, please see our website, https://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2019/12/steve-roach-president-ceo-marlborough.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Fri, November 15, 2019
Aimee Giglio, CHRO, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health (abridged)
Today’s guest is Aimee Giglio, the Chief Human Resource Officer for Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System. The Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System is a large health system based in New Hampshire with more than 14,000 employees. Like many executives I talk to, Aimee didn’t start out in the human resources field. Her undergraduate work and early career was in the field of social work. Her journey to being the chief human resource officer for the largest employer in the state of New Hampshire after the state government is interesting, and the topic of the first part of the interview. We then discuss managing the human resources function for a major medical center and coordinating human resources strategy across a large system. We conclude with a conversation about leadership. This is the abridged version of the recording. There is also a full length version available. Please see our web site, http; //healthleaderforge.org for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Fri, November 15, 2019
Aimee Giglio, CHRO, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health (full length)
Today’s guest is Aimee Giglio, the Chief Human Resource Officer for Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System. The Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System is a large health system based in New Hampshire with more than 14,000 employees. Like many executives I talk to, Aimee didn’t start out in the human resources field. Her undergraduate work and early career was in the field of social work. Her journey to being the chief human resource officer for the largest employer in the state of New Hampshire after the state government is interesting, and the topic of the first part of the interview. We then discuss managing the human resources function for a major medical center and coordinating human resources strategy across a large system. We conclude with a conversation about leadership. Just as a note, we recorded this on sight and there was a bit of background noise at the beginning of the podcast which only lasts for the first few minutes of the interview. For more information, please see our website, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, October 15, 2019
Stephanie Nadolny, VP of of Hospital Operations, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod (full)
Today’s guest is Stephanie Nadolny. Stephanie is the Vice President of Hospital Operations, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod and the Vice President of Ancillary Services, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network. Stephanie started her career in therapeutic recreation and has worked in rehabilitation services for thirty years. In this podcast we talk about Stephanie’s journey from an entry-level clinician to running a 60 bed rehabilitation hospital and helping to lead a rehabilitation services network. I really enjoyed talking with Stephanie not just because she happens to be a two-time UNH alumna, but also because she is a truly authentic leader. I hope you enjoy listening to her journey as much as I did. This is the full length version of the podcast. To check out the abridged version please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, October 15, 2019
Stephanie Nadolny, VP of Hospital Operations, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod (abridged)
Today’s guest is Stephanie Nadolny. Stephanie is the Vice President of Hospital Operations, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod and the Vice President of Ancillary Services, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network. Stephanie started her career in therapeutic recreation and has worked in rehabilitation services for thirty years. In this podcast we talk about Stephanie’s journey from an entry-level clinician to running a 60 bed rehabilitation hospital and helping to lead a rehabilitation services network. I really enjoyed talking with Stephanie not just because she happens to be a two-time UNH alumna, but also because she is a truly authentic leader. I hope you enjoy listening to her journey as much as I did. This is the abridged version of the podcast. To check out the full length version please see our web site, healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sun, September 15, 2019
Lisa Couture, Executive Director, Kremples Center (full length)
Today’s guest is Lisa Couture, the Executive Director of Krempels Center. The Krempels Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with acquired brain injury. In partnership with universities and community volunteers, the Krempels Center offers programs that engage its members in meaningful and productive experiences and provides ongoing support and resources to those, including survivors and family members, impacted by brain injury. Lisa is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, having double majored in Social Work and Outdoor Education. She served in a variety of leadership roles in a number of organizations leading up to her position as the Executive Director in 2009. In the full length version of the interview, we discuss her early career as well as her time at the Krempels Center. The full-length interview runs about 90 minutes. I have produced an abridged version that runs about forty minutes. for more information, please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sun, September 15, 2019
Lisa Couture, Executive Director, Krempels Center (abridged)
Today’s guest is Lisa Couture, the Executive Director of Krempels Center. The Krempels Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with acquired brain injury. In partnership with universities and community volunteers, the Krempels Center offers programs that engage its members in meaningful and productive experiences and provides ongoing support and resources to those, including survivors and family members, impacted by brain injury. Lisa is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, having double majored in Social Work and Outdoor Education. She served in a variety of leadership roles in a number of organizations leading up to her position as the Executive Director in 2009. In the full length version of the interview, we discuss her early career as well as her time at the Krempels Center. The full-length interview runs about 90 minutes. I have produced an abridged version that runs about forty minutes. for more information, please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, August 20, 2019
Sean Stevenson, SVP of Operations for New England, Genesis HealthCare
Today’s guest is Sean Stevenson. Sean a Senior Vice President for Operations with Genesis HealthCare, and responsible for Genesis’s 110 skilled nursing facilities in New England. Sean is an alumnus of the University of New Hampshire and holds a degree in Health Management and Policy, which of course is my department. In this interview, Sean talks about his journey in the long-term care field and all the rewards and challenges it presents. Sean and I both share the opinion that the long-term care field is underappreciated for the opportunity it represents to young people who are interested in a meaningful career in healthcare. The full-length interview runs about 90 minutes. I have produced an abridged version that runs about an hour. This is the full-length version. If you’d like to listen to the abridged version, please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org for the link. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, August 20, 2019
Sean Stevenson, SVP of Operations for New England, Genesis HealthCare (Abridged)
Today’s guest is Sean Stevenson. Sean a Senior Vice President for Operations with Genesis HealthCare, and responsible for Genesis’s 110 skilled nursing facilities in New England. Sean is an alumnus of the University of New Hampshire and holds a degree in Health Management and Policy, which of course is my department. In this interview, Sean talks about his journey in the long-term care field and all the rewards and challenges it presents. Sean and I both share the opinion that the long-term care field is underappreciated for the opportunity it represents to young people who are interested in a meaningful career in healthcare. The full-length interview runs about 90 minutes. I have produced an abridged version that runs about an hour. This is the abridged version. If you’d like to listen to the full-length version, please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org for the link. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Mon, July 15, 2019
Jake Poore, President and Chief Experience Officer, Integrated Loyalty Systems
Today’s guest is Jake Poore, President and Chief Experience Officer of Integrated Loyalty Systems. Jake and his team consult with healthcare organizations around the country on how to improve the patient experience. Jake draws on 18 years of experience with Disney to help healthcare organizations improve how they care for patients. In this podcast, we talk about Jake’s career at Disney, then what it was like breaking out on his own and founding Integrated Loyalty systems. We also talk about his recently published book, 99 Lessons Learned from Disney To Improve The Patient Experience, which I would recommend to anyone who is thinking about ways to improve the patient experience. This is the abridged version of the interview. There is also a full-length version. Please see our web site, healthleaderforge.org for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Mon, July 15, 2019
Jake Poore, President and Chief Experience Officer, Integrated Loyalty Systems (full length)
Today’s guest is Jake Poore, President and Chief Experience Officer of Integrated Loyalty Systems. Jake and his team consult with healthcare organizations around the country on how to improve the patient experience. Jake draws on 18 years of experience with Disney to help healthcare organizations improve how they care for patients. In this podcast, we talk about Jake’s career at Disney, then what it was like breaking out on his own and founding Integrated Loyalty systems. We also talk about his recently published book, 99 Lessons Learned from Disney To Improve The Patient Experience, which I would recommend to anyone who is thinking about ways to improve the patient experience. This is the full length version of the interview. There is also a one-hour abridged version. Please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sun, June 16, 2019
Marie Vienneau, President and CEO, Mayo Hospital (abridged)
Today’s guest is Marie Vienneau, the President and CEO of Mayo Hospital in Dover Foxcroft, Maine. Mayo Hospital is a critical access hospital in rural central Maine. Mayo Hospital is the primary hospital for the 17,000 residents of Piscataquis county, spread over a land mass roughly the size of Connecticut. Prior to coming to Mayo Hospital, Marie worked at Millinocket Regional Hospital, in her home town of Millinocket, Maine, where she rose from staff nurse to President and CEO. During her tenure, like much of rural Maine, the two paper mills that were the economic engines of her community closed down. We talk at length about what it is like leading a non-profit community hospital during a time of economic downturn, and how she led the organization and worked with the community to care for her fellow residents. Marie has been the President and CEO of Mayo Hospital since 2014. Mayo Hospital has a unique governance structure: it is a quasi-governmental entity governed by a Hospital Administrative District, which I was not familiar with. We discuss how this governance structure is different from the typical non-profit hospital’s governance structure and the challenges of working in this different environment. Mayo Hospital is currently in negotiations to merge with Northern Light Health, formerly the Eastern Maine Health System, one of the three largest health systems in Maine, and we discuss some of the challenges of going through a merger process. We close on a discussion of leadership. The full-length interview runs about 90 minutes. I have produced an abridged version that runs about an hour. This is the abridged version. If you’d like to listen to the full-length version, please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org for the link. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sat, June 15, 2019
Marie Vienneau, President and CEO, Mayo Hospital (full length)
Today’s guest is Marie Vienneau, the President and CEO of Mayo Hospital in Dover Foxcroft, Maine. Mayo Hospital is a critical access hospital in rural central Maine. Mayo Hospital is the primary hospital for the 17,000 residents of Piscataquis county, spread over a land mass roughly the size of Connecticut. Prior to coming to Mayo Hospital, Marie worked at Millinocket Regional Hospital, in her home town of Millinocket, Maine, where she rose from staff nurse to President and CEO. During her tenure, like much of rural Maine, the two paper mills that were the economic engines of her community closed down. We talk at length about what it is like leading a non-profit community hospital during a time of economic downturn, and how she led the organization and worked with the community to care for her fellow residents. Marie has been the President and CEO of Mayo Hospital since 2014. Mayo Hospital has a unique governance structure: it is a quasi-governmental entity governed by a Hospital Administrative District, which I was not familiar with. We discuss how this governance structure is different from the typical non-profit hospital’s governance structure and the challenges of working in this different environment. Mayo Hospital is currently in negotiations to merge with Northern Light Health, formerly the Eastern Maine Health System, one of the three largest health systems in Maine, and we discuss some of the challenges of going through a merger process. We close on a discussion of leadership. The full-length interview runs about 90 minutes. I have produced an abridged version that runs about an hour. This is the full-length version. If you’d like to listen to the abridged version, please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org for the link. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, May 15, 2019
Chris DiNicola, COO, Process Recovery Center
Today’s guest is Chris DiNicola. Chris is a healthcare entrepreneur working in the field of addiction services. I stumbled on to Chris’s organization after reading about a new barber shop in Nashua, New Hampshire that was run by recovering addicts, and catering to those in recovery. It turned out Rise Barbershop was just one of a number of ventures Chris is responsible for. I spoke with him at Process Recovery Center, one of two treatment facilities he and his partners own. They also operate sober living houses, which provide safe and supportive housing communities for recovering addicts with a total of 170 beds in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. What is amazing is that Chris and his partners are all recovering addicts, so the businesses are a manifestation of their passion to help others who have suffered from the same challenges. This is one of the longer interviews I’ve done, so I’ll be posting two versions. This is the full-length version. If you’d like to listen to the abridged version, please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org for the link. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, May 15, 2019
Chris DiNicola, COO, Process Recovery Center (abridged)
Today’s guest is Chris DiNicola. Chris is a healthcare entrepreneur working in the field of addiction services. I stumbled on to Chris’s organization after reading about a new barber shop in Nashua, New Hampshire that was run by recovering addicts, and catering to those in recovery. It turned out Rise Barbershop was just one of a number of ventures Chris is responsible for. I spoke with him at Process Recovery Center, one of two treatment facilities he and his partners own. They also operate sober living houses, which provide safe and supportive housing communities for recovering addicts with a total of 170 beds in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. What is amazing is that Chris and his partners are all recovering addicts, so the businesses are a manifestation of their passion to help others who have suffered from the same challenges. This is one of the longer interviews I’ve done, so I’ll be posting two versions. This is the abridged version. If you’d like to listen to the abridged version, please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org for the link. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Mon, April 15, 2019
Semra Aytur, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor of Health Management and Policy
Today’s guest is my colleague, Dr. Semra Aytur. Semra is an associate professor in the department of Health Management and Policy, and holds a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Public Health from Boston University. Her research focuses on socio-ecological resilience. She has published 40 academic papers, books, and book chapters on topics related to public health. In this interview we talk about her journey from discovering the field of public health as an undergraduate, her pursuit of technical skills to support her passion for public health, and examples of her interdisciplinary research blending together fields such as epidemiology, engineering, and urban planning to improve community health and health equity. It was fun for me to get into depth with Semra about her background, and I hope you enjoy the conversation, too. This is the full-length version of the interview. For the abridged version, or for more information, please see our website, https://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2019/04/semra-aytur-phd-mph-associate-professor.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Mon, April 15, 2019
Semra Aytur, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor of Health Management and Policy (Abridged)
Today’s guest is my colleague, Dr. Semra Aytur. Semra is an associate professor in the department of Health Management and Policy, and holds a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Public Health from Boston University. Her research focuses on socio-ecological resilience. She has published 40 academic papers, books, and book chapters on topics related to public health. In this interview we talk about her journey from discovering the field of public health as an undergraduate, her pursuit of technical skills to support her passion for public health, and examples of her interdisciplinary research blending together fields such as epidemiology, engineering, and urban planning to improve community health and health equity. It was fun for me to get into depth with Semra about her background, and I hope you enjoy the conversation, too. This is the abridged version of the podcast. If you would like to listen to the full length podcast, please see our website, https://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2019/04/semra-aytur-phd-mph-associate-professor.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Fri, March 15, 2019
Alex Walker, Executive Vice President and COO, Catholic Medical Center
Today’s guest is Alex Walker, the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, New Hampshire. Alex took an unusual route to senior leadership in the healthcare field. Prior to joining Catholic Medical Center in 2012, he spent more than twenty years practicing corporate law and litigation at one of New Hampshire’s largest and most prestigious law firms. In the podcast we talk about Alex’s journey from his early experiences in the Marine Corps, to what it was like to rise to become President of Devine and Millimet, and ultimately his decision to change careers and industries and join the team at Catholic Medical Center. What I thought was especially interesting about Alex’s story was how he described the experience of joining a mission driven non-profit hospital, and how important that was to him. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For more information, please see our web site, https://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2019/03/alex-walker-executive-vice-president.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Fri, February 15, 2019
Heather Staples Lavoie, President of Geneia
Today’s guest is Heather Staples Lavoie, the President of Geneia in Manchester, New Hampshire. I had the opportunity to hear Heather speak recently at a UNH CEO forum during which she described the exciting work Geneia is doing in the health analytics field, so I invited her to be on the program to share both her journey as a serial healthcare entrepreneur, and Geneia’s story, too. In the podcast we discuss Heather’s career and how she discovered a passion for healthcare analytics. We then talk about the various products and services Geneia has developed to help improve the delivery of healthcare and mitigate provider burnout (we talk about the Physician Misery Index Geneia has developed to measure the pain clinicians feel from the array of administrative tasks that take them away from providing care). I really enjoyed talking with Heather because her experiences in small firms are so different from mine, and I believe analytics, AI, and machine learning are going to transform healthcare. For more information, please go to our website, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, January 15, 2019
Joel Hornberger, Chief Strategy Officer, Cherokee Health Systems
Today’s guest is Joel Hornberger, the chief strategy officer National Training Director at Cherokee Health Systems, headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. I had the good fortune to hear Joel speak last fall at an event sponsored by the New Hampshire-Vermont Chapter of HFMA and invited him to be on the podcast, and I’m really pleased that he did. Cherokee Health Systems is a combined Federally Qualified Health Center and Community Mental Health Center, which is kind of unique. But when you hear center, don’t be fooled – Cherokee provides care for more than 70,000 patients through it’s 23 brick and mortar locations and 23 additional telemedicine sites. Cherokee has been an innovator in the area of integrating behavioral health and primary care, which is the focus of my conversation with Joel today. In the interview we talk about how Cherokee uses embedded behavioral health counselors to collaborate with primary care providers as well as the Clinic developed a unique rating system called the BPSA to quantify the needs of individual patients, among other things. I really enjoyed talking with Joel because his passion for integrated care and the FQHC mission is so apparent. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. for more information, please go to our web site, https://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2019/01/joel-hornberger-chief-strategy-officer.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sun, April 15, 2018
Jeffrey Hughes, Chief Strategy Officer, Wentworth-Douglass Hospital
Today's guest is Jeff Hughes, the Chief Strategy Officer for Wentworth-Douglass Hospital (WDH) in Dover, New Hampshire. In this podcast, Jeff talks about his career in planning and strategy in a wide variety of healthcare organizations from community hospitals to teaching hospitals to health systems and even a medical school. Wentworth-Douglass has recently gone through the process of becoming an affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital, and Jeff talks about the lengthy process WDH went through to decide on this strategy. The podcast is a fascinating insight into the reasoning behind the industry-wide trend in consolidation. For more information, please see our website, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sun, April 15, 2018
Jeffrey Hughes, Chief Strategy Officer, WDH (abridged)
Today's guest is Jeff Hughes, the Chief Strategy Officer for Wentworth-Douglass Hospital (WDH) in Dover, New Hampshire. In this podcast, Jeff talks about his career in planning and strategy in a wide variety of healthcare organizations from community hospitals to teaching hospitals to health systems and even a medical school. Wentworth-Douglass has recently gone through the process of becoming an affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital, and Jeff talks about the lengthy process WDH went through to decide on this strategy. The podcast is a fascinating insight into the reasoning behind the industry-wide trend in consolidation. This is the abridged version of the interview. To hear Jeff talk about his career leading up to his role at WDH, please check out the full length version of the podcast. For more information, please see our website, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, March 15, 2018
Dr. Teresa Leverett, DO, Founder, Freedom Family Practice
Today's guest is Dr. Teresa Leverett, the founder of Freedom Family Practice in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Freedom Family Practice is a family practice clinic that runs under a model called Direct Primary Care (DPC). In this podcast, we talk about what DPC is, and how it is allowing physicians and patients alike to have a different health care delivery experience. Recent UNH graduate Sameer Panasar returns to guest host this episode. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, February 15, 2018
COL Jean M. Barido, Commander, Public Health Command - Central
Today’s guest is COL Jean Barido, the Commander of the US Army Public Health Command – Central. The Command provides public health leadership and evidence-based preventive medicine programs and veterinary services to optimize the health of military units, installation personnel, and animals within 20 states, the Caribbean, and Central America. In this podcast we talk about COL Barido’s career as an Army Nurse Corps officer, starting in the reserves and then transitioning to active duty. We discuss her many roles in the military including deployments to Kosovo and Afghanistan, and then discuss her role as the Commander of a dispersed unit with many diverse missions. We conclude with a discussion of leadership. for more information, please see our website, https://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2018/02/colonel-jean-m-barido-commander-public.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Mon, January 15, 2018
Mary Lowry, Administrative Director, Center for Telehealth, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System
Today’s guest is Mary Lowry, the administrative director of Dartmouth-Hitchcock health system’s Center for Telehealth. Center for Telehealth is Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s consolidated telemedicine program, and in this podcast we talk about the variety of services and support that Mary’s team provides across New Hampshire and Vermont. It’s a fascinating look at the future of medicine, even though as Mary notes, telemedicine isn’t new, I think it is just now coming of age, and as we continue to transition away from a fee for service model in healthcare and towards the provision of value based care, we are only going to see greater levels of telemedicine utilization. For more information, please see our website, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Fri, December 15, 2017
Stephen Kasabian, Chief Administrative Officer, Maine Medical Partners (full length)
Today's guest is Stephen Kasabian, Chief Administrative Officer for Maine Medical Partners (MMP) in Portland, Maine. Maine Medical Partners is a large, multi-specialty practice with over 500 physicians and is a subsidiary of Maine Medical Center. Steve was MMP Employee #1, and has overseen the growth of the organization since its inception. Steve is a graduate of our own HMP program, and in this podcast we trace his career from UNH through to his leadership at MMP. We discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by healthcare organizations, and those in and around southern Maine. We conclude with a discussion about leadership. for more information, please see our web site, http:/ healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Fri, December 15, 2017
Stephen Kasabian, Chief Administrative Officer, Maine Medical Partners (edited)
Today's guest is Stephen Kasabian, Chief Administrative Officer for Maine Medical Partners (MMP) in Portland, Maine. Maine Medical Partners is a large, multi-specialty practice with over 500 physicians and is a subsidiary of Maine Medical Center. Steve was MMP Employee #1, and has overseen the growth of the organization since its inception. Steve is a graduate of our own HMP program, and in this podcast we trace his career from UNH through to his leadership at MMP. We discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by healthcare organizations, and those in and around southern Maine. We conclude with a discussion about leadership. To learn more, please see our web-site, http:/ healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, November 15, 2017
Timothy King, VP of Business Development, G. Greene Construction
Today's guest is Timothy King, Vice President of Business Development for G. Greene Construction, a construction firm specializing in healthcare facilities. Tim has a long history of working business development for construction firms, starting with his father's commercial real estate development firm, moving on to work with civil construction, including the Big Dig in Boston, and finally specializing in healthcare construction. In this podcast we talk about the construction industry and business development in general, and then focus in on how business development in healthcare construction works. Tim talks with a lot of passion about his work, and I learned a bunch about a side of healthcare that I personally have not been directly involved in all that much. Prior to recording the podcast, Tim was able to give me a tour of the new ICU that his firm, G. Greene, had just completed at Lowell General. We talk about the project quite a bit during the podcast, so I have included some pictures of the facility below. (We recorded the podcast at Lowell General, so at a few points you will hear announcements from the intercom, and even a lullaby is played, indicating a new baby was born during the recording.) for more information, please see our website, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sun, October 15, 2017
Samantha O'Neill, VP of HR, The Elliot Health System
Today's guest is Samantha O'Neill, the Vice President of Human Resources for the Elliot Health System in Manchester, New Hampshire. Sam has served in senior HR roles in software, information technology consulting, high-tech, manufacturing companies, and most recently healthcare. Sam is interviewed by Kayli Mathews and Nicole Bishop, juniors in the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of New Hampshire. In this podcast, they explore Sam's diverse career, talk about the various functions of HR, and close on a discussion of Sam's leadership style. For more information, please see our website, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Fri, September 15, 2017
John W. Polanowicz, EVP of the Hospital Services Group, Steward Health Care
Today’s guest is John Polanowicz, the Executive Vice President of Steward Health Care’s Hospital Services Group. Steward Health Care is a large, for-profit hospital system with a national presence. In this podcast we talk about John’s fascinating career, beginning with his time at the United States Military Academy at West Point, his tour as an Army aviation unit commander and Black Hawk pilot, and then on to his experiences as a hospital CEO, his service as the Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services for the State of Massachusetts, and finally his role today at Steward. We close on a discussion of leadership and John’s advice to early careerists. for more information, please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Fri, September 15, 2017
John W. Polanowicz, EVP of the Hospital Services Group, Steward Health Care (Abridged)
Today’s guest is John Polanowicz, the Executive Vice President of Steward Health Care’s Hospital Services Group. Steward Health Care is a large, for-profit hospital system with a national presence. In this podcast we talk about John’s fascinating career, beginning with his time at the United States Military Academy at West Point, his tour as an Army aviation unit commander and Black Hawk pilot, and then on to his experiences as a hospital CEO, his service as the Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services for the State of Massachusetts, and finally his role today at Steward. We close on a discussion of leadership and John’s advice to early careerists. for more information, please see our web site, healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, August 15, 2017
Sean Tracey, Founder, CEO, and Creative Director of Sean Tracey Associates
Today’s guest is Sean Tracey, the founder, CEO, and creative director of Sean Tracey Associates, a full service marketing and brand strategy firm located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I spoke with Sean because over the years his firm has worked extensively with healthcare organizations, helping them craft their internal and external brands and marketing strategies. In this podcast we talk in particular about his work with Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, but Sean has worked with a many other healthcare organizations including developing the Tufts Health Freedom Plan brand with Tufts Health and Granite Health, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Hartford Health. He is currently working with the newly formed North Country Healthcare, whose CEO, Warren West has been a previous guest on the Forge. Sean has also worked with large, national brands such as Sears and MasterCard. This was a fun interview because Sean has done so many diverse and interesting things in his career, including being a jazz trumpeter, producing a TV show called, "The Best of New England", and making a feature length documentary called, “The Jesus Guy”. One of the things I found most interesting was our conversation about leadership in an industry where most organizations are project-based, and teams may form for a day or many years, depending on the length of the project. We close on a discussion about developing a personal brand, which I think is particularly valuable for any professional to think about. for more information, please see our website, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, August 15, 2017
Sean Tracey, Founder, CEO, and Creative Director of Sean Tracey Associates (edited)
Today’s guest is Sean Tracey, the founder, CEO, and creative director of Sean Tracey Associates, a full service marketing and brand strategy firm located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I spoke with Sean because over the years his firm has worked extensively with healthcare organizations, helping them craft their internal and external brands and marketing strategies. In this podcast we talk in particular about his work with Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, but Sean has worked with a many other healthcare organizations including developing the Tufts Health Freedom Plan brand with Tufts Health and Granite Health, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Hartford Health. He is currently working with the newly formed North Country Healthcare, whose CEO, Warren West has been a previous guest on the Forge. Sean has also worked with large, national brands such as Sears and MasterCard. This was a fun interview because Sean has done so many diverse and interesting things in his career, including being a jazz trumpeter, producing a TV show called, "The Best of New England", and making a feature length documentary called, “The Jesus Guy”. One of the things I found most interesting was our conversation about leadership in an industry where most organizations are project-based, and teams may form for a day or many years, depending on the length of the project. We close on a discussion about developing a personal brand, which I think is particularly valuable for any professional to think about. for more information, please see our website, http://healthleaderforge.or This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sat, July 15, 2017
Joni Spring, Director of Outpatient Nursing & Clinic Operations, DHMC
Today’s guest is Joni Spring, the Director of Outpatient Nursing and Clinic Operations for Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center is a large academic medical center, and Joni’s responsibilities include all of the outpatient nursing operations. Joni has had over 30 years of experience as nurse, most of that time as a nurse leader and nurse executive. In this podcast we talk about Joni’s passion for nursing, a field she always knew was going to be her life’s work from the time she was a small child. I really enjoyed talking with Joni because she is clearly an authentic leader. She is quite candid in the interview about her many successes as well as some of her most difficult failures. Her story is well worth listening to. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. For more information about this interview, please see our website, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sat, July 15, 2017
Joni Spring, Director of Outpatient Nursing and Clinic Operations for DHMC (edited)
Today’s guest is Joni Spring, the Director of Outpatient Nursing and Clinic Operations for Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center is a large academic medical center, and Joni’s responsibilities include all of the outpatient nursing operations. Joni has had over 30 years of experience as nurse, most of that time as a nurse leader and nurse executive. In this podcast we talk about Joni’s passion for nursing, a field she always knew was going to be her life’s work from the time she was a small child. I really enjoyed talking with Joni because she is clearly an authentic leader. She is quite candid in the interview about her many successes as well as some of her most difficult failures. Her story is well worth listening to. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. This is the abridged version of my interview with Joni. I had a really tough time cutting from the full length version because she shares so much interesting insight both into being a nurse and a healthcare executive. If you have the time, I would recommend listening to the full length version. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, June 15, 2017
MG Thomas R. Tempel, Jr., CG of the Regional Medical Command - Central (edited)
Today’s guest is Major General Thomas R. Tempel, Jr., the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Regional Health Command – Central, and the Chief of the US Army Dental Corps. The Regional Health Command - Central is one of four geographic commands in the US Army Medical Department. The Regional Health Command - Central is the largest geographic command, and covers from Louisiana to Minnesota in the east and Southern California to Idaho in the west. It includes fourteen subordinate commands, including 12 hospitals and outpatient clinics, as well as the Dental Command - Central and the Public Health Command - Central. The Command provides care for more than 440,000 military beneficiaries, and in 2016 delivered 5.8 million clinic visits, 7,600 live births, and 57,000 admissions. Major General Tempel is a third generation member of the Army Medical Department. He entered active duty in 1991 as an Army dentist, serving with a variety of operational units including the 1st Special Forces, and commanded the 464th Dental Company while deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He later served in a series of clinical leadership roles including the Commander of the US Army Dental Command and the Commander of the Western Regional Medical Command before coming to his current role. I really enjoyed talking with Major General Tempel about his unusual career. We conclude with a brief discussion about his leadership philosophy, but I think you will get a sense of the kind of leader he is throughout the interview. For more information about this podcast, please see our web site, healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, June 15, 2017
MG Thomas R. Tempel, Jr., CG of the Regional Medical Command - Central
Today’s guest is Major General Thomas R. Tempel, Jr., the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Regional Health Command – Central, and the Chief of the US Army Dental Corps. The Regional Health Command - Central is one of four geographic commands in the US Army Medical Department. The Regional Health Command - Central is the largest geographic command, and covers from Louisiana to Minnesota in the east and Southern California to Idaho in the west. It includes fourteen subordinate commands, including 12 hospitals and outpatient clinics, as well as the Dental Command - Central and the Public Health Command - Central. The Command provides care for more than 440,000 military beneficiaries, and in 2016 delivered 5.8 million clinic visits, 7,600 live births, and 57,000 admissions. Major General Tempel is a third generation member of the Army Medical Department. He entered active duty in 1991 as an Army dentist, serving with a variety of operational units including the 1st Special Forces, and commanded the 464th Dental Company while deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He later served in a series of clinical leadership roles including the Commander of the US Army Dental Command and the Commander of the Western Regional Medical Command before coming to his current role. I really enjoyed talking with Major General Tempel about his unusual career. We conclude with a brief discussion about his leadership philosophy, but I think you will get a sense of the kind of leader he is throughout the interview. For more information about this podcast, please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, May 16, 2017
Gregory A. White, CPA, CEO of Lamprey Health Care
Today's guest is Gregory A. White, CPA. the CEO of Lamprey Health Care. Lamprey Health Care is a federally qualified health clinic (FQHC) with locations in New Hampshire: Nashua, Raymond, and Newmarket. Federally qualified health clinics are community-based healthcare providers that provide primary care and a range of other services to clients regardless of ability to pay. As a result they are often safety net care providers in a community. In this podcast Greg tells us about his journey from being an auditor in a public accounting firm to a career in healthcare, coming up through the finance and accounting side of healthcare delivery organizations. One of the unique aspects of Lamprey Health Care is each of its locations are in very different communities. This podcast was guest-hosted by University of New Hampshire students Regan Judge and Caroline Sweny. For more information about this podcast, please go to our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Mon, May 01, 2017
Richard Silveria, SVP of Finance and System CFO, Boston Medical Center (full length)
Today's guest is Richard W. Silveria, the Senior Vice President of Finance and CFO of Boston Medical Center. Rich is the Senior Vice President for Finance and the Chief Financial Officer for Boston Medical Center. Boston Medical Center is a safety net hospital, with roughly 80% of its $1.2 billion revenues coming from Medicare and Medicaid. In addition to being a safety net hospital, it is an academic teaching hospital associated with Boston University’s medical school. Rich has been the Chief Financial Officer since 2010. During his tenure he helped engineer a financial turnaround of the organization, and continues to strive to be a leader focused on driving change. In this podcast we trace Rich’s career from a start in biology and education, through computer programming and financial systems through to today where he is a senior leader in the third largest health system in Massachusetts. This is also our 50th interview on the Health Leader Forge! I'm very pleased to have such a distinguished guest to celebrate this milestone. This is the full length version of the podcast. To listen to the abridged version, please go to https://soundcloud.com/healthleaderforge/richard-w-silveria-svp-of-finance-and-system-cfo-boston-medical-center-1 please see our web site http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Mon, May 01, 2017
Richard W Silveria, SVP of Finance and System CFO, Boston Medical Center
Today's guest is Richard W. Silveria, the Senior Vice President of Finance and CFO of Boston Medical Center. Rich is the Senior Vice President for Finance and the Chief Financial Officer for Boston Medical Center. Boston Medical Center is a safety net hospital, with roughly 80% of its $1.2 billion revenues coming from Medicare and Medicaid. In addition to being a safety net hospital, it is an academic teaching hospital associated with Boston University’s medical school. Rich has been the Chief Financial Officer since 2010. During his tenure he helped engineer a financial turnaround of the organization, and continues to strive to be a leader focused on driving change. In this podcast we trace Rich’s career from a start in biology and education, through computer programming and financial systems through to today where he is a senior leader in the third largest health system in Massachusetts. This is also our 50th interview on the Health Leader Forge! I'm very pleased to have such a distinguished guest to celebrate this milestone. http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sat, April 15, 2017
Sue DeMarco, Director of Organizational Development, Exeter Health Resources
Today's guest is Susan Clay DeMarco, Director of Organizational Development for Exeter Health Resources. Exeter Health Resources is a healthcare system that includes the Exeter Hospital, a 100-bed community hospital, Core Physicians, a multispecialty physician group, and Rockingham VNA. In this podcast, Sue shares how she started in parks and recreation management, making a transition to organizational development and healthcare later in her career. She is a professional coach, certified by the International Coach Federation, and leads Exeter Health Resources' management and leadership development programs, working with individuals and groups within the organization. Sue is interviewed in this podcast by University of New Hampshire students Carly Barber and Jessica Fucci. for more information, please see our website, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sat, April 01, 2017
Dr. Skip Homicz, DDS, FAGD, Dental Director, Families First Health and Support Center
Today's guest is Skip Homicz, the Dental Director of Families First in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Families First is a Federally Qualified Health Center in the seacoast area that provides a range of health care services to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay. Dr. Homicz - a dentist by training - is the Dental Director at the organization. He also serves as a staff dentist as well. Dr. Homicz is a graduate of Cornell University and Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. He served in the Navy Dental Corps before going into private practice in a small town in New Hampshire. In the early 2000s, he began the dental component of Families First, later serving as the Dental Director and the Director of the oral health component of the homeless outreach program at the center. In 2016, he was awarded the Etherington Award for his achievements in bettering the lives of others through dentistry. Also of special note is that this podcast was guest-hosted by Sameer Panesar, a senior at UNH, who was interested in interviewing Dr. Homicz due to Sameer's interest in going to dental school. I talk to Sameer about his takeaway from the interview at the beginning of the podcast. For more information, please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sat, April 01, 2017
Dr. Skip Homicz, DDS, Dental Director, Families First Health and Support Center (edited)
Today's guest is Skip Homicz, the Dental Director of Families First in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Families First is a Federally Qualified Health Center in the seacoast area that provides a range of health care services to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay. Dr. Homicz - a dentist by training - is the Dental Director at the organization. He also serves as a staff dentist as well. Dr. Homicz is a graduate of Cornell University and Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. He served in the Navy Dental Corps before going into private practice in a small town in New Hampshire. In the early 2000s, he began the dental component of Families First, later serving as the Dental Director and the Director of the oral health component of the homeless outreach program at the center. In 2016, he was awarded the Etherington Award for his achievements in bettering the lives of others through dentistry. Also of special note is that this podcast was guest-hosted by Sameer Panesar, a senior at UNH, who was interested in interviewing Dr. Homicz due to Sameer's interest in going to dental school. I talk to Sameer about his takeaway from the interview at the beginning of the podcast. for more information, please see our web site: http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, March 15, 2017
Warren K West, CEO, North Country Healthcare
Today’s guest is Warren West, the CEO of North Country Healthcare. North Country Healthcare is a newly founded system of four critical access hospitals in the North Country of New Hampshire. North Country Healthcare is a unique system because it does not include a larger community hospital or medical center as an anchor. Warren started his career in healthcare at the age of sixteen when he became a housekeeper at Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Jersey, a rehabilitation hospital where he would eventually rise to vice president for administration. In this podcast we talk about Warren’s career, about his leadership philosophy, and the challenges of providing comprehensive healthcare in a rural setting in a time of massive change in the healthcare industry. You are listening to the extended version. If you would like to listen to the abridged version, please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, March 15, 2017
Warren West, CEO, North Country Healthcare (edited)
Today’s guest is Warren West, the CEO of North Country Healthcare. North Country Healthcare is a newly founded system of four critical access hospitals in the North Country of New Hampshire. North Country Healthcare is a unique system because it does not include a larger community hospital or medical center as an anchor. Warren started his career in healthcare at the age of sixteen when he became a housekeeper at Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Jersey, a rehabilitation hospital where he would eventually rise to vice president for administration. In this podcast we talk about Warren’s career, about his leadership philosophy, and the challenges of providing comprehensive healthcare in a rural setting in a time of massive change in the healthcare industry. I have produced two versions of this podcast – an extended version that includes our complete conversation, and an abridged version. You are listening to the abridged version. If you would like to listen to the extended version, please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, March 01, 2017
Brig. Gen. Jeffrey J. Johnson, Commander, Brooke Army Medical Center
Today’s guest is Brigadier General Jeffrey J. Johnson, the commanding general of Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) serves as the largest and most robust military healthcare organization within the Department of Defense (DOD). Both inpatient and outpatient services are provided by approximately 8,500 staff members, including active duty military personnel from each of the uniformed services, federal civilian employees and contractors. Brooke is a Level I Trauma center, and includes a forty bed burn center. It is also a hub for graduate medical education, with more than 30 graduate medical education programs. General Johnson is a board certified family medicine physician and has served in and commanded a wide range of units, from traditional clinics and hospitals to Special Forces units and the legendary 82nd Airborne, and has deployed in support of the Army’s missions around the world. I have produced two versions of this podcast – an extended version that includes our complete conversation, and an edited version. You are listening to the extended version. If you would like to listen to the extended version, please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, March 01, 2017
BG Jeffrey J. Johnson, Commander, Brooke Army Medical Center (edited)
Today’s guest is Brigadier General Jeffrey J. Johnson, the commanding general of Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) serves as the largest and most robust military healthcare organization within the Department of Defense (DOD). Both inpatient and outpatient services are provided by approximately 8,500 staff members, including active duty military personnel from each of the uniformed services, federal civilian employees and contractors. Brooke is a Level I Trauma center, and includes a forty bed burn center. It is also a hub for graduate medical education, with more than 30 graduate medical education programs. General Johnson is a board certified family medicine physician and has served in and commanded a wide range of units, from traditional clinics and hospitals to Special Forces units and the legendary 82nd Airborne, and has deployed in support of the Army’s missions around the world. I have produced two versions of this podcast – an extended version that includes our complete conversation, and an edited version. You are listening to the edited version. If you would like to listen to the extended version, please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, February 15, 2017
Sam Shields, Director, Operational Excellence, Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Today’s guest is Sam Shields, the Director of Operational Excellence at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System. In his role as Director, Sam provides leadership and strategic planning for the Value Institute. He has oversight of Performance Improvement, the Project Management Office, and the Value Institute Learning Center. He is responsible for developing programs and partnerships to improve patient outcomes and drive the organizational culture of the largest system in New Hampshire, with a reach of over 2 million people, toward operational excellence. In this podcast we talk about Sam’s career, which began as a chemical engineer working in specialty chemicals. Through experiences in a variety of manufacturing and production roles, Sam became an expert in supply chain management and quality and performance improvement. Like many of my guests, Sam’s road to serving in health care was circuitous. When he joined the Dartmouth-Hitchcock team in 2009 and returned again in 2013, he brought his extensive and diverse experience to bear on improving the functioning of the organization. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, February 15, 2017
(Abridged) Sam Shields, Director, Operational Excellence, Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Today’s guest is Sam Shields, the Director of Operational Excellence at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System. In his role as Director, Sam provides leadership and strategic planning for the Value Institute. He has oversight of Performance Improvement, the Project Management Office, and the The Value Institute Learning Center. He is responsible for developing programs and partnerships to improve patient outcomes and drive the organizational culture of the largest system in New Hampshire, with a reach of over 2 million people, toward operational excellence. In this podcast we talk about Sam’s career, which began as a chemical engineer working in specialty chemicals. Through experiences in a variety of manufacturing and production roles, Sam became an expert in supply chain management and quality and performance improvement. Like many of my guests, Sam’s road to serving in health care was circuitous. When he joined the Dartmouth-Hitchcock team in 2009 and returned again in 2013, he brought his extensive and diverse experience to bear on improving the functioning of the organization. for more information, please see our website, http://www.healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, February 01, 2017
Thomas C. Lavallee, COO, Alliance Health Management Services
Today’s guest is Thomas Lavallee, the Chief Operating Officer of Alliance Health Management Services. As the COO of Alliance Health Management Services, Tom oversees four skilled nursing facilities that provide both short term rehabilitation and long term care. In his role, Tom is charged with both running the day-to-day operations of the organization as well as exploring growth opportunities. In this podcast we talk about Tom’s 25 year journey in skilled nursing and long term care, and discuss the future of both the industry and his organization. I really enjoyed my conversation with Tom because he gives a view of the competitive nature of the long term care market and how the health reform is impacting the industry. He makes a compelling argument for early careerists to consider the field of long term care. I have produced two versions of this podcast – an extended version that includes are complete conversation, and an abridged version. This is the extended version. If you would like to listen to the extended version, please see our web site. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, February 01, 2017
(Abridged) Thomas C. Lavallee, COO, Alliance Health Management Services
Today’s guest is Thomas Lavallee, the Chief Operating Officer of Alliance Health Management Services. As the COO of Alliance Health Management Services, Tom oversees four skilled nursing facilities that provide both short term rehabilitation and long term care. In his role, Tom is charged with both running the day-to-day operations of the organization as well as exploring growth opportunities. In this podcast we talk about Tom’s 25 year journey in skilled nursing and long term care, and discuss the future of both the industry and his organization. I really enjoyed my conversation with Tom because he gives a view of the competitive nature of the long term care market and how the health reform is impacting the industry. He makes a compelling argument for early careerists to consider the field of long term care. I have produced two versions of this podcast – an extended version that includes are complete conversation, and an abridged version. This is the abridged version. If you would like to listen to the extended version, please see our web site. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sat, January 14, 2017
(Abridged) Gary R. Ulicny, President and CEO of the Shepherd Center
Today’s guest is Dr. Gary Ulicny, the President and CEO of the Shepherd Center. The Shepherd Center is a 152-bed not-for-profit specialty hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. The Center serves persons with spinal cord injuries, acquired brain injuries and a variety of neuromuscular diseases. Services include intensive care, acute medical, acute rehabilitation, post acute and outpatient services. The Shepherd Center operates with a budget of over $190 million and over 1,400 employees. During Gary’s 22-year tenure, the Shepherd Center was ranked one of the best rehabilitation hospitals in the nation for 14 years by US News & World Report, and is the largest hospital of its kind in the country. In this podcast we talk about Gary’s career, starting with his early interest in special education, his move into psychology, and ultimately into rehabilitation medicine, with a detour early on as a commercial fisherman. I really enjoyed my conversation with Gary and I think early careerists can learn a lot from this wide-ranging conversation. I have produced two versions of this podcast - an extended version of the interview that includes our complete conversation and an abridged version. You are listening to the abridged version. If you would like to listen to the extended version, please check our website for the link. http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Fri, January 13, 2017
Gary R. Ulicny, PhD, President and CEO of the Shepherd Center
Today’s guest is Dr. Gary Ulicny, the President and CEO of the Shepherd Center. The Shepherd Center is a 152-bed not-for-profit specialty hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. The Center serves persons with spinal cord injuries, acquired brain injuries and a variety of neuromuscular diseases. Services include intensive care, acute medical, acute rehabilitation, post acute and outpatient services. The Shepherd Center operates with a budget of over $190 million and over 1,400 employees. During Gary’s 22-year tenure, the Shepherd Center was ranked one of the best rehabilitation hospitals in the nation for 14 years by US News & World Report, and is the largest hospital of its kind in the country. In this podcast we talk about Gary’s career, starting with his early interest in special education, his move into psychology, and ultimately into rehabilitation medicine, with a detour early on as a commercial fisherman. I really enjoyed my conversation with Gary and I think early careerists can learn a lot from this wide-ranging conversation. I have produced two versions of this podcast - an extended version of the interview that includes our complete conversation and an abridged version. You are listening to the extended version. If you would like to listen to the abridged version, please check our website for the link. http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, January 03, 2017
Dennis Kain, FACHE, SVP, Tyler & Co.
Today’s guest is Dennis Kain, Senior Vice President at Tyler & Company, an executive search firm specializing in the placement of healthcare, academic, and life sciences executives. Dennis has been involved in executive search for twenty years. Prior to working in executive search, Dennis was involved in healthcare delivery, working his way up through various leadership roles in a national hospital management firm, and ultimately serving as CEO of Lower Bucks Hospital, a community hospital in Bristol, Pennsylvania. In this podcast I talk with Dennis about his career, and how his leadership experiences in healthcare delivery inform his work in executive search today, and how executive search firms work with their clients to find the right executives to fill the right jobs. We conclude with a discussion about leadership and Dennis offers advice for early careerists. For more information about the topics discussed in the interview, please see our web page, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, December 15, 2016
Michael Peterson, President of Androscoggin Valley Hospital
Today’s guest is the Michael Peterson, the President of Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin, New Hampshire. Androscoggin Valley Hospital is part of North Country Healthcare, a system of four critical access hospitals in the North Country of New Hampshire. In this podcast, I talk with Mike about his career, which included 28 years of service to the Eastern Maine Health System, where you worked his way up from part time work while in college, through being a licensed social worker, moving into information systems, and then back to operations, to ultimately being the chief operating officer at Sebastacook Valley Health before coming to Androscoggin in 2015. I really enjoyed talking with Mike and I think you will especially enjoy his insights about leadership and the experience of being a new hospital president. I have produced an extended version of the interview that covers Mike’s career leading up to and including his work at Androscoggin. An abridged version of the interview begins with his work at Androscoggin. You are listening to the extended version. If you would like to listen to the abridged version, please check our website for the link. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, December 15, 2016
(abridged) Michael Peterson, President of Androscoggin Valley Hospital
Today’s guest is the Michael Peterson, the President of Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin, New Hampshire. Androscoggin Valley Hospital is part of North Country Healthcare, a system of four critical access hospitals in the North Country of New Hampshire. In this podcast, I talk with Mike about his career, which included 28 years of service to the Eastern Maine Health System, where you worked his way up from part time work while in college, through being a licensed social worker, moving into information systems, and then back to operations, to ultimately being the chief operating officer at Sebastacook Valley Health before coming to Androscoggin in 2015. I really enjoyed talking with Mike and I think you will especially enjoy his insights about leadership and the experience of being a new hospital president. I have produced an extended version of the interview that covers Mike’s career leading up to and including his work at Androscoggin. An abridged version of the interview begins with his work at Androscoggin. You are listening to the abridged version. If you would like to listen to the extended version, please check our website for the link. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, December 01, 2016
(abridged) Susanna Fier, VP of Public Affairs and Marketing, Elliot Health System
Today’s guest is Susanna Fier, the Vice President of Public Affairs and Marketing for the Elliot Health System in Manchester, New Hampshire. Susanna made a mid-career transition from law to healthcare. Prior to coming to the Elliot, she worked as an attorney specializing in civil litigation, arguing cases all the way to the state supreme court. In this podcast we talk about how she became a lawyer, what it was like to be represent clients in court, and then how her prior experience helps her do her job today as a member of the senior leadership team in the Elliot Health System. Susanna explains how she manages communications, both internally and externally, her relationship with the press, and how she prepares members of her organization to interact with the press themselves. Susanna and I had a lengthy conversation, and I think I probably laughed more in this interview than any other, so I have produced two versions of this podcast, an abridged version and an extended version. You are listening to the abridged version. If you would like to listen to the extended version, please check our website for the link. http://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2016/12/susanna-fier-esq-vp-of-public-affairs.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, December 01, 2016
Susanna Fier, VP of Public Affairs and Marketing, The Elliot Health System
Today’s guest is Susanna Fier, the Vice President of Public Affairs and Marketing for the Elliot Health System in Manchester, New Hampshire. Susanna made a mid-career transition from law to healthcare. Prior to coming to the Elliot, she worked as an attorney specializing in civil litigation, arguing cases all the way to the state supreme court. In this podcast we talk about how she became a lawyer, what it was like to be represent clients in court, and then how her prior experience helps her do her job today as a member of the senior leadership team in the Elliot Health System. Susanna explains how she manages communications, both internally and externally, her relationship with the press, and how she prepares members of her organization to interact with the press themselves. Susanna and I had a lengthy conversation, and I think I probably laughed more in this interview than any other, so I have produced two versions of this podcast, an abridged version and an extended version. You are listening to the extended version. If you would like to listen to the abridged version, please check our website for the link. http://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2016/12/susanna-fier-esq-vp-of-public-affairs.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sat, November 26, 2016
Policy Podcast with Lucy Hodder
Today’s podcast is a break from the usual format. I have Lucy Hodder, Director of Health Law Programs and Professor of Law at the University of New Hampshire School of Law back to the program to discuss the current state of health policy and some of President-Elect Donald Trump’s health policy proposals. http://healthleaderforge.org Lucy's career interview: http://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2016/10/lucy-c-hodder-jd-director-of-health-law.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, November 15, 2016
Christopher M. Callahan, VP of HR for Exeter Health Resources
Today’s guest is Christopher Callahan, the Vice President of Human Resources for Exeter Health Systems in Exeter, New Hampshire. Exeter Health Resources is a healthcare system that includes the Exeter Hospital, a 100-bed community hospital, Core Physicians, a multispecialty physician group, and Rockingham VNA. Chris has over 30 years of experience in human resource management in the healthcare industry, having served in a number of hospitals and health systems prior to coming to Exeter Health Resources. Human resources is a critical support function in any organization, and it has evolved dramatically, as Chris explains in the interview, from a tactical, routine paper work driven service to a strategic asset that can have a powerful impact on an organization’s success. Chris and I had a lengthy conversation, so I have produced two versions of this podcast, an abridged version and an extended version. You are listening to the extended version. If you would like to listen to the abridged version, please check our website for the link. http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, November 15, 2016
(abridged) Christopher M. Callahan, VP of HR for Exeter Health Resources
Today’s guest is Christopher Callahan, the Vice President of Human Resources for Exeter Health Systems in Exeter, New Hampshire. Exeter Health Resources is a healthcare system that includes the Exeter Hospital, a 100-bed community hospital, Core Physicians, a multispecialty physician group, and Rockingham VNA. Chris has over 30 years of experience in human resource management in the healthcare industry, having served in a number of hospitals and health systems prior to coming to Exeter Health Resources. Human resources is a critical support function in any organization, and it has evolved dramatically, as Chris explains in the interview, from a tactical, routine paper work driven service to a strategic asset that can have a powerful impact on an organization’s success. Chris and I had a lengthy conversation, so I have produced two versions of this podcast, an abridged version and an extended version. You are listening to the abridged version. If you would like to listen to the extended version, please check our website for the link. http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, November 01, 2016
Patrick Jordan, COO of Lahey Hospital & Medical Center
Today’s guest is Patrick Jordan, the Chief Operating Officer for the Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, located in Burlington, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston. It encompasses an ambulatory care center serving more than 3,000 patients each day and a 317-bed hospital. It is a level II trauma center, and features several centers including the Cerebrovascular Disease Center and the Landsman Heart and Vascular Center. The first liver transplant in New England using an adult living donor was performed at Lahey and the system continues to support teaching and research in collaboration with Tufts University School of Medicine. In this podcast we explore Patrick’s career, a journey that begins with service as a ranger-qualified Army officer in the renowned 82nd Airborne Division and Special Operations Command Atlantic. We talk about how he transitioned from military service to hospital administration, starting as the manager of linen services for Massachusetts General Hospital, working his way up through logistics jobs, then transitioning to clinical operations, eventually holding the position of interim president for Newton-Wellesley Hospital before coming to present position at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center. Patrick has a great story, and he tells it with a lot of candor about his own successes and challenges. For more information, please go to our website, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sat, October 15, 2016
From Broken System to Accountable Care
On October 7th the College of Health and Human Services and the Northern New England Association of Healthcare Executives hosted a special event at the University of New Hampshire, Shaping the Future: Leadership and Public Policy in Healthcare. We had two panels and a keynote speaker and it was a terrific event. This is the keynote talk by Dr. Louis Josephson, CEO of Brattleboro Retreat. The talk was titled, “From Broken System to Accountable Care: Improving Mental Health and Addictions Services by Putting Patients First”. The recordings of the other parts of the event are available on our website, http://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2016/10/shaping-future-leadership-and-public.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sat, October 15, 2016
The Healthcare Organization's Role in Formulating Public Policy
On October 7th the College of Health and Human Services and the Northern New England Association of Healthcare Executives hosted a special event at the University of New Hampshire, Shaping the Future: Leadership and Public Policy in Healthcare. We had two panels and a keynote speaker and it was a terrific event. This is the second panel, “The Healthcare Organization’s Role in Formulating Public Policy”. This panel included: Katie Fullam Harris, Senior Vice President, Government Relations and Accountable Care Strategy, MaineHealth; Richard Silveria, Chief Financial Officer, Boston Medical Center; Matthew Houde, Director, Government Relations, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. The panel was moderated by my colleague Lucy Hodder, Director, Health Law and Policy, Professor of Law, University of New Hampshire. The recordings of the other parts of the event are available on our website, http://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2016/10/shaping-future-leadership-and-public.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sat, October 15, 2016
Talent Management for Bench Strength Development
On October 7th the College of Health and Human Services and the Northern New England Association of Healthcare Executives hosted a special event at the University of New Hampshire, Shaping the Future: Leadership and Public Policy in Healthcare. We had two panels and a keynote speaker and it was a terrific event. This is the first panel, Talent Management for Bench Strength Development. This panel included: Samantha O’Neill, the Vice President for Human Resources at the Elliot Health System in Manchester, New Hampshire; Kevin Callahan, the President and CEO of Exeter Health Resources; and Warren West, the CEO of Littleton Regional Healthcare and CEO of the North Country Healthcare. I had the privilege of moderating the panel. The recordings of the other parts of the event are available on our website, http://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2016/10/shaping-future-leadership-and-public.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sat, October 01, 2016
Lucy C. Hodder, J.D., Director of Health Law Programs and Professor of Law
Today’s guest is Lucy Hodder, Director of Health Law Programs and Professor of Law at the University of New Hampshire School of Law, and a member of the Institute for Health Policy and Practice in the College of Health and Human Services also at the University of New Hampshire. With her dual appointment, she both helps train the next generation of attorneys in the state in the application of legal principles to health care, and works with the Institute on some of the most challenging health care problems facing the state today. In this podcast we explore Lucy’s career, a journey that took her back and forth between public service and private practice in several states and regions of the country, including working in the office of the New Hampshire Attorney General, being a senior shareholder in the firm of Rath, Young and Pignatelli, and finally before joining the faculty at the University of New Hampshire, serving as the Legal Counsel to the Governor as well as senior health policy advisor. I think the thing that struck me most about my interview with Lucy was her commitment to service throughout her career. From the time she was in law school to through her time in a high powered private practice, she made time to provide public service. When the governor asked her to serve as her legal counsel, Lucy’s career was in full bloom. She shares the advice she received from Tom Rath, one of the principals in her firm, and he told her: “You practice in the New Hampshire Bar, when a governor asks you to serve, you have to be hard pressed to say no… that’s what we’re here for, that’s what we do in New Hampshire… when the governor asks you to serve you should say yes.” I think that says a lot about not only Lucy and her firm, but the legal community in New Hampshire. for more information about this interview, please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, September 15, 2016
Raymond A. Levy, Psy.D., Executive Director, The Fatherhood Project
Today's guest is Dr. Raymond A. Levy, the Executive Director of the Fatherhood Project. The Fatherhood Project is a non-profit fatherhood program in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston, MA. The mission of the program is to improve the health and well-being of children and families by empowering fathers to be knowledgeable, active, and emotionally engaged with their children. Dr. Levy is a clinical psychologist specializing in psychoanalysis, with over thirty five years of experience in the field. In this podcast we talk about the training Dr. Levy underwent to become a psychotherapist and his career leading up to his founding of the Fatherhood Project. We then talk about the origins of the Fatherhood Project, the kinds of programming and research Dr. Levy’s team undertakes, and the challenges of running a small, mission oriented non-profit. I think listeners will get a lot out of this interview. First, Dr. Levy does a very nice job explaining the field of psychotherapy which is very interesting. Second, his discussion of how the Fatherhood Project grew out of a research project is enlightening about the origins of great innovations. For more information, an outline of the interview, and show notes, please see our web site: http://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2016/09/raymond-levy-psyd-executive-director.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, September 01, 2016
Luanne S. Rogers, President & CEO, The Courville Communities
Today’s guest is Luanne Rogers, the President and CEO of The Courville Communities, a long term care system in southern New Hampshire. The Courville Communities include two nursing homes, assisted living communities, and retirement apartments. The Courville Communities is a private, family owned organization, something that is becoming less common as corporations have come to dominate the competitive landscape. In this podcast, Luanne talks about her thirty-year journey through a field that has gone through many changes. Her career began as a nursing assistant in Chicago, Illinois, working to put herself through college and has included working for privately owned facilities as well as national chains. I really enjoyed my conversation with Luanne. Her passion and commitment to the field is remarkable. For more information and links to the topics discussed, please visit our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Mon, August 15, 2016
John Fernandez, President and CEO of Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
Today’s guest is John Fernandez, the President and CEO of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, Massachusetts. Mass Eye and Ear is one of the world’s leading specialty hospitals dedicated to ophthalmology and otolaryngology care, or as John says, they take care of everything from the neck up except the brain, but maybe the brain too sometimes. In this podcast John talks about his journey to leading this world class organization, including his progress into the executive ranks at another world class Boston organization, the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Throughout the interview, John talks about his management approach, which focuses on the fundamentals: plan, execute, follow up. While this sounds like a fairly simple formula, I think anyone who has tried it knows that simple isn’t always easy. John tempers his management approach with a focus on kindness, which was something heartening to hear from a senior executive. One of the things that is clearly important to John is work life balance. We talked about work-life balance both before and during the interview, and one of the pieces of advice he gives to early careerists is to get your personal life sorted out first, and then figure out what you want from work, which was interesting advice. John has a series of questions that he gives people to help guide them through that process. I will post a link to those questions on the podcast web page. podcast web page: http://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2016/08/john-r-fernandez-president-and-chief.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Mon, August 01, 2016
Katie Fullam Harris, SVP of Government Relations for MaineHealth
Today's guest is Katie Fullam Harris, the Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Accountable Care Strategy for MaineHealth, in Portland, Maine. Katie oversees the development, implementation and coordination of state and federal advocacy on behalf of the MaineHealth System, and also leads the development and implementation of strategy that supports improved access and value for health care consumers and purchasers and the alignment of incentives for providers in the MaineHealth System. Prior to coming to MaineHealth, Katie worked in a variety of not-for-profit, government, and for-profit institutions. In this podcast, Katie and I discuss her career journey, then transition to talk about what it’s like to manage government relations and health policy for the largest integrated health system in the state of Maine, and the challenges of trying to move a large system towards paying for value. We conclude with a discussion about influence and leadership. We cover a lot of ground in this interview, especially around the recent evolution of health policy. I think early careerists in particular will get a sense of the importance of integrating proactive government relations in a large healthcare organization. For more information and podcast annotation, please go to our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Fri, July 15, 2016
Nirav Shah, MD, MPH, Senior VP and COO, Kaiser Permanente Southern California
Today's guest is Dr. Nirav Shah, the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Clinical Operations for Kaiser Permanente Southern California, in Pasadena, California. Nirav oversees the health plan and hospital quality, service, accreditation, regulatory compliance, and licensure, as well as nursing, the continuum of care, and the effective use of technology, data, and analytics to produce better patient health outcomes for $24B region serving 4.2M members. Prior to coming to Kaiser, Nirav served as the Commissioner of Health for the State of New York, administering a $60B budget and was responsible for public health insurance programs covering 5 million New Yorkers as well as regulating the state's hospitals and nursing homes among other responsibilities. Nirav completed an internal medicine residency at Yale, followed by a fellowship in epidemiology in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program. Before moving into leadership roles, he worked as a physician researcher at Bellevue Hospital in New York City and at the Geisinger Clinic in Pennsylvania. I really enjoyed listening to Nirav's journey from physician researcher to large organization leader. Perhaps more than any other guest, Nirav talks about the importance mentors have played in his career, and how he seeks out support and guidance to help him solve his problems, while at the same time reaching out to return the favor. For more information about the podcast and to review a transcript, please go to our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Fri, July 01, 2016
Brigadier General R. Scott Dingle, US Army MEDCOM G-3/5/7
Today’s guest is Brigadier General R. Scott Dingle, the director plans, operations, and training for the US Army Medical Command, also known as the MEDCOM G-3/5/7. BG Dingle has had an extraordinary career, including attendance at some of the Army’s most respected training schools, battalion and brigade commands, and combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. I really enjoyed hearing BG Dingle’s career story, but I found his lessons for leaders at the end of the interview particularly striking. He uses a clever metaphor to talking about the need for leaders to never lose their bearing, to never forget they are always in the spotlight, and to never forget they are always part of a team. This podcast is being released just in time for Independence Day weekend, and it seems appropriate to reflect on the career of a dedicated military leader and combat veteran as we remember that freedom is not free. For more information about the interview, please visit our website: http://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2016/07/brigadier-general-r-scott-dingle-medcom.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, June 15, 2016
(extended) Rev. Frank Macht, Director of Chaplaincy, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Today we return to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and our guest is the Reverend Frank Macht, the director of the Chaplaincy. Frank is a minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, although he is originally from Germany. Together we reflect on his journey, as he refers to it, and the experiences he has had as he served and trained all over the United States, from Berkley, California, to Atlanta, Georgia, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Nome, Alaska and finally to Lebanon, New Hampshire. Frank was first called to ministry as a hospital chaplain through a training program known as clinical pastoral education. His interest in this specialized form of ministry led him to become a clinical pastoral education supervisor, which allows him to supervise the clinical training of other chaplains. In this podcast we discuss the training a hospital chaplain goes through, the role of the hospital chaplain, and specifically the role of the Chaplaincy at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. I really enjoyed this interview because of Frank’s unique story and how he enhanced my own understanding of the role of the hospital chaplain and chaplaincy training. I think it’s important for healthcare leaders to understand what a well-trained chaplain can bring to the care team, and I think Frank does an excellent job of explaining that role. Frank and I had a lengthy conversation about his career and the role of the chaplaincy. To produce this episode, unfortunately I had to edit out much of the conversation that was of interest to me, so I am posting two versions of the interview – the edited version, and the full-length interview. You are listening to the full-length interview. If you would like to listen to the edited version, please check our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org for the link. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, June 15, 2016
Rev. Frank Macht, Director of Chaplaincy, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Today we return to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and our guest is the Reverend Frank Macht, the director of the Chaplaincy. Frank is a minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, although he is originally from Germany. Together we reflect on his journey, as he refers to it, and the experiences he has had as he served and trained all over the United States, from Berkley, California, to Atlanta, Georgia, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Nome, Alaska and finally to Lebanon, New Hampshire. Frank was first called to ministry as a hospital chaplain through a training program known as clinical pastoral education. His interest in this specialized form of ministry led him to become a clinical pastoral education supervisor, which allows him to supervise the clinical training of other chaplains. In this podcast we discuss the training a hospital chaplain goes through, the role of the hospital chaplain, and specifically the role of the Chaplaincy at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. I really enjoyed this interview because of Frank’s unique story and how he enhanced my own understanding of the role of the hospital chaplain and chaplaincy training. I think it’s important for healthcare leaders to understand what a well-trained chaplain can bring to the care team, and I think Frank does an excellent job of explaining that role. Frank and I had a lengthy conversation about his career and the role of the chaplaincy. To produce this episode, unfortunately I had to edit out much of the conversation that was of interest to me, so I am posting two versions of the interview – the edited version, and the full-length interview. You are listening to the edited version. If you would like to listen to the full-length version, please check our web site, healthleaderforge.org for the link. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, June 01, 2016
Sheila Woolley, CNO And VP, Wentworth -Douglass Health System
Today’s guest is Sheila Woolley, the Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Care Services at Wentworth-Douglass Health Systems in Dover, New Hampshire. Wentworth-Douglass Health system includes Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, a 178-bed non-profit, acute-care hospital that employs 2,300 individuals with 1,700 FTEs, has 50,000-visits annually, and is a Level III Trauma Center. The Health System also includes Wentworth Health Partners, which include 23 primary care and specialty practices, and two express care facilities. As we discuss during the podcast, although Wentworth-Douglass is a community hospital, it has clinical affiliations with world-class academic medical centers that enable patients to access some of the best physicians in the region while staying at home on the New Hampshire Seacoast. In this podcast we discuss Sheila’s career in nursing, the role of the CNO, how the nursing profession has evolved, and conclude with a discussion about leadership. This is a valuable interview for any aspiring healthcare leader to listen to because Sheila really demonstrates through her career how leadership in healthcare transcends parochial roles, and the future of healthcare delivery will require a team-based approach. In this podcast we discuss Sheila’s career in nursing, the role of the CNO, how the nursing profession has evolved, and conclude with a discussion about leadership. This is a valuable interview for any aspiring healthcare leader to listen to because Sheila really demonstrates through her career how leadership in healthcare transcends parochial roles, and the future of healthcare delivery will require a team-based approach. For more a time outline of the interview and other information, please see our web site, http://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2016/06/sheila-woolley-sheila-woolley-rn-nea-bc.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sun, May 15, 2016
Roderic Olvera Young, EVP, and Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health
Today’s guest is Roderic "Roddy" Olvera Young, Executive Vice President, and Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health. In this podcast, Roddy shares his nearly three decades of experience in communications and public relations in a wide variety of governmental and private organizations, among them including being the press secretary for NASA, as well as being a consultant for firms involved in public relations crises while working with MSL Group/TMG Strategies prior to coming to his current role at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. This is a valuable podcast for any current or aspiring health leader to listen to because Roddy reveals some of the key mistakes leaders make when working with strategic communications and dealing with the press and provides insight on how to engage in a long term strategic messaging effort. for more information, see our web site: http://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2016/05/roderick-olvera-young-executive-vice.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sun, May 01, 2016
Laura Curnan, Executive Director, High Point Village Retirement and Assisted Living Community
Today's guest is Laura Curnan, the Executive Director, High Point Village Retirement and Assisted Living Community in Enumclaw, Washington. Laura has been the Executive Director at High Point since 1990, coming to assisted living management after having worked in retirement community management. In this podcast we talk about how assisted living works, what kind of services are provided, and how the industry fills a niche between retirement communities and nursing homes. Laura talks about creating a community that is welcoming and comfortable for her residents, and that "brings retirement to life." This was an educational interview for me because I personally have not had much exposure to the assisted living industry, but clearly this is an industry that will continue to grow in importance. Today there are over 30,000 assisted living facilities in the United States providing care for more than one million residents, and it is poised to continue to grow with the aging of the Baby Boom generation. For more information, see our website: http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, April 14, 2016
Dr. Kenneth Anderson, DO, COO of HRET
Today’s guest is Dr. Kenneth Anderson, DO, the Chief Operating Officer for the Health Research and Educational Trust, a subsidiary of the American Hospital Association in Chicago, Illinois. In this podcast, we trace Ken’s career in medicine, from his training in both family practice and internal medicine, then as nephrologist and kidney transplant specialist, followed by his movement into the physician executive ranks, specializing in quality and data management as the Chief Medical Quality Officer for the NorthShore University HealthSystem before his current position as COO of HRET. As the COO of HRET he helps to influence health policy at the national level through research and educational programs. I really enjoyed speaking with Ken about his career – his passion for medicine and improving the quality of care for patients at the individual and system level is evident in everything he has done. Addendum: Since the recording of this podcast, Dr. Anderson has been promoted to Acting President of HRET and Acting Senior Executive for Health Improvement for the AHA (American Hospital Association). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Fri, April 01, 2016
Dr. Joseph Pepe, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of CMC Healthcare System
Today's guest is Dr. Joseph Pepe, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Medical Center Healthcare System. Dr. Pepe has served the CMC Healthcare System since 1990, first as a staff physician, then as Chief Medical Officer, and since 2012 as the system President and CEO. The advice he gives early careerists entering the field of administration is to volunteer for additional responsibility, and that positions will follow. His own career reflects that fact. In the interview, Dr. Pepe describes his choice to become a primary care physician, and how his interest in improving the operations of the practice resulted in him being "volun-told" that he would be the Chief Medical Officer. After thirteen years of successful leadership as the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Pepe was selected to lead CMC as the CEO and president. We discuss strategy and how Dr. Pepe is working with the board and senior management to ensure CMC's success in a rapidly changing health care environment, while remaining true to CMC's Catholic identity. We conclude with a discussion of leadership and mentorship. I really enjoyed this interview because Dr. Pepe made it clear that CMC’s identity as a faith-based organization goes beyond just a historical origin; it is critical to the organization’s mission today, and influences its strategy on an ongoing basis. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, March 15, 2016
Gerald "Gerry" Vicenzi, President of Synernet, Inc.
Today’s guest is Gerald “Gerry” Vicenzi, the President of Synernet, Inc. Synernet is a for-profit provider of a broad portfolio of administrative and management services to healthcare organizations including workers compensation administration, clinical engineering, credentialing, coding, and transcription. Gerry has been the President of Synernet since 1999, and under his leadership, Synernet has grown from 25 to more than 270 employees. Gerry brought a wealth of experience with him when he moved from Cleveland, Ohio to Portland, Maine where Synernet is headquartered. Starting out his his career as an industrial engineer and it is fascinating to hear how his engineering background influenced his management approach. He shares his successes and struggles over his forty three year career. We discuss organizational leadership and mentorship, and close on the importance of networking through professional organizations such as ACHE. I was particularly interested in interviewing Gerry because Synernet represents a very different kind of organization than we have had on the podcast so far. It was fascinating to listen to how he made strategic decisions to adjust the portfolio of services over the years in response to changes in the marketplace, changes in technology, and changes in the competitive environment for his clients. read more about Gerry's interview here: http://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2016/03/gerald-j-gerry-vicenzi-president.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sun, February 14, 2016
Patricia "Patsy" Aprile, Senior VP and COO of Southern Maine Health Care
Today’s guest is Patricia "Patsy" Aprile, FACHE, the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Southern Maine Health Care in Biddeford, Maine. Patsy started her career on the clinical side as a medical technologist, working her way up through leadership positions in the laboratory, then clinical operations. In this podcast she talks about her experiences in a variety of organizations, including her time as CEO of Goodall Hospital during its merger with Southern Maine Health Care, as well as her role today. I think this podcast is especially useful for the insights Patsy offers on leadership and organizational culture, both in the context of leading through a merger as well as how she leads for operational excellence today. Patsy also talks about her service as the American College of Health Care Executives Regent for the state of Maine, and concludes with advice for early careerists. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Mon, February 01, 2016
Kathleen A. Bizarro-Thunberg, Executive VP, New Hampshire Hospital Association
Today's guest is Kathleen Bizarro-Thunberg, MBA, FACHE, Executive Vice President for the New Hampshire Hospital Association ("NHHA"). Kathy has worked at the New Hampshire Hospital Association for thirty years. In this podcast, Kathy tells how she worked her way up in the organization from data technician to Executive Vice President. We talk about how the Hospital Association works with member hospitals in the state to establish the organization's priorities and messages, and how the Hospital Association represents the interests of the member organizations at the state and federal level. We also talk about leadership, and Kathy’s role as a leader both inside of her organization, as well as her role as a thought leader working with the organization’s membership, the state legislature, and other organizations and the similarities between those two forms of leadership. We then discuss Kathy’s extensive leadership experience within the American College of Healthcare Executives where she currently holds a seat on the ACHE Board of Governors, a leadership position at the national level. We conclude with Kathy’s recommendations for early careerists, and the importance of getting involved with a professional organization earlier rather than later. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Fri, January 15, 2016
Dr. Kristy Fassler, ND, Co-Founder of the North Coast Family Health Integrative Medicine Clinic
Today’s guest is Dr. Kristy Fassler, ND, co-founder of North Coast Family Health Integrative Medicine Clinic, a naturopathic practice in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In this podcast Dr. Fassler and I discuss the training naturopathic doctors take, the philosophy behind naturopathy, and how naturopathic doctors work with patients to identify underlying dysfunction within the body and mind and correct it to promote healing from the inside out. We also discuss how Dr. Fassler worked with her husband, other naturopaths, and the community to get the state of New Hampshire to recognize and license naturopathic doctors in the mid-1990s, and as a result she and her husband hold license numbers 2 and 3 in the state. This podcast was eye-opening for me because prior to talking with Dr. Fassler I had never spoken with a naturopathic doctor. I learned a lot about the field, and found many parallels between the naturopathic approach and the current movement in mainstream medicine toward a focus on wellness and patient centeredness – beliefs that naturopaths hold central to their practice. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, December 31, 2015
Karen F. Clements, RN, FACHE, Associate Chief Nursing Officer, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System
Today’s guest is Karen Clements, the Associate Chief Nurse for Ambulatory and Primary Care Nursing, Emergency and Patient Placement Services, and Care Management and Psychiatric Services for the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System, or as her staff tell her, she is the Associate Chief Nurse for Team Awesome. Despite its rural location, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center is the largest hospital in New Hampshire, taking referrals from over forty other hospitals in New England. It is also a major teaching hospital associated with Dartmouth College’s Geisel School of Medicine. Karen is also the President of the Northern New England Association of Healthcare Executives, one of the sponsors of this podcast. Karen is a nurse-executive whose roots are in emergency and trauma nursing. Her career began with an active duty tour in the Army’s Nurse Corps, then she returned home to Bangor, Maine where she progressed through the nursing ranks to become the Chief Nursing Officer of Acadia Hospital, a 100 bed freestanding psychiatric hospital. After 23 years with the Eastern Maine Healthcare System, she followed professional and personal opportunity to Dartmouth-Hitchcock, where her leadership skills quickly led her to the Associate Chief Nurse position. In this podcast we talk about Karen’s career leading up to her current position at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, how Dartmouth-Hitchcock is changing to meet the challenges of an evolving health system, and how nursing is playing a role in that transition. We then talk about leadership, and Karen’s role in the Northern New England Association of Healthcare Executives and conclude with Karen’s recommendations for early careerists. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, December 15, 2015
(Abridged) Betsey Rhynhart, Executive Director, New Hampshire Accountable Care Partners
Today’s guest is Betsey Rhynhart, the Executive Director of New Hampshire Accountable Care Partners, an Accountable Care Organization or ACO headquartered at Concord Hospital in Concord New Hampshire. New Hampshire Accountable Care Partners was formed as a partnership between four community health systems in Southern New Hampshire: Concord Hospital, The Elliot Health System, Southern New Hampshire Health System, and Wentworth-Douglas Health System. In this podcast Betsey talks about her career, and how her education in public health and her background in insurance and strategy merge in her current role leading the ACO’s efforts. She talks about how the ACO is a learning organization that is helping the participating partners move toward a strategy of providing value-based care, a recurring theme we have been hearing from a number of leaders in recent interviews. Betsey provides an inside view of how the ACO was formed, how it operates, what the organization’s goals and objectives are, and what the participating organizations hope to gain from their collaboration. Betsey’s career and current role are great examples of how public health and direct care are beginning to merge as direct care delivery systems become more involved in population health models. You are listening to the abridged version of the podcast. An extedned version of the podcast is also available. Please go to our web site, http://healthleaderforge.org for the link to the extednded version. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, December 15, 2015
Betsey Rhynhart, Executive Director, New Hampshire Accountable Care Partners
Today’s guest is Betsey Rhynhart, the Executive Director of New Hampshire Accountable Care Partners, an Accountable Care Organization or ACO headquartered at Concord Hospital in Concord New Hampshire. New Hampshire Accountable Care Partners was formed as a partnership between four community health systems in Southern New Hampshire: Concord Hospital, The Elliot Health System, Southern New Hampshire Health System, and Wentworth-Douglas Health System. In this podcast Betsey talks about her career, and how her education in public health and her background in insurance and strategy merge in her current role leading the ACO’s efforts. She talks about how the ACO is a learning organization that is helping the participating partners move toward a strategy of providing value-based care, a recurring theme we have been hearing from a number of leaders in recent interviews. Betsey provides an inside view of how the ACO was formed, how it operates, what the organization’s goals and objectives are, and what the participating organizations hope to gain from their collaboration. Betsey’s career and current role are great examples of how public health and direct care are beginning to merge as direct care delivery systems become more involved in population health models. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, December 01, 2015
(Abridged) Dr. Michael Sherman, Chief Medical Officer, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Today's guest is Dr. Michael Sherman, the Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President for Health Services at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. Harvard Pilgrim is a New England-based regional health plan with 1.25 million members. It has been ranked #1 by NCQA for the past ten years. Michael holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in Medical Anthropology, he attended Yale Medical School, and is a board certified anesthesiologist. In the mid-1990's he made the decision to pursue an MBA at Harvard Business School with the thought that he would seek to blend together his clinical expertise with a business education, but he was sure of one thing: that he would never work for an insurance plan. In this podcast he tells the story of his career, about becoming a physician, making the transition to executive leadership, and how he ultimately worked for three health insurers (ironically, the payers he said he would not work for). Michael's career involves a great deal of serendipity, but it also shows his deliberateness as he worked to develop the skills he knew he needed to progress as an executive by gaining exposure and experience in a wide array of organizations. He is also quite candid about his successes and challenges, which shows that the road to senior leadership is never smooth sailing. His discussion of the work he is doing with value-based payment and bundling at Harvard Pilgrim is particularly useful and timely. It is very popular to demonize health insurers, but Michael’s efforts to create win-win arrangements between Harvard Pilgrim and its partners in the provider community shows what is actually possible. It is interesting to see how his passion for developing these agreements meshes with a recurring theme of negotiations from different points in his career leading up to his current role. You are listening to the abridged version of the interview. The full interview is also available on our web page, http://healthleaderforge.org , along with an outline of the interview, and links to the organizations and papers discussed in the podcast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, December 01, 2015
Dr. Michael Sherman, Chief Medical Officer, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Today's guest is Dr. Michael Sherman, the Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President for Health Services at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. Harvard Pilgrim is a New England-based regional health plan with 1.25 million members. It has been ranked #1 by NCQA for the past ten years. Michael holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in Medical Anthropology, he attended Yale Medical School, and is a board certified anesthesiologist. In the mid-1990's he made the decision to pursue an MBA at Harvard Business School with the thought that he would seek to blend together his clinical expertise with a business education, but he was sure of one thing: that he would never work for an insurance plan. In this podcast he tells the story of his career, about becoming a physician, making the transition to executive leadership, and how he ultimately worked for three health insurers (ironically, the payers he said he would not work for). Michael's career involves a great deal of serendipity, but it also shows his deliberateness as he worked to develop the skills he knew he needed to progress as an executive by gaining exposure and experience in a wide array of organizations. He is also quite candid about his successes and challenges, which shows that the road to senior leadership is never smooth sailing. His discussion of the work he is doing with value-based payment and bundling at Harvard Pilgrim is particularly useful and timely. It is very popular to demonize health insurers, but Michael’s efforts to create win-win arrangements between Harvard Pilgrim and its partners in the provider community shows what is actually possible. It is interesting to see how his passion for developing these agreements meshes with a recurring theme of negotiations from different points in his career leading up to his current role. The podcast concludes with a discussion about Michael's leadership style, and his recommendations for physicians who are looking to make the transition from clinical leadership to executive leadership. A podcast timeline and links to the organizations and topics discussed are available on our web page, http://healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sun, November 15, 2015
(Abridged) Daniel Andrus, Fire Chief, City of Concord, NH
Are you a leader? How much do you trust your subordinates? Enough to let them strap you to a litter and let them lower you on a rope over the side of a 30 story sky scraper? Daniel Andrus, the Fire Chief for the City of Concord, New Hampshire, let his subordinates do exactly that. In today’s podcast, Dan tells the story of his 37 year career as a firefighter. Dan has a long list of credentials including master’s degrees in public administration and economics. He is, as he puts it, a continual learner. In addition to his role as fire chief, he serves on the boards of a number of non-profit organizations. This was one of the most educational podcasts for me that I have done so far because I knew very little about the organization and operations of the fire service. The fire service is a critical community resource that every health care executive should have an understanding of, so I was very pleased Dan took the time to share his story and I hope it is useful to health care executives as they think about emergency preparedness. You are listening to the abridged version of the interview. An unabridged version is also available. Please see our website, healthleaderforge.org for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sun, November 15, 2015
Daniel L. Andrus, Fire Chief for the City of Concord, NH
Are you a leader? How much do you trust your subordinates? Enough to let them strap you to a litter and let them lower you on a rope over the side of a 30 story sky scraper? Daniel Andrus, the Fire Chief for the City of Concord, New Hampshire, let his subordinates do exactly that. In today’s podcast, Dan tells the story of his 37 year career as a firefighter. Dan has a long list of credentials including master’s degrees in public administration and economics. He is, as he puts it, a continual learner. In addition to his role as fire chief, he serves on the boards of a number of non-profit organizations. This was one of the most educational podcasts for me that I have done so far because I knew very little about the organization and operations of the fire service. The fire service is a critical community resource that every health care executive should have an understanding of, so I was very pleased Dan took the time to share his story and I hope it is useful to health care executives as they think about emergency preparedness. This is the unabridged version of the interview. An abridged version is also available. Please see our website, http://healthleaderforge.org for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sun, November 01, 2015
Jill Gravink, Founder and Executive Director of Northeast Passage
Today’s guest is Jill Gravink, the Founder and Executive Director of Northeast Passage. Jill founded Northeast Passage in 1990 as a means of bringing Recreational Therapy out of the inpatient setting and into the community. Northeast Passage works with people who have physical and mental disabilities, using sport and leisure activities to improve the quality of the client’s life and to, as they say at Northeast Passage, “Live beyond disability.” Northeast Passage works with everyone from children to combat veterans, treating more than 3,000 clients last year. In this podcast Jill tells the story of how Northeast Passage came to be, and what it took to grow the organization from just her operating out of the trunk of her car to where it is today. We also discuss how organizations like Northeast Passage are well poised to contribute to the future of health care as the industry shifts to outcomes and value-based reimbursement, and conclude with a discussion about leadership. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, October 15, 2015
Greg Townsend, VP of Business Intelligence and Analytics, Commonwealth Care Alliance
Today’s guest is Greg Townsend, the Vice President of Business Intelligence and Analytics at Commonwealth Care Alliance in Boston. Greg’s path to leadership in health analytics traces the coming of age of analytics in health care. Greg’s educational background began in public health working with disease management and health promotion, which led him to roles in risk management and quality improvement, two fields that rely heavily on data. These early roles helped him develop the skill set that he uses today to support the Commonwealth Care Alliance’s mission of providing health care to some of Massachusetts’ most needy citizens. The podcast concludes with Greg’s thoughts on leadership and his advice to people who are interested in entering the field of health analytics. You are listening to the extended version of the podcast. An abridged version of the interview that focuses only on Greg’s work at Commonwealth Care Alliance is also available. Please see our web site for the link to that version of the interview. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, October 15, 2015
(abridged) Greg Townsend, VP of Business Intelligence and Analytics, Commonwealth Care Alliance
Today’s guest is Greg Townsend, the Vice President of Business Intelligence and Analytics at Commonwealth Care Alliance in Boston. Greg’s path to leadership in health analytics traces the coming of age of analytics in health care. Greg’s educational background began in public health working with disease management and health promotion, which led him to roles in risk management and quality improvement, two fields that rely heavily on data. These early roles helped him develop the skill set that he uses today to support the Commonwealth Care Alliance’s mission of providing health care to some of Massachusetts’ most needy citizens. The podcast concludes with Greg’s thoughts on leadership and his advice to people who are interested in entering the field of health analytics. You are listening to the abridged version of the podcast that focuses only on Greg’s work at Commonwealth Care Alliance. An extended version of the podcast is also available. The extended version includes a discussion of Greg’s career trajectory leading up to his work at Commonwealth Care Alliance, and concludes with Greg’s thoughts on leadership and his advice to people who are interested in entering the field of health analytics. Please see our web site for the link to the extended version of the interview. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Thu, October 01, 2015
Robert Mach, Executive Director of Operations, Littleton Regional Healthcare
Today’s guest is Robert Mach, the Executive Director of Operations for Littleton Regional Healthcare, and the New Hampshire Regent for the American College of Healthcare Executives. Robert has had a fascinating career starting out as an air traffic controller for the US Marine Corps, then transitioning to health care initially as a radiology technician, and working his way up into the executive ranks by, as he puts it, “putting his hand up.” In the podcast, Robert talks about his career, then shares some thoughts about his role as Regent and why ACHE is an important organization for an early careerist to consider becoming a member of. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, September 15, 2015
Phil Alexakos, Chief Of Environmental Health And Emergency Preparedness
For today’s interview I return to the Manchester Health Department to talk with Phil Alexakos, the Chief of Environmental Health and Emergency Preparedness Division, about how he and his department plan and prepare for public health crises. As we remembered the 14th anniversary of the tragic events of September 11th, 2001 just a few days ago, Phil’s division’s focus has expanded from naturally occurring public health threats like pandemic flu to responding to bioterrorism. The interview is fascinating because Phil and his colleagues focus on developing capabilities to respond to a wide array of unknown and unknowable events by finding ways to repurpose existing infrastructure in diverse ways. The podcast concludes with how government organizations like the Health Department cannot do this mission alone – they need the help of an army of volunteers. While Phil talks about some of the volunteer programs specific to New Hampshire, listeners should consider what opportunities they have to help make their communities more robust. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, September 01, 2015
Bridget Stewart, Vice President for Physician Services, Elliot Health System
Today’s guest is Bridget Stewart, the Vice President for Physician Services at the Elliot Health System in Manchester, New Hamsphire. Bridget’s career spans a wide variety of hospitals and clinical activities, but always focused on operations management. She has worked at several world famous Boston hospitals such as Brigham and Women’s, Boston Children’s and most recently before coming to the Elliot, as the Vice President for Operations at the Joslin Diabetes Clinic. In addition to earning her Bachelor’s degree from Health Management and Policy here at the University of New Hampshire, she holds an MBA and a Doctor of Law and Policy. In this podcast she talks about her career journey and some of the differences between the organizations she has worked for, and concludes with advice to early careerists. This full-length podcast is approximately 84 minutes in length – an abridged version of the podcast is available that only focuses on her roles at Joslin and the Elliot. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, September 01, 2015
(Abridged)Bridget Stewart, Vice President for Physician Services, Elliot Health System
Today’s guest is Bridget Stewart, the Vice President for Physician Services at the Elliot Health System in Manchester, New Hamsphire. Bridget’s career spans a wide variety of hospitals and clinical activities, but always focused on operations management. She has worked at several world famous Boston hospitals such as Brigham and Women’s, Boston Children’s and most recently before coming to the Elliot, as the Vice President for Operations at the Joslin Diabetes Clinic. This is the abridged version of the podcast, and in this abridged version we talk about her two most recent roles – at Joslin and the Elliot. The full length podcast is also available and in that podcast you will hear her talk about her discuss her full career journey, as well as advice for early careerists. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sat, August 15, 2015
Jay Couture, Executive Director/CEO of Seacoast Mental Health Center (Unabridged)
Today’s interview is with Jay Couture, the Executive Director and CEO of the Seacoast Mental Health Center, a non-profit community mental health center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Jay received master’s degree from the Department of Health Management and Policy here at UNH. Jay knew early on that she wanted to work in mental health, but thought she would be a provider. In this podcast we talk about Jay’s thirty years in the mental health industry working her way up from being a clerk to CEO, and her more than twenty years at Seacoast Mental Health. We also discuss the variety of services provided by a community mental health center, the wide variety of skill sets that are required to deliver those services, the challenges and opportunities facing mental health organizations today, and conclude with a discussion of opportunities for the early careerist who might be interested in pursuing a career in mental health. The full length podcast is approximately 78 minutes. An abridged version is also available that only focuses on Seacoast’s organization and services. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sat, August 15, 2015
Jay Couture, CEO and Executive Director of Seacoast Mental Health Center (Abridged)
Today’s interview is with Jay Couture, the Executive Director and CEO of the Seacoast Mental Health Center, a non-profit community mental health center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Jay received master’s degree from the Department of Health Management and Policy here at UNH. Jay knew early on that she wanted to work in mental health, but thought she would be a provider. This is the abridged version of my interview with Jay. In the abridged version you will hear Jay describe Seacoast’s service structure and the challenges of delivering mental health care. The podcast is approximately 40 minutes in length. The full length version of the podcast explores the career path Jay took to becoming the CEO of Seacoast, as well as more detail about Seacoast and mental health service delivery, and Jay’s thoughts on leadership. The full length podcast is approximately 79 minutes. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sat, August 01, 2015
Patricia Cummings, Administrator of The Edgewood Centre (Unabridged)
Today’s interview is with Tricia Cummings, the Administrator of The Edgewood Centre, a 150 bed family owned nursing home in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Tricia received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Department of Health Management and Policy here at UNH. Tricia’s career story shows how early job experiences often generate skills that become critical later in one’s career, and that working hard every step of the way has its payoffs. In this podcast we talk about the road Tricia took to find her true passion – taking care of older adults. We also discuss how someone becomes a licensed nursing home administrator, the services offered by long term care facilities, the challenges and opportunities facing long term care today, and conclude with a discussion of opportunities for the early careerist who might be interested in pursuing a career in long term care. The full length podcast is approximately 83 minutes, which is a bit longer than our usual podcast. However, an abridged version is also available that only focuses on Edgewood’s service structure and the challenges of long term care, and is approximately 35 minutes in length. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, July 15, 2015
Stephen Norton, Executive Director, New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies
Today’s interview is with Stephen Norton, the Director of the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies, a non-profit policy think tank that provides non-partisan analysis to decision makers in New Hampshire in both the public and private sectors. In this podcast Steve gives us a unique insider view into how the Center produces its analysis so that it is evidence based and as non-ideological as possible. Steve also shares his 25 years of experience working in public policy, both at the state and federal level, and concludes with recommendations for early careerists who might be interested in a career in health policy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Wed, July 01, 2015
MG Jimmie O Keenan, Deputy Commanding General- Operations, US Army Medical Command
Today's interview is with Major General Jimmie O. Keenan, the Deputy Commanding General-Operations for the U.S. Army Medical Command, and the Chief of the Army Nurse Corps. To put Major General Keenan's accomplishments into perspective for listeners who are not familiar with the the military, the Army has approximately 492,000 active duty personnel, and only 309 general officers. Furthermore, Major General Keenan is one of only eight female major generals. In this podcast we discuss her fascinating career which ranges from time as a floor nurse to writing legislation as a congressional fellow to being second in command of one of the largest and most unusual health care systems in the United States. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Mon, June 15, 2015
Edgar J. Helms, Director, Institute for Health Policy and Practice
Today’s guest is Edgar J. Helms, Jr, better known as Ned to his friends and colleagues here at the University of New Hampshire, where he has served as the Director of the Institute for Health Policy and Practice since 2001. Ned has had a remarkable career that has spanned leadership roles in the military, as well as state, and federal governments; and in both for profit and not for profit entities, to include starting his own consulting firm. By the time this podcast airs, Ned will have retired from his role with the Institute, however his influence will be felt in New Hampshire and beyond for many years. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, June 02, 2015
Kevin Callahan, CEO, Exeter Health Resources (Abridged)
Today’s guest is Kevin Callahan, the CEO of Exeter Health Resources in Exeter New Hampshire. Kevin has been the CEO of Exeter Health Resources for nearly 30 years. His tenure spans many of the healthcare industry’s most tumultuous changes. Kevin describes himself as a person who thrives on the challenge of change, and in this interview he talks about how he has kept the organization adaptable. The original interview with Kevin is 90 minutes in length. I have produced an abridged, 45 minute version as well as the 90 minute version. Both the abridged and the unabridged versions are available here. You are listening to the abridged version of the interview. Check the track list for the unabridged version. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Tue, June 02, 2015
Kevin Callahan, CEO, Exeter Health Resources (Unabridged)
Today’s guest is Kevin Callahan, the CEO of Exeter Health Resources in Exeter New Hampshire. Kevin has been the CEO of Exeter Health Resources for nearly 30 years. His tenure spans many of the healthcare industry’s most tumultuous changes. Kevin describes himself as a person who thrives on the challenge of change, and in this interview he talks about how he has kept the organization adaptable. The original interview with Kevin is 90 minutes in length. I have produced an abridged, 45 minute version as well as the 90 minute version. Both the abridged and the unabridged versions are available here. You are listening to the unabridged version of the interview. If you wish to listen to the other version of the interview, please check the track list. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Fri, May 15, 2015
Tim Soucy, Director, Manchester Health Department
This week's guest is Tim Soucy, the Director of the Manchester Health Department. Tim started in the Department as a sanitarian and worked his way up to the be the Director in 2006. In this podcast, Tim talks about his 25 years of service to his home city, how the Department has evolved, and the challenges and opportunities public health workers face everyday trying to make Manchester a safer and healthier city. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Fri, May 01, 2015
Peter Wright, President and CEO of Valley Regional Healthcare
Today’s guest is Peter Wright, the President and CEO of Valley Regional Healthcare in Claremont New Hampshire. Valley Regional Healthcare is a health system that includes Valley Regional Hospital, a large physician group practice, a home health agency, and part ownership in a long term care facility. Peter took an unusual route to becoming Northern New England’s youngest hospital CEO, and his experiences have helped shape some of his unique insights in to health leadership. For more information, please go to our web site: http://www.healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sat, April 11, 2015
Colonel David Bitterman, Chief of Staff, US Army Southern Regional Medical Command
Today’s guest is Colonel David Bitterman, Chief Operating Officer of the US Army Southern Regional Medical Command. The Southern Regional Medical Command is the Army’s largest Regional Medical Command and consists of 15 Army medical treatment facilities located in the southeast quadrant of the continental United States from Texas to Georgia, and north to Oklahoma through Tennessee. The Command provides comprehensive health care services for over 490,000 beneficiaries with an operating budget of over $1.4 billion, and has more than 18,000 employees. Colonel Bitterman holds a Masters in Health Administration from Baylor University, and a Masters of Strategic Studies from the Army War College. He is also a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and is a recipient of that organizations Career Achievement and Distinguished Service Awards. For more information, please go to our web site: http://www.healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
Sat, March 28, 2015
Mike Ferrara, Dean, College of Health and Human Services
Interview with Mike Ferrara, Dean of the College of Health and Human Services at the University of New Hampshire. For more information: http://www.healthleaderforge.org This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthleaderforge.substack.com
loading...