MHA Directors Brochure 2020

MHA

Master of Healthcare Administration

WE ARE DOERS The Eccles School is more than a place of learning; it’s a place of doing. We consistently incite and promote growth within MHA program faculty, staff, and students through: • PROVIDING A COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION • FOSTERING A CULTURE OF SUCCESS • PIONEERING PREMIER EXPERIENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES • CULTIVATING DEEP CONNECTION AND RECOGNITION WITHIN THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY

PROVIDING A COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION As a CAHME-accredited program and member of AUPHA and ACHE, the Eccles School MHA strives for excellence through the curriculum and the caliber of professors hired to educate our students. The mission of our program is to provide early and mid-career professionals with leadership skills and technical tools to improve the human condition and prepare them for increasingly responsible leadership roles across a broad spectrum of healthcare delivery organizations. With Full-Time and Professional MHA (PMHA) program options, students have the opportunity to tailor their program to their level of experience. Additionally, students whose interests span multiple academic disciplines can pursue a dual MBA, Professional MBA, Master of Public Administration or Master of Public Health with their MHA. Whatever path they choose, students put their classroom knowledge to work in hands-on projects, case competitions and internships.

FOSTERING A CULTURE OF SUCCESS Program leadership and faculty recognize that the current healthcare environment demands a focus on value and requires collaboration of multiple parties. We seek and practice to instill in MHA graduates a commitment to person-centered care, mutual respect, collaboration and teamwork, and a strong ethical basis for decision-making. As a result, our program has transformed into a healthy environment for success, including an employment rate of 93% upon three months of graduation, an average student GPA of 3.5, and a number of students receiving prestigious fellowships at top healthcare organizations nationwide. Our students are not the only successful part of this program, as our staff and faculty are regularly recognized for their research and thought leadership.

PIONEERING PREMIER EXPERIENTAL OPPORTUNITIES Through outstanding faculty and partnerships with world-class healthcare organizations, we create a student experience both inside and outside the classroom that includes learning from experienced healthcare executives and participating in innovative extra-curricular experiential opportunities. Students work with some of the nation’s top-ranked hospitals and healthcare facilities in Salt Lake City, which, as a healthcare hotspot and with the availability of University of Utah’s learning resources, is home to some of the top learning hospitals in the nation. In addition to student, faculty, and staff education from executive mentors and guest lecturers, students have the opportunity each year to apply the skills they’ve gained to a real-world business situation in the University of Alabama Birmingham Health Administration Case Competition and other case competition opportunities around the nation. Additionally, 100% of our MHA students complete an internship during their program, furthering their real-world application of skills and preparing them as the next generation of healthcare administration leaders.

CULTIVATING DEEP CONNECTION AND RECOGNITION WITHIN THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY Our MHA program prides itself on our deep connection with the healthcare administration community both locally and within healthcare networks across the United States. We strive to connect our students with industry pioneers and executives throughout the program, and networking is one of the most significant benefits of the Eccles School’s MHA program. Many of our faculty are current or former top healthcare executives who work closely with students, exposing them to industry highlights and unbelievable networking opportunities.

Networking opportunities are actively infused into almost all program activities and are the backbone of our student’s success. Students have access to mentoring through the UMentor Healthcare Leadership program as well as a connection with our rapidly growing, highly-engaged alumni network and executive adjunct faculty, which have more than 60 years of combined experience in healthcare administration.

QUICK HIGHLIGHTS • Improving gender ratios with the goal of 50/50 • Increased average starting salary by 29.8% from 2018 • Maintained high employment placement levels during the COVID-19 pandemic • Expanded Executive Mentorship Program from 5 to 50 mentors since its inception

MALE/ FEMALE RATIO

56 44

60 40

PMHA

MHA

$75,782 starting salary 93% placement rate

50 Executive Mentors

TEAM LEADERSHIP Steve Walston, Ph.D., Program Director Steve Walston brings extensive experience and wisdom in healthcare strategy and organizational behavior/design to the Eccles School MHA program. Prior to joining the MHA team in December 2015, he was the Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Utah Asia Campus in Songdo, Korea.

Dr. Walston previously served ten years as a professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Oklahoma School of Public Health. He also brings experience directing MHA programs at Indiana University and Cornell University. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School and specializes in healthcare strategy, organizational development, and leadership. He served as an executive for fourteen years in hospitals in the western United States, and during this time he was a chief executive officer for ten years.

Rich McKeown, Adjunct Instructor Rich McKeown co-founded Leavitt Partners and served as the firm’s first CEO from 2009 to 2017.

Previously, McKeown served as chief of staff for Utah Governor Mike Leavitt, and served that same role when Leavitt became U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary and Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. McKeown also led negotiations between China and the FDA, which led to landmark agreements and US-FDA office placements around the globe.

In 2013, McKeown co-authored the highly acclaimed book: Finding Allies, Building Alliances: 8 Elements that Bring – and Keep – People Together. It is this text, along with his experience in collaborative partnerships, that has framed the course offered in the MBA and MHA programs. Additionally, McKeown is involved in planning and facilitating the Global Value-Based Healthcare Symposium presented by the David Eccles School of Business and Green Templeton College at the University of Oxford. The symposium will transcend the theoretical and focus on implementing value-based healthcare around the world.

Alison Flynn Gaffney, Adjunct Faculty Alison Flynn Gaffney has more than 28 years of experience in the healthcare industry and management consulting. She joined the University of Utah Health executive team in September 2017 and is currently the Executive Director of Service Lines, Ancillary and Support Services at The University of Utah Hospitals & Clinics.

Gaffney has been published in various industry journals, periodicals, and texts. Her most recent publication appeared in the May/June 2020 Journal of Healthcare Management. In the article “Pushing It Forward: My Journey as a Servant Leader in a High-Value Care Environment,” she describes how one of her biggest “aha!” moments in her career evolution as a servant leader occurred in a hospital hallway during a conversation with a colleague. I suggested “pushing this down” to the frontline staff, and he said. “Alison, why don’t we say we are pushing this forward, rather than pushing it down?” It was in that exchange that I further understood perception versus reality. For practical purposes, there is not much difference in the wording. However, when we are pushing forward, we are partnering to get it done —we are recognizing the importance of all staff members, especially those on the front line.”

Program Director

MHAinfo@Eccles.Utah.edu

Steve Walston, Ph.D.

801-585-5790

Steve.Walston@Eccles.Utah.edu

MHA.Eccles.Utah.edu