LEADERS IN HEALTHCARE

Photo: Joachim “Joe” Fosu

Joachim “Joe” Fosu came to the United States from Ghana, West Africa in 2016 to study management and finance at Idaho State University. Fosu was first exposed to healthcare systems as a child while spending a lot of time in Ghanaian hospitals battling malaria, a very serious and prevalent illness in the region. In 2018, he suffered an injury playing soccer in the United States, but was unable to correct the injury through surgery for three years due to struggles with transferring health records and obtaining insurance. “This rekindled my drive to make a difference and do something in the healthcare field,” said Fosu. Based on his experiences, he chose to emphasize his Master of Business Administration degree toward healthcare administration, and in the spring of 2021, began the process of applying for fellowship programs. After extensive preparation and a thorough application process, Fosu was recently accepted into the University of Utah Health Hospitals and Clinics Administrative Fellowship program. “The process of preparing to apply began in May with an internship at Portneuf Medical Center (PMC),” said Fosu. Here, Fosu was introduced to PMC’s Chief Operations Officer, Nate Carter, from whom he received the mentoring and experience he needed to be a successful candidate for a fellowship. Dr. Daniel Kim, PMC Endowed Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) Director at Idaho State and a huge proponent of fellowship programs, provided Fosu with resources, contacts and encouragement throughout the process. “Fellowships are a great way for students to fast-track their career into a leadership position,” said Kim. “Idaho State University has the infrastructure to be in the top 50 MHA programs, and being Idaho’s only MHA program, it is our responsibility to grow the future of healthcare leaders throughout the nation.” Fosu made it as a finalist at three major hospital systems, including the University of Utah Health, University of Kansas Health Systems and Providence in Washington. Fosu explained that the University of Utah had at least 100 applicants and five finalists. “Just four of those finalists attended and one position was awarded,” said Fosu. As part of the program, Fosu will work alongside senior executives at the University of Utah Health for one year as a mentee, namely working with CEO Dan Lundergan. “They really cater the experience to the things that you are interested in,” said Fosu. According to the University of Utah Health, the Fellowship program allows candidates to choose from and work on a variety of operational activities in strategic planning, finance, business development, quality improvement, health insurance operations and more. After completing the program, fellows are often placed into leadership roles either within the Hospital and Clinics or elsewhere. “This Fellowship will give me the most opportunity and exposure for growth,” said Fosu. “Utah University Health is an organization that is employee-centered, that focuses on developing their people from within. Working in a system like that will give me the opportunity to grow as a leader and learn from good mentors.” Fosu said that his goal is to grow within the healthcare industry,

eventually becoming a CEO himself. “I want to help people get access to healthcare in general. That has always been my passion.” Fosu is not the only Idaho State University graduate student to have landed a fellowship position this year. MHA student Steven Jones applied for three fellowship positions and was awarded one at Sanford Health in Bemidji, Minnesota. Jones was chosen out of 23 applicants and two finalists. Jones was also inspired to enter healthcare as a child when he tore his ACL playing football. But Jones said he was lucky to have a reliable and trusted orthopedic surgeon to repair his injury even in a small town of about 8,000 people. “Everybody knew everybody, and everybody knew this doctor had a good reputation,” said Jones. While on a mission in Mexico, his companion fell ill and was hospitalized for over a week, but was able to receive quality care despite the rural settings. “Because of these experiences, I want to help provide rural healthcare to people in small areas so that they can feel comfortable going to their local hospital even though they have limited options.” Jones said he enjoys the hope that hospitals can bring to people, to provide a cure to what they are facing. “I enjoy that they can help people realize that things can get better.” Jones said this is part of the reason he chose Sanford— because they could provide the rural hospital experience he was looking for. “I spent a lot of time researching their mission, their values, etc. Then, I made sure to incorporate that research into my statement of purpose to help make myself stand out and show I really wanted the position,” said Jones. Jones said he is excited for the opportunity to learn from a hands-on perspective and get a good jump-start on his career by shadowing leadership throughout various departments at the hospital. Jones is from Cody, Wyoming and currently works at PMC after having earned his undergraduate degree in public health from Brigham Young University - Idaho.

Photo: Steven Jones

The entertainment side of business

College of Business Dean Dr. Shane Hunt continues to come up with new and innovative ideas to share what’s happening in the College. In addition to two new radio shows, Hunt has also developed the Bengal Business Movie Night series and a Basketball Night. Each month, the College hosts free movies for anyone to attend. Each selected movie is related to or inspired by a real business event. Following the show, viewers engage in an informal panel discussion with business professors dicussing what real-life events inspired the movies and what business lessons could be gleaned from the show. In December, College professors and students rallied on the Reed Gym court in a half-time basketball game that resulted in the largest student attendance athletics had seen in years. Although the students triumphed, the game challenged both sides’ skills and Dean Hunt even landed an impressive hook shot.