MHA @ GW welcomes students to campus -

MHA @ GW welcomes students to campus

November 19, 2014 Emily Newhook

Collaboration as a facet of leadership ability is a major theme when the first on -Campus immersion MHA @ GW students. Last September twenty-two students of the first three cohorts traveled Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University in Washington, DC, to meet in person with teachers and classmates and participate in three days intensive class discussions and networking opportunities. In addition to claiming their identity cards of students and collect essential colonial booty to the bookstore GW, students explored what it means to be a leader in the field of rapid changes in the administration of health.

What is your (leadership) like?

After being welcomed on campus by Dr. Lynn Goldman, Dean of the Milken Institute School of Public Health, and MHA @ GW faculty, students took the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) that categorizes people into 16 personality types by determining the preferences of individuals through four distinct areas: introversion vs. extroversion, sensing versus intuition, thinking versus feeling, and judging versus perception. Employers often use the MBTI to help them learn about how they interpret and employees around the world and make decisions. This knowledge can also provide valuable information on leadership style of an individual

"Sometimes the most effective teams are those who are most opposed to the other." -. MHA @ GW Program Director Leonard Friedman

once the students received their results, MHA @ GW Program Director Dr. Leonard Friedman led them through a series of discussions and exercises designed for help to better understand the strengths and weaknesses associated with their types. They discussed how to collaborate and communicate with the different types and work in environments that are not always conducive to their natural preferences. "You may prefer to behave in a certain way, but sometimes your environment insists that you behave in a different way," Friedman noted. "At the end of the day, you will work with each of these people." Being sensitive to different styles and work preferences can be a boon for leaders in health care. "Knowing the type of really influences the effectiveness of a team and its performance," said Friedman

"I see a lot of things [in health care] can be done better and more efficiently . ". - MHA @ GW student Angela Kim

In one exercise, students were invited to break into two groups - extroverts and introverts - and describe the qualities they could bring to the implementation and as areas that could present a challenge. In another, students formed groups based on their tendency to feel or think or feel and Intuit. In general, the preferences of individuals through these dichotomies determine whether they tend to focus more on the bottom line (critical thinking) or opportunities (creative thinking) of a given project. Their task? Build something meaningful in eight minutes - using LEGO bricks

Anticipating opportunities in the health care market

During the immersion, even the meal was an opportunity to learn. more about the expanding world of health administration. Over dinner on Friday evening, Professor Sam Hanna spoke to students about the changing health care market - no longer composed only of traditional players such as hospitals and insurers. Companies that provide a variety of services across multiple industries - from disruptive startups mammoths companies like Samsung - are now staking their claim as well. In 2012, Americans spent $ 267 billion on goods and services related to health, which means that there are many opportunities for newcomers in the field.

"As a healthcare professional, I want you to think about how plays in your health care experience," Hanna urged the students. "There are some paradigm shifts happening, and I want you to think about how your skills will be able to take advantage of some of these trends."

Learn from industry experts

The students also had a chance to hear old GW and experts from the health administration. Dr. Friedman moderated the discussion, which addressed issues related to management, conflict resolution and the future of community health. Panelists - Fred L. Fred L. Brown of Brown & Associates LLC, Kerry Ann Hayon Massachusetts Medical Society and Rex Holloway Hammes Company - spoke about their experiences as leaders in the administration of health and meet students' questions about the future health of the United States health care system. Read our full summary of the discussion here.

Overall, it was an intense and productive first immersion for our MHA @ GW students. Keyla Cooper, MHA continues to advance his career in the army, said the hybrid structure of the program was one of the main reasons why she settled on GW. "To be able to come here, face to face, and to know the faculty is the first thing. You want to talk with them," she said. "When I set up [in D.C.], all world said, "You must go to GW. This is your school. "

See You in January!

The next immersion students, scheduled for January 2015, will continue to focus on leadership. The program, however, will cover topics such as emotional intelligence, servant leadership and transformational leadership, and activities will help students better understand the nature of organizational change.

Learn more about MHA @ GW immersion experiences.