Message from the Chair
One of the biggest joys of working with students is seeing them become alumni who go out into the world and do amazing things. This past spring and summer, our Department of Health Policy and Management (HPM) graduated 22 students—2 PhD, 6 MPH, 11 MHA, and 3 dual MHA/MPH. Congratulations to all of our recent graduates!

We also welcomed 22 incoming students this fall (1 PhD, 13 MPH, and 8 MHA). Already, many of them are making an impact through mentoring the next generation of future health care leaders. Several members of our Health Management Student Association (HMSA) are serving as mentors to students in the Health Professions Magnet Program at Tampa Bay Technical High School. We encourage you to read more about this mentoring partnership below. In turn, we also have many HPM alumni who are serving as mentors to our current HPM students. Thank you to all of you who are giving back to the health management and policy professions through mentoring our students. Your involvement plays a critical role in their academic and professional success.

In faculty news, Dr. Barbara Orban, MHA program director, was promoted to full professor this summer. Also, Stewart Presser has joined HPM as an adjunct faculty. Presser recently moved to the Tampa Bay area from New York, where he served as the vice president for Health Care Finance and Membership Services for the Greater New York Hospital Association over the past 26 years. He also has taught health policy and finance courses for more than 20 years as an adjunct professor at New York University, and we are fortunate to have him teaching our core finance courses. 

I would also like to acknowledge the enormous contributions that Sara Spear, HPM academic administrator, has made during her time here with us. Sara has accepted a position as assistant dean in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University in New Jersey, her alma mater. She will be leaving us in early December as she moves forward in her new career opportunity. Please join me in thanking Sara for the wonderful friend, colleague, and mentor she has been to us in her role here.  

Sincerely,

Dr. Sandra Potthoff, PhD
Professor and Chair
Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health
Program News
New Students Arrive!

The Department welcomed new students during the fall orientation held in August. 
Case Competitions: An Innovative Learning Experience for MHA Students

The MHA program is committed to developing extraordinary leaders in health care. Understanding that valuable learning experiences are no longer limited to the classroom, Dr. Potthoff and the HPM faculty are championing an exciting new opportunity for MHA students—supporting teams to compete in national health care student case competitions.

“Case competitions build professional skills in our students, they help students connect theory to practice, and they provide the opportunity for students to develop a national professional network as they begin their careers in healthcare administration,” Dr. Potthoff said.

“There is also scholarship money to be won! The students on the top teams in the case competitions also win scholarship funding to help pay for their education expenses,” she said.

Further, companies and organizations today are most interested in people who possess knowledge and ability. Participating in competitions like the University of Alabama at Birmingham Case Competition, the NAHSE Annual Everett V. Fox Student Case Competition, the Ohio State University Annual Leadership Development Symposium and Case Competition, and the University of Minnesota Interprofessional CLARION Case Competition are a way students can gain some of the critical experience they will need.

Dr. Potthoff has a vision to support teams as soon as spring 2018.

“Our goal is to raise at least $10,000 immediately to send up to three teams to case competitions this year,” she said.

Ultimately, the intention is to establish an endowed fund that will continue to support this effort. She explained that $25,000 will put HPM at endowment level so that this fund will live in perpetuity.

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Make an impact by making your gift today.

Visit usffdn.usf.edu/ua-giving/ and in the upper right-hand search bar, type 540026 to find the HPM Case Competition Fund and checkout.

Or, write a check payable to USF Foundation with “HPM Case Comp #540026” in the memo line and mail it to:

Kara Steiner
Director of Annual Giving & Alumni Engagement
USF Foundation
12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., MDC 70 
Tampa, FL 33612
Faculty and Staff News
Artwork in the Department 

Thanks to the talents of Dr. Etienne Pracht, beautiful photographic artwork now graces the hallway and conference room in HPM. An avid birdwatcher, Dr. Pracht has an exceptional ability to capture these creatures in moments of stunning beauty. You really should stop by the department to see his outstanding work.
2017 AUPHA Annual Meeting

Once again HPM faculty participated in the AUPHA Annual Meeting, Maximizing Health Management and Policy through Inclusion and Innovation . Dr. Potthoff and faculty members, Drs. Jacqueline Wiltshire and Zachary Pruitt, traveled to Long Beach, California to experience three days of programming that included a full complement of educational and networking opportunities.

Dr. Pruitt shared that one of his most valuable takeaways was “the importance of finding organizational champions to sponsor interprofessional education (IPE) initiatives. Instead of moving headlong into building IPE programming, one should assure buy-in at the highest levels.”

Dr. Potthoff had the opportunity to present at the AUPHA Public Health Faculty Forum about her topic: College of Public Health transformed master of public health courses.

“It was clear from the comments of the faculty attending the forum that USF is at the forefront of schools of public health nationwide in transforming its core public health courses into an integrated student learning experience,” Dr. Potthoff said.
Dr. Katherine Drabiak Warns Consumers

Through her fascinating research, Dr. Katherine Drabiak cautions consumers about privacy risks when completing genetic testing. Read details here .  
Student News
Mentoring the Next Generation of Public Health Professionals  

Under the HMSA leadership of Taher Hamid, fall 2017 marks the beginning of a partnership between HPM and Tampa Bay Technical High School. Six of our master’s students, Jacques Mouton, Jaylin Earl, Marjorie Brelsford, Sneha Grover, Neha Shah, and Reem Yousif are mentoring high school students pursuing the health administration track. The goal is to meet weekly for support, guidance and advice.

Jaylin Earl, an MPH student who also happens to be a Tampa Bay Tech alum, has met with his mentee three times.

“I’m happy I can be a resource and hopefully help her [mentee] get where she wants to be,” Earl said. “It’s made me appreciate the opportunities that I have been afforded, and I am happy to pass on that knowledge and experience to the next generation.”

Due to hurricane Irma, Sneha Grover, an MHA student, has only been able to meet in person with her mentee once; however, she said they have been texting back and forth and have had calls. Grover volunteered to be a mentor because she said she believes that “mentoring is a way to give back to the community.” She also wanted to be more involved in the department and with HMSA.

HPM students are very excited about this new program and enthusiastically encourage others to participate.
Alumni News
Making a Difference

As the administrative fellow at Brandon Regional Hospital, Radhika Mehrotra had the incredible opportunity to serve at the Incident Command Center during Hurricane Irma, as the liaison officer. She spent 53 hours in the facility alongside the hospital’s senior management team where she participated in a National Incident Management System. This management system allowed Brandon Regional to shelter more than 1,400 people and 28 pets through the worst of the storm, all while staying fully operational and providing care to its 405 patients, several incoming transfers and humming emergency department. It was fascinating to see the entire hospital staff work tirelessly to prioritize safe patient care. BRH’s unique position of being part of Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) —the nation’s largest for-profit hospital system—became apparent in the hours leading up to and after Hurricane Irma. National and Division HCA teams were able to rapidly mobilize resources and personnel to West Florida, allowing BRH to continue to provide the community with safe and effective care. HCA’s Hope Fund, an employee-run charity created to help HCA employees and their immediate families impacted by hardship, continues to support all staff impacted by the storm.
Investing in Future Healthcare Leaders

The Alumni Mentor Program continues to thrive as alumni like Carol Ann A’Hearn, director of Accreditation and Survey Readiness at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, opted to be involved. Alumni re-connect with the department by sharing their career knowledge and experiences with aspiring health policy and management professionals. Students like Sabrina Wise appreciate this mentoring relationship as it provides an opportunity to build a career network while learning from the experiences of more seasoned professionals. 

The program is in effect right now! All second year students and interested alumni are encouraged to sign up! Please contact us at hpm@health.usf.edu .  
Stay Connected
Alumni, please stay connected! Take this 3-5 minute questionnaire to update your records and tell us how you want to be involved!