Health Policy and Administration Spring 2017 Newsletter

HPANews NEWS FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION

Mentoring Weekend 2017 was an opportunity for thirty HPA student protégés to meet with their alumni mentors to discuss careers, network, and simply find answers to their questions about their futures within the health care industry.

The Mentoring Weekend began with a kick-off dinner at The Nittany Lion Inn followed by time for networking and socializing. To learn more about the College of Health and Human Development’s Mentoring Program, visit hhd.psu.edu/alumni/mentoring-program.

hhd.psu.edu/hpa

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Lack of resources affects mammogram rates Almost 70 percent of women in the U.S. over the age of 40 get mammograms at least every other year, but minority and foreign-born women report lower rates even though they are at an increased risk for developing advanced breast cancer.

Routine mammograms are important to reduce breast cancer mortality, particularly for those women who may be at increased risk. Penn State researchers Reni Elewonibi, Reni Elewonibi graduate student in HPA and demography, and Patricia Miranda, assistant professor of HPA and demography, along with Amy Thierry, a Penn State alumna and current postdoctoral fellow at Duke University, recently published their findings about mammography disparities in the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health.

“The U.S. Prevention Services Task Force guidelines recommend that women who are between the ages of 50 and 74 and have average risk for breast cancer should receive a mammogram every two years. However, there are many women who aren’t adhering to these guidelines and we wanted to find out why,” Elewonibi said.

The researchers looked at a sample of over 23,000 women age 30 or older taken from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), a cross-sectional household interview survey, which is conducted yearly by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a way to monitor the health of the nation. They also looked at data from the Cancer Control Supplement, part of the NHIS administered every five years to measure knowledge, attitudes and practices of cancer-related behaviors.

Patricia Miranda

They found that Mexicans, Asians and foreign-born women had significantly lower rates of screening compared to white women. Their findings also show that, after controlling for breast cancer risk, these disparities are mostly due to lower socioeconomic status and limited access to health care resources, as well as citizenship issues for foreign-born women.

“We knew socioeconomic status plays a huge role, as does health care access, but accounting for risk made the findings more valid,” Elewonibi said. n – Kristie Auman-Bauer

Dennis Scanlon named distinguished professor, NCAA rep at Penn State Penn State’s Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs named fifteen faculty members as distinguished professors, including Dennis Scanlon, associate professor of HPA and director of the Center for Health Care and Policy Research.

“I’m grateful for the College of Health and Human Development and my HPA colleagues who have been supportive of my research and teaching over the past twenty years, and I’m honored to have been acknowledged with this distinction,” said Scanlon.

The University also recently named Scanlon as Penn State’s faculty athletics representative to work with the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA).

Penn State President Eric Barron appointed Scanlon in consultation with the Faculty Senate Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics.

“This position plays a crucial role in ensuring the University is not only meeting the requirements for Intercollegiate Athletics and representing the University, but also working across the board to help our student athletes succeed,” Barron said.

SPRING2017 3 Patrick Hartman talks to students at the Christ King School as part of his time in South Africa through the Global Health Minor

Students supplement HPA major with IST and Global Health minors As a supplement to the major, many HPA students select a minor in Information Sciences and Technology (IST) or Global Health to better prepare them for their career goals.

its relevance to the health care industry. Medical technology is rapidly improving and becoming important to apply new advancements to health care facilities immediately.”

Won Il Choi selected HPA as a major following the death of his grandfather.

Choi hopes to work in a hospital setting where he can contribute to top quality patient care, high health care facility efficiency, and a welcoming atmosphere for patients.

“I was not only sad about the fact that my grandfather passed away, but also upset about the doctor’s attitude toward my family,” Choi said. “The doctor nonchalantly proclaimed in a monotone that my grandfather only had a day or two to live. I understood that her job was tiresome and that she had many patients to tend to, but her insincerity and lack of empathy was evident in her voice and attitude toward us.”

Through studying HPA, Choi learned that inputting patient information efficiently is a crucial part of the health care industry. For instance, Electronic Medical Records and Electronic Health Records have become a major part of delivering quality health care services.

“That is the reason why I chose IST as a minor,” Choi said.

“Studying HPA alongside IST allows me to learn about cutting edge data science technology while thinking about

For Katharine Brodowski, she chose IST as a minor because she believes every college graduate should have basic computer knowledge.

“Many jobs require knowledge of certain IST skills such as SQL (structured query language),” Brodowski said. “As the health care industry is relying more and more on technology, I thought it would be helpful that I already had a background in it. IST and HPA go together well due to the increasing use of databases and networking to improve patient care.”

Student Awele Ajufo selected Global Health as her minor because one of her greatest interests with the HPA major is learning about various health systems throughout the world with a desire to discover the essential parts of a successful system.

“The Global Health program is a great opportunity to grow my passion for learning about health care throughout the world,” Ajufo said. “The global health minor has significantly grown my knowledge of public health, which is something that has tremendously shaped my future career goals.”

The Global Health Minor includes a capstone six-week field work requirement in Senegal, South Africa, or Tanzania.

Patrick Hartman ’17 HPA visited South Africa where students observed the local health care system.

“A mainstay of the Global Health Minor during the months leading up to the fieldwork experience is learning what it is to be a globally conscious citizen,” Hartman said. “Much of what I learned throughout my academic career became more realistic once I was thrust into the actual setting that it all applies to.” n

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New people, new roles Francis King Instructor

Teaching interests: Health policy, organization management, planning, and leadership Previously, King worked in industry for over thirty years, almost all of which was in health care. A great portion of his experience was in post acute care, specifically with senior services. He also served as adjunct instructor for about sixteen years, teaching business courses, and served as instructor in Penn State’s nursing home administrator program at the Greater Allegheny campus.

In his new role, he teaches assigned courses in the HPA undergraduate program.

Amy Thul-Sigler

Associate Director of Professional Development Teaching interests: Professional development in health care.

Previously, Thul-Sigler served as assistant director of Alumni Career Services at Penn State, where she helped over 500,000 living alumni in areas such as career assessments, networking, job searching, resume and cover letter writing, graduate school exploration and interviewing preparation.

In her new role, Thul-Sigler is responsible for working with the online and residential internship programs, developing and maintaining the internship website, teaching online and residential courses, and supporting students with their career trajectories.

Maureen Jones

Senior Instructor of Health Policy and Administration

Research Interests: Development of a health care executive selection competency model by exploring characteristics of health care executives who have led through crisis Teaching interests: Human resource management, organization change development, implementation, and evaluation, leadership development, organization development, and curriculum development and competency driven education Previously, Jones served as faculty in the College of Nursing, in addition to development of a Penn State World Campus certificate program, teaching for Health Policy and Administration, and part of the team that developed the newly formed, interdisciplinary Child Maltreatment Minor.

In her new role, Jones serves as senior lecturer in the online and residential MHA programs.

HPA students reflect on influential women leaders The Women’s Leadership Initiative provides opportunities for emerging women leaders in the College of Health and Human Development and College of Nursing to develop the core values, attitudes, and competencies that are the foundation of quality leadership.

Recently, HPA students participating in WLI reflected on the women leaders who inspire them.

Lucy M. Raftery “I have found Michelle Obama to be one of the most inspirational women of my life. She was first lady in office during my teenage years, so I was able to witness her eloquent actions and her passion for women’s rights, education, and nutrition.”

Tram-Anh Bui “My leadership aspirations and personal development goals are inspired by Sandra Day O’Connor. As the first female Supreme Court justice, she paved the way for future female leaders in a male dominated industry.

Her drive and sense of responsibility are qualities I work to emulate every day.”

Vanna Lee “It’s hard to pick just one female leader who inspires me. Throughout the course of WLI I have had the pleasure of meeting many women who are leaders in their field. Hearing about their journey and how they have built their career is something I have always learned so much from. Their stories have inspired me to strive for more, to take advantage of every opportunity that comes by, and to work hard to achieve my goals.”

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HPA to see new department head in August Penn State has named health economist Christopher Hollenbeak head of the Department of Health Policy and Administration in the College of Health and Human Development. His appointment is effective Aug. 15.

Hollenbeak joins the department after serving as faculty member for the Penn State College of Medicine since 2000. Most recently he served as professor of surgery and public health sciences for the Penn State College of Medicine. He is also chief of the Division of Outcomes Research and Quality and associate director of the Center for Applied Studies in Health Economics.

As a health economist, Hollenbeak has extensive research expertise in health services and outcomes research with a particular emphasis on resource utilization in surgery.

His research is directed at public health and clinical audiences and attempts to inform clinical decision making and public policy.

Hollenbeak has published more than 200 articles appearing in journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, and Health Affairs. His work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and numerous pharmaceutical companies.

“Chris will be a great leader for the department. He is a committed and productive researcher with a strong history of interdisciplinary collaboration and mentoring

Above: HPA held its Fall Open House this past September in the Ford Building, which included opportunities for students to discuss summer internship opportunities. Senior Lecturer and Director of Professional Development Richard Shurgalla (at left in the photo), talks with HPA juniors about what to expect and how to proceed with their internship searches.

Right: Ph.D. graduates Naomi Zewde (far right) and Will Blaser are joined by Professor Emerita Dr. Pamela short (far left) and Dr. Patricia Miranda, assistant professor of HPA and demography, during last year’s graduation celebration.

others,” said Ann C. Crouter, Raymond E. and Erin Stuart Schultz Dean of the College of Health and Human Development.

Hollenbeak serves on several editorial boards, including the American Journal of Medical Quality, PharamcoEconomics, and Heart & Lung.

“The department has been fortunate to have spectacular leadership from people like Dennis Shea, Diane Brannon and Marianne Hillemeier,” Hollenbeak said. “My goals as department head are to continue to move the department in the direction it has been heading by increasing the visibility and success of our undergraduate programs, our professional programs, and our graduate programs and helping facilitate health services and policy research that improves the costs, quality and access to health care for patients and populations.”

Marianne Hillemeier, current department head, will continue as a faculty member and remain involved in the department as she conducts research, phasing gradually toward retirement over the next two years. n

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Health care leaders share knowledge, experiences with students Paul Kempinski '82 HPA, president of the Nemours/ Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware, said he understands the importance of cultivating and mentoring the next generation of leaders.

That’s why Kempinski, a 1982 Penn State alumnus and enterprise vice president for Nemours Children’s Health System, participates in the Department of Health Policy and Administration’s annual Professionals in the Classroom event. Twenty-five professionals participated in the October event, including many Penn State alumni.

“My experience at Penn State was so important to my personal and professional development. I can’t think of a better way to give back to the University than to support an event that will help to enrich the academic experience of these highly engaged students,” Kempinski said.

For students, Kempinski said an opportunity to directly engage with leaders in the field is invaluable.

“The students are in the midst of a discernment process that will help determine the first steps of their careers,” he said.

For example, he said, some may be pursuing an internship, while others may be comparing and contrasting the many segments of the industry that interest them. For some, they may be simply trying to gain some practical understanding of what we do every day as health care leaders.

“No matter what the goal, the networking and relationship building can be truly instrumental in the student’s early career success.”

- Paul Kempinski Kempinski earned his bachelor of science degree in health planning and administration at Penn State, and he serves on the advisory board of the Penn State undergraduate program in health policy and administration. n

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Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health celebrates 25 years of rural advocacy In 2016-17, the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health (PORH) celebrates twenty-five years of enhancing the health status of rural Pennsylvanians.

agricultural safety and health, and more. Services include technical assistance, partnership development, advocacy, continuing education, and information dissemination.

PORH provides technical assistance and support to rural health care systems and providers, policy makers, and community-based advocates to ensure access to high quality, accessible health care to the most geographically remote areas of the state and to support efforts at the local, state, regional, and national levels in achieving this shared goal.

“Although a lot has changed and a lot of progress has been made in the last twenty-five years, there are issues that remain,” said Davis. “Major issues include rural workforce training and deployment, reimbursement for services, and quality of care. What has never changed is the passion of the people who work on behalf of rural health.”

PORH is one of fifty state offices of rural health (SORHs) in the nation and one of eleven offices located at a university.

PORH is administratively located in HPA and funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and other funding sources.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, contact Lisa Davis, director and outreach associate professor of health policy and administration, at 814-8638214 or to lad3@psu.edu. n

PORH Director Lisa Davis, an outreach associate professor of HPA, notes, “We grew the program from the ground up.

Our vision was to make sure we were out there advocating for rural health, were present when important decisions and discussions were taking place, were viewed as a strong resource and a good partner, and participated in any activities that addressed the health care needs of rural residents.”

PORH is recognized as the premier rural health agency in the state and one of the most effective state offices of rural health in the country. PORH provides expertise in rural health policy, small rural hospital and clinic administration, quality improvement, rural population health, oral health,

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The HPA Faces of THON

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Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health presents Undergraduate Student Achievement Award Amelia Browning, Health Policy and Administration student and Schreyer Honors Scholar, received the 2017 Jennifer S. Cwynar Community Achievement Award.

The award was presented on April 12, during the Annual Stanley P. Mayers Endowed Lecture at Penn State University Park. Lisa Davis, director of the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health (PORH) and outreach associate professor of HPA, presented the award.

The Jennifer S. Cwynar Community Achievement Award recognizes community achievement by an HPA senior undergraduate student who has demonstrated service and commitment to a community or an underserved population, preferably, but not exclusively, in a rural area of Pennsylvania.

The award was established in memory of Jennifer S. Cwynar, a 2008 graduate of HPA and a 2008 undergraduate intern at PORH. The award is given in recognition of Cwynar’s commitment to community service, advocacy for underserved and rural populations, and focus on public health. The award is issued to a senior undergraduate HPA student who has advanced those commitments and is intended to encourage and foster personal and professional development.

PORH formed in 1991 as a joint partnership between the federal government, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and Penn State. The office is one of fifty state offices of rural health in the nation funded under a program administered by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is charged with being a source of coordination, technical assistance, and networking; partnership development; and assisting in the recruitment and retention of health care providers.

PORH provides expertise in the areas of rural health, agricultural health and safety, and community and economic development.

PORH is administratively housed in HPA in the College of Health and Human Development at Penn State University Park.

Browning, of Woodbine, Maryland, was nominated by Diane Spokus, Ph.D., M.C.H.E.S., associate director of professional development in HPA. In her nomination, Spokus recognized Browning as a conscientious, dependable, detail-oriented, motivated and enthusiastic student.

Spokus lauded Browning for her achievements during her undergraduate internship at Johns Hopkins Hospital Department of Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control.

Throughout the internship, Browning generated data on care provider compliance with personal protection equipment on intensive care units and contributed to a collaborative nurse education project with the Armstrong Institute and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Spokus also noted Browning’s dedication to several leadership roles, which include her participation in the Women’s Leadership Initiative and diverse community service activities.

Browning served as the director of Programming of Empower Orphans, president of the Penn State Chapter of the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children, and taught a two-week creative arts camp in Sri Lanka. Additionally, Browning is a member of the College of Health and Human Development Honor Society, and Peer Writing Tutor.

In her letter accompanying the nomination, Browning said that helping others discover their passion for service is what brings her the most happiness.

“Prior to 2016, Empower Orphans was not a student organization at Penn State, but my friend and role-model, International Children’s Nobel Peace Prize laurate, Neha Gupta, had a dream to bring Empower Orphans to Penn State,” she said.

“During each Empower Orphans event I organized in Centre County, I saw my peers and my friends experience wonderful moments serving the community.”

“We are very pleased to present this award to Amelia Browning and to honor the legacy of Jennifer Cwynar, who was an exceptional student and intern with our office,” Davis said.

“This is one way in which we can encourage excellence in those who will become leaders in advocating for the health of vulnerable populations. n

HPA launches new internship portal The new HPA internship portal allows students easy access to more than 300 health-related internship sites.

Through this website, sites.psu.edu/hpainternship, the HPA professional development team shares with students the organization’s name, website link, compensation allowance, and each preceptor’s demographic information.

Students and preceptors access all electronic materials through the portal, including evaluations, internship work plans, and helpful resources and links.

If you or your organization is interested in being listed in the internship database as a potential internship site, please contact Amy Thul-Sigler, ast144@psu.edu. n

Photo Credit: Bill Wallace

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HPA alumnus Kevin Lynch serves as commencement speaker Kevin Lynch, founder of the Quell Foundation and HPA alumnus, was the commencement speaker for the College of Health and Human Development on May 6, 2017.

Lynch, a veteran of the U.S. Naval Submarine Force who also spent 16 years in the private health care sector, earned a master’s degree in health administration through Penn State World Campus in December 2014.

Researching his graduate thesis, “Mental Health in Massachusetts: A De Facto Criminal Offense,” helped Lynch develop his drive to create a paradigm shift in the care and treatment of people who live with a mental illness.

Lynch’s research recognized that rates of suicide, opioid addiction, overdose, and incarceration are directly correlated to the shortage and lack of access to mental health professionals.

Shortly after earning his master’s degree, Lynch started the Quell Foundation, which aims to eliminate the

Spotlight:

social stigma of mental illness by providing scholarships to students entering the mental health care field and students who have been diagnosed with a mental health illness; educating communities to reduce suicides, drug overdoses, and incarceration of people with treatable mental illnesses; and training first responders to recognize signs of mental distress.

The organization also launched the Lift the Mask project, a published compilation of personal mental health stories to encourage a judgment-free dialogue about mental health.

For the class of 2017, Lynch shared a special message with a call to action.

“My overall message is for this class to stand up, lift the mask, and remove the stigma on mental health,” Lynch said. “Essentially, I’m passing the baton from my generation to theirs and asking them to pick up and move forward the causes that negatively impact our global society.” n

Read the personal story of Kevin Lynch and his son as told by the Boston Globe at http://bit.ly/2gv1m6n

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Students travel to Costa Rica to study health care system Penn State students interested in a career in health policy and administration recently had a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture and health care system of Costa Rica.

Led by instructor Celeste Newcomb, 10 students enrolled in the course "Exploring the Health Care System in Costa Rica," HPA 499, visited the Central American country from Jan. 15 to 24.

Students toured three different hospitals to see three different levels of hospital care. Students also visited three community health clinics and shadowed community health workers in two different towns to see how preventive medicine is practiced in Costa Rica.

“In addition to seeing how health care is delivered, we studied the health care systems of Costa Rica, using morbidity and mortality data to investigate epidemiological factors impacting health,” Newcomb said. “We also examined the preventative health programs the country uses to reduce problems such as high infant mortality and Dengue Fever rates.”

The course was developed seven years ago through grant funds from University Office of Global Programs, the College of Health and Human Development and the Department of Healthy Policy and Administration. This was the sixth year students traveled to Costa Rica to study the country’s health care system.

Students learned about the government-run health care system first hand, but as shown in their journal entries, they learned much more.

“It was an eye-opening experience. … It is amazing to see how a poorer nation is striving to provide excellent health care to its citizens,” said Serena Carlson, health policy and administration major, Penn State World Campus. n

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Message from Marianne Hillemeier Greetings from Happy Valley! After a winter season that included a snowstorm that closed the university for a day, everyone here is looking forward to nice weather and flowers blooming around campus. Folks in HPA are also eagerly anticipating several exciting additions to our faculty in the coming months.

We are thrilled to welcome Chris Hollenbeak, who will assume department head duties beginning in mid-August. Chris is a health economist who comes to us from the Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, where he is professor of surgery and public health sciences.

He has extensive leadership experience, most recently as chief of the Department of Surgery’s Division of Outcomes Research and Quality.

He has an extensive research record and has published over 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals. He is also an experienced and enthusiastic educator, and he recently received the College of Medicine Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence.

We are all looking forward to having him join us!

The department also continues to grow in student enrollment, and there will be two new tenure track assistant professors joining the HPA faculty this coming fall. Charleen Hsuan comes to us from UCLA, where she earned her Ph.D. in health policy and management. She also has a JD from the Columbia School of Law and is interested in teaching and doing research on topics related to health law. Yubraj Acharya will be coming from the University of Michigan, where he is completing his Ph.D. in health services organization and policy. His research and teaching interests focus on global health policy, health economics, and program evaluation.

As for me, I will continue on as a member of the faculty, phasing gradually toward retirement over the coming two years. I am looking forward to having more time to focus on my research, as well as having more free time to spend with my children and grandson. I plan to remain involved in the department, and I hope to see you at future alumni events.

Best wishes,

Marianne M. Hillemeier, Ph.D. Professor and Head, Health Policy and Administration

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Letter from the President

The Health Policy and Administration APG continues to be very successful connecting alumni with each other and with HPA faculty, staff, and undergraduate and graduate students. All APGs in the College of Health and Human Development operate under the MACS Framework to guide activities.

I’d like to provide a brief update on our activities based on this framework:

Mentoring

The Master of Health Administration (MHA) Mentoring Weekend was held on September 23 and 24. Activities included a Friday dinner at the Nittany Lion Inn with mentors and protégés and Saturday included professional development activities for the protégés with alumni participating in mock interviews, résumé reviews and roundtable lunch discussion. There are currently thirty-seven alumni engaged as mentors in the MHA program.

The annual HPA Alumni in the Classroom event was held October 19, 20, and 21. Twenty-five HPA/MHA alumni were welcomed back to campus to participate in classroom activities, and evening roundtable discussions at the Atherton Hotel, as well as lunch and dinner activities.

The annual Undergraduate HPA Mentoring event matching thirty pairs of mentors/protégés was held on Saturday, February 25, at the Nittany Lion Inn with great success. We welcomed many new mentors to our mentoring pool and had an exciting evening of engaging dialogue with students.

Awards

I’m happy to share that our APG has agreed to pursue funding an endowed student award to be presented annually. Working with the College’s Office of Development, our goal is to raise $20,000 –with half of the money needing to be raised before we can launch an official group fundraising initiative. We will be looking to all of our alums for donations, so please look for an official announcement with more details soon.

Communications

We work with the College to bring you annual spring and fall newsletters, monthly updates on our APG website as well as information on LinkedIn and Facebook. If you haven’t done so yet, please connect with us via social media. We’d love to hear from you!

Social-Professional

The APG continues to offer opportunities for alums to gather at various venues throughout the year. This past fall saw alums turn out for our annual tailgate prior to the Penn State-Iowa football game. Happy hour socials were also held in Philadelphia on October 17 and in New York City on February 28.

An upcoming event will take place for greater Washington, D.C. area alums on May 18 at Proper 21, 1319 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. We’re looking forward to a great turnout of alums as usual from Maryland, Northern Virginia and the District.

As you can see, there are many ways for HPA alums to engage and be involved. We are always looking for additional volunteers to assist in committee work. Remember, every HPA graduate is a member of our APG! My two-year term as your president will end on June 30, and I’m grateful for this opportunity to have worked with our College, faculty, staff, alums, and students. Please know I will continue to be as engaged in our APG as I was prior to holding this office.

We Are! Joe Thear ’84 HPA HPA APG President joethearjr@gmail.com

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HPA-APG Student Representatives Lisa Tzanakis

HPA Student Representative Lisa is a junior studying HPA with a minor in Information, Sciences and Technology in HPA. In the summer of 2015, Lisa completed an undergraduate administrative internship at the Hospital Sisters Health System - Western Wisconsin Division in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Lisa is currently looking to complete her second summer internship for credit with an operations or pediatric focus.

She is the current HPA Club president, a THON committee member, and a Homecoming Finance Captain for 2016. In her free time, Lisa enjoys playing IM volleyball and spending time with friends.

Kirstin McKenzie

MHA Student Representative Kirstin is a first-year MHA student and graduate of Juniata College. Her undergraduate degree is in health communication and professional writing.

She will complete a summer residency at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center during the summer of 2017.

Previously, she interned with J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital, a non-profit community hospital in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, and with ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) Scotland, a public health charity located in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Kirstin has a passion for rural and community health and plans to use her MHA degree to work as a hospital administrator toward the goal of increasing access to services for vulnerable populations.

HPA

HEALTH POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION AFFILIATE PROGRAM GROUP

Department of Health Policy and Administration The Pennsylvania State University 604 Ford Building University Park, PA 16802

2017 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

July 13-16 Central PA Festival of the Arts Downtown State College

September 9 HHD Alumni Tailgaite Porter Gardens at Lubrano Park

NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID STATE COLLEGE, PA PERMIT NO. 1

SUPPORTING THE DEPARTMENT

October 13-15 Parents and Families Weekend

Gifts to the department help students pursue a high-quality education or help faculty members conduct cutting-edge research. For more information regarding philanthropic opportunities within the Department of Health Policy and Administration, please contact:

November 10-12 Homecoming 2017

Kathleen Rider

September 22 MHA Alumni Mentoring Program Dinner

December 16 Commencement

Director of Development 814-863-4157 kmr80@psu.edu

Stay Connected

Find fellow alumni online by searching for the following pages and groups: “Penn State University Health Policy and Administration” “Penn State MHAs” “Penn State College of Health and Human Development”

“Penn State HPA Alumni”

“Penn State University MHA”

This publication is available in alternative media on request. Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce. (HPA17076) U.Ed. HHD 17-076