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Executives and Physicians in the Classroom
directors. Meanwhile, Parks has worked with senior leaders to set specific goals based on community needs. That entails everything from healthcare practices to initiatives that create a more welcoming environment for patients like staff training on diversity, inclusion and health equity. “We are humans treating humans and unfortunately, we don’t always get it right,” Parks says. “We all have unconscious and conscious biases that dictate our behaviors.”
A healthcare provider who doesn’t understand the difference between lesbian and transgender, for example, might be confused about how to address a patient. So 29,000 employees—nearly 90 percent—have received LGBTQ sensitivity training. For those efforts and others, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation has recognized
eight RWJBarnabas Health facilities as “Leaders in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality.”
Meanwhile, Parks has been named one of the top 25 Influential Black Women in Business by the Network Journal. And she’s come full circle, serving on the Seton Hall University Master of Healthcare Administration program’s Advisory Board Council, with plenty of insights to share. “When you work in D&I, you’re disrupting cultural norms or policies that have been in existence for a long time,” she says. Her advice for the upcoming generation: “Challenge the status quo, take personal responsibility for change, and most importantly, pause to reflect what is most important to you and be reminded of what motivates you so that you will have the wherewithal and energy needed to continue this work in health care, move the needle and leave your legacy.” ■
— Kimberly Olson
Three years ago, Seton Hall University partnered with New Jersey’s top healthcare associations, the Medical Society, Hospital Association and Association of Health Plans, to offer a new program that seeks to build collaborative leadership skills among physicians and executives from both hospitals and health insurance companies. “By combining academic leadership with health system payer and provider executives and physicians, we have the best opportunity to find new solutions for our most pressing health system issues,” said Brian B. Shulman, PhD, Dean.
Each year, the NJ Healthcare Executive Leadership Academy (NJHELA) works with a new group of senior health executives and physicians to advance their collaborative skills. This effort will prepare them to transform the New Jersey healthcare delivery system by improving quality, safety and costs. The curriculum is developed and delivered by professors from our Master of Healthcare Administration and PhD in Health Sciences degree programs, as they serve as the core Academy faculty. Guest faculty address specialized topics, plus, the Academy fellows receive feedback regarding results on multiple leadership assessment instruments.
A key distinguishing characteristic of NJHELA is that participants synthesize their learning by working in action learning groups on real challenges facing the NJ healthcare system. While the first two cohorts of NJHELA focused on end-of-life and palliative care systems, the Academy is currently focused on the opiates epidemic. An example of one of the recent action learning projects was a group that created 3 short videos displaying the effects that the opioid epidemic has had on people, their families, and their careers. The videos show recovered addicts, their road to recovery, and the troubles they experienced along the way. According to Dr. Terrence Cahill, IHSA Department Chair, “The challenges we face in seeking to transform our NJ healthcare system are more complex than any one part of the system can fix. The NJHELA collaborative learning approach is our best opportunity to effect positive health system changes that will address today’s opiates epidemic, as well as future health system challenges.” ■
– Rina Blaivas, BS
