The University of Minnesota School of Public Health’s (SPH) Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) program has been named the recipient of the 2022 Award for Sustainability in Healthcare Management Education and Practice by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) and Canon Solutions America.
SPH’s MHA program is the second highest ranked program of its kind in the U.S., and was one of the first CAHME accredited programs in the country. CAHME and the technology company, Canon, gives the award annually to educational institutions with programs that support the advancement of sustainability goals, with the understanding that education plays a critical role in creating sustainable, inclusive, and socially responsible healthcare organizations. Canon offers the award to promote its corporate philosophy of Kyosei: all people, regardless of race, religion, or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future for the common good.
The MHA program won the award for demonstrating the ways in which it incorporates diversity, equity, and inclusion; community involvement; environmental focus; student experiential opportunities; and alumni involvement into its curriculum.
“As a program, we have been making important strategic investments to promote sustainability ideals,” said Professor Jean Abraham, interim head for the Division of Health Policy and Management and MHA program director (2016-2022). “This is revealed through our curricular innovations related to climate change and healthcare delivery. It comes through the actions of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. And it is evidenced in our ‘theory-based, practice-enabled’ model of learning, where students take what they learn in the classroom and engage with alumni and other industry experts to apply those learnings to real-world problems facing organizations today. We are truly honored to be recognized for our sustainability-focused efforts by CAHME and Canon Solutions America.”
Specific examples of the MHA program’s innovations include the development of a climate change and healthcare delivery course, which offers students the opportunity to learn about the impact of climate change on health and healthcare delivery organizations as well as the role that healthcare leaders play in promoting environmental sustainability. In May 2020, the program also launched a multi-stakeholder process with students, faculty, staff, and alumni to develop and implement a plan to revise our admissions policies, curriculum and competency framework, and professional development learning opportunities to advance our ability to develop leaders who can effectively serve diverse patient populations and lead diverse workforces.
“The University of Minnesota MHA Program incorporates the ideals of sustainability in healthcare management education, as acknowledged through the generous support of Canon Solutions America,” said Anthony Stanowski, president and CEO of CAHME. “This award recognizes the University of Minnesota’s MHA program for excellence in planning and providing a student learning experience focused on sustainability; accessibility; and diversity, equity, and inclusion following the death of Mr. George Floyd in Minneapolis.”
The MHA program was honored at the CAHME annual awards on March 27 in Chicago and has produced a short video to share its story as part of this recognition. Additionally, the program will receive a grant from the sponsor to further promote sustainability ideals through its curriculum and community engagement.
