The Department of Health Policy and Administration
at Penn State

MHA students present social media research at the Pennsylvania Public Health Association Conference

Penn State Master of Health Administration (MHA) students recently presented research on the role of social media in healthcare at the Pennsylvania Public Health Association’s Annual Conference in Philadelphia. The conference is focused on exploring issues that impact public health across the nation and across the Commonwealth. The research team included four second-year MHA students, Tejal Raichura, Ashley Kimmel, Latoya Tatum, and Shantanu Dholakia and was co-led by Deirdre McCaughey, assistant professor of health policy and administration and Dominique LaRochelle, QPSI project manager at the Cleveland Clinic, a 2009 MHA alum. “This was a unique opportunity to present our findings to other university students, organizations, and professionals in public health”, said Dholakia. more >>

The 15th Annual Stanley P. Mayers Endowed Lecture and reception

Tuesday, April 3, 2012 • 7:30 p.m,. The Nittany Lion Inn
Dr. David Katz - "Food as Medicine: The Case for a Figurative Spoon Full of Sugar"

View the Mayers Endowed Lecture invitation. For more information, please contact Deb Barger at duc15@psu.edu.

Penn State Team's QR Code Wins REACH Challenge

"Real-Time Care Experience Feedback Using QR Codes," a Penn State project that allows hospital patients to inform hospital personnel of their experiences — good or bad — in real time, is the winner of the 2012 REACH Developer Challenge, sponsored by AcademyHealth and part of the Health 2.0 Developer Challenge. "As a former health care provider, I have witnessed patients' confusion about why it was taking so long to see a doctor, and I have seen family members worried about their loved ones and unable to get information about them," said Deirdre McCaughey, assistant professor of health policy and administration. "Our application of QR-code technology will enable hospitals to say to patients and their family members, 'We care about you, we are listening to you, and we are willing totalk to you about your concerns right now.'" more >>

Penn State introduces online master's degree in health administration

The first of the 76 million baby boomers turned 65 this year. As this generation ages, it will place significant demands on an already strained health care system. To meet this challenge, medical and health services managers—an occupation projected to grow 16 percent in the coming years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics—will need the latest knowledge and skills. Penn State's new master of health administration degree, delivered online, can help working adults prepare for health care management careers. "We're already experiencing shortages of nurses, physicians of all kinds, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, radiologists and other medical technicians," said Chris Calkins, executive director of the online master of health administration (MHA) program. "The baby boomers and the 32 million who will become insured under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will further challenge the health care system." more >>