Health Policy and Administration Alumni Updates

Mary K. Mologne: HPA '88

What are you doing today?

I am the American Hospital Association's director of quality initiatives responsible for the development, implementation, and management of the Quality Leadership Team's products and services, primarily through Quality Partnerships with state hospital association, health systems, business coalitions, and physician groups. I also lead the association's end-of-life care strategies, particularly as they relate to the Quality Leadership Team's goals and objectives. I also recently led the planning grant initiative with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to develop an award to recognize excellence in end-of-life care. I am a trained faculty in the American Medical Association's Education for Physicians in End-of-Life Care. I am also a key staff member to the association's national initiative to reduce and prevent medication errors.

I joined AHA from Premier, Inc., where I was most recently a Regional Executive in the Mid-Atlantic region. Prior to that role, I was a Senior Consultant in Premier's Strategic and Managed Care Consulting Division, preparing health care systems, hospitals, and physicians for managed care and strategic integration. I also worked at the District of Columbia Hospital Association in the areas of hospital-medical staff relations, long-term care issues, and member communications.

I received a bachelor's degree in Health Policy and Administration from The Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from Duke University. I am a Diplomate of the American College of Healthcare Executives and have been trained in facilitation skills and both clinical and quality improvement tools and strategies.

How has HPA helped you get where you are today?

The HPA degree at Penn State has been instrumental to my career progression. My internship at the George Washington University Medical Center afforded me tremendous access to the Washington, DC, health care community, which led to my role at the DC Hospital Association. This role gave me exposure to both local and national health care issues. The HPA program prepared me with the analytical and communication skills necessary to excel in these various roles. The HPA degree also mirrored many of the graduate programs in health administration, which led to my decision to obtain an MBA from Duke University to more fully round out my skillsets.