HPA e-Newsletter Fall 2007
Alumna Researches Preterm Birth Disparities
Ashley H. Schempf, Ph.D., ’02 HPA, is the lead author of a recent study that examines preterm birth disparities.
The excess rate of extreme preterm birth among black infants in the United States accounts for more than half of the infant mortality gap between blacks and whites, according to Schempf and other researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Infants born prematurely have a much higher risk of dying than infants born at term, and black infants are four times more likely than white infants to be born extremely preterm (less than 28 weeks gestation). The study was published online as a First Look article on May 30, 2007, by the American Journal of Public Health.
Read More about Ashley Schempf.
Mentor, Protégé Share Learning Experiences
Remember those college days when stress levels would peak and you felt abandoned amid papers, books, and exams? Your frustrations would send your mind racing, second-guessing your major and even your decision to continue your education. Wouldn’t it have been comforting to know that you could turn to someone who has been in your shoes and ask this person for advice or to just simply listen to your problems? Who exactly is this someone? A mentor.
Through its mentoring program, the Department of Health Policy and Administration has been working with alumni and students to forge stronger relationships. This win-win situation gives the protégé someone to contact for advice and gives the mentor an opportunity to give back to the university through a rewarding experience.
Read more about the mentor/protégé experience.
Tell Us Your News
Are you interested in mentoring? Would you like to help with alumni activities? Or do you just have some news to share with fellow HPA alumni? If so, drop us a note. Please tell us your news.
Student Spotlight Shines on M.H.A. Student
Meet Candine Roberts, a first-year M.H.A. student who comes to Penn State from the island of Antigua in the Caribbean. Her interests in health care administration follow her undergraduate studies in health care management at Florida A&M and seven years as a registered pharmacist in Antigua.
Roberts recently took part in a question-and-answer session about her interests and her plans at Penn State.
Question: Where do your academic interests lie?
Roberts: Health Policy and Administration is definitely where my interests lie. This is particularly important because I want to return home to Antigua and assist my colleagues in making some well-needed changes to our health system. The system is now very strained, and new policies and procedures need to be implemented to improve the resources and services as a whole.
Read more about Candine Roberts.
WLI Students Set for Leadership Roles
Five Health Policy and Administration students recently took part in a Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) orientation meeting on August 25. at Shaver’s CreekEnvironmental Center.
Ester Chung, Jennifer Cwynar, Clara Doan, Natalie Hawk, and Keri Krafick represented the HPA department and heard from working professionals abouttopics ranging from teambuilding to leadership. They also took part in a panel discussion with potential mentors.
Hawk says she is looking forward to similar programs through WLI and more opportunities to connect with health care professionals.
Learn more about HPA student experiences in the Women's Leadership Initiative.
Class Chats With Mount Nittany Medical Center Administrators
In the classroom, Health Policy and Administration students are used to hearing about the challenges that hospital administrators face on a daily basis. HPA 101 students, however, recently had the opportunity to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.
Administrators at Mount Nittany Medical Center (formerly Centre Community Hospital) in Centre County treated the students to short presentations, followed by lively question-and-answer sessions and a “behind-the-scenes” tour. Topics ranged from the fierce competition hospitals are facing today from physician-owned medical groups to the ever-growing need to satisfy patients who have grown accustomed to shopping for health care.
Read more about Mount Nittany Medical Center administrators' presentations to HPA 101.
Graduate Students 'break the ice' at start of semester
View some candid photos of HPA graduate students as they take part in ice-breaking activities during orientation.
Professors Focus on Busy Research Agendas
Scanlon leads initiative to improve care in communities
Americans receive only about 55 percent of the recommended quality of care. The Robert Wood Johnson foundation is attempting to change that through their new initiative—Aligning Forces for Quality—and has selected Dennis Scanlon, associate professor of health policy and administration in the College of Health and Human Development, to lead the evaluation of the program.
Aligning Forces is designed to help communities to advance the quality of care for chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, heart disease, depression, and asthma. Improvements in this area have been complicated by the adverse interests of the major players in the health care system. "We're talking about groups with competing interests, like doctors and insurers," says Scanlon. Now the Foundation is asking, "Can communities make this happen, and how?"
Read more about this study and additional research being conducted by Dr. Scanlon.
Older cancer survivors likely to keep working, HPA study finds
Cancer survivors between 55 and 65 years old who remain cancer-free for two to six years after diagnosis are as likely to be working as their peers who have not had cancer, a new study shows. However, people recently diagnosed with new cancers are less likely to be working.
"It's mostly good news," said Dr. Pamela Farley Short, professor of health policy and administration and lead author of an article, "Long-term effects of cancer survivorship on the employment of older workers," that appears online in the journal Health Services Research. "Once you get through the treatment, then, generally speaking, you can look forward to being productive and expect that your career will not be affected."
Read more about Dr. Pamela Farley Short's research.
College lauds Rose Allison for staff achievement
Edie Rose Allison, proposal and grant aide in the Department of Health Policy and Administration and the Center for Health Care and Policy Research (CHCPR), is the latest recipient of the Carol Clark Ford Staff Achievement Award.
This award recognizes outstanding achievement by a staff, clerical, or technical service employee of the College of Health and Human Development. Specifically, this employee “makes it easier for others to accomplish their objectives effectively and efficiently.”
Read more about Edie Rose Allison.
Davis Appointed Member of Pennsylvania Commission for Women
Lisa Davis, director of the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health (PORH), has been appointed a member of the Pennsylvania Commission for Women by Gov. Edward G. Rendell. As director of PORH, Davis is responsible for developing and sustaining linkages with state and national partners and seeking ways to enhance the health status of rural Pennsylvanians through education, outreach, advocacy, and applied research. Her special interests focus on rural health issues, public health policy, women's health, special populations, and the uninsured and underinsured.
The Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health is in the Department of Health Policy and Administration in the College of Health and Human Development and is affiliated with Penn State Outreach and Penn State Cooperative Extension.
New HPA Faculty Members
Jung ready to guide students
Dr. Kyoungrae Jung, one of the HPA department’s newest faculty members, is looking forward to providing students with the insight and knowledge of the policies involved in the U.S. health care system.
Jung plans to provide students “practical advice” concerning career and educational goals, as well as current information regarding policy backgrounds in health care.
Jung completed her Ph.D. in health services research and policy in July at the University of Minnesota. Her studies concentrated on health economics, and her research centered on public disclosure of quality information in HMO markets.
McCaughey likes team approach in HPA department
An opportunity to work closely with students and fellow faculty members attracted one of the HPA department’s newest faculty members to Penn State.
Deirdre McCaughey, M.B.A., will begin teaching courses this spring. She came to Penn State from Alberta, Canada, where she will soon complete her doctoral degree in management from the University of Manitoba. Her dissertation focuses on workplace safety. She also holds a master of business administration degree and a bachelor of medical rehabilitation degree (physical therapy).
McCaughey’s research interests center on knowledge transfer and utilization in health services. Among her accomplishments, she is proud of two federal doctoral fellowships she secured, one through the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation and the other through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Learn more about Ms. McCaughey.
Shurgalla makes transition from preceptor to instructor
Richard Shurgalla, the department’s new director of professional development, can easily relate to health care preceptors who are in search of well-trained and hardworking interns. He knows what these administrators and managers expect and can prepare HPA students for their real-life, hands-on experiences of their internships. A preceptor turned instructor, Shurgalla will teach HPA 390 (Professional Development), HPA 395 (The Undergraduate Internship), and HPA 497B (Physician Practice Management).
Shurgalla comes to Penn State after serving as vice president of operations with Family Health Associates at Lewistown (PA) Hospital. In this role, he had the opportunity to supervise HPA students on their internships. Shurgalla has also served as vice president of an air medical services company in Rialto, California, and as an administrative director in the emergency department at LeHigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Learn more about Mr. Shurgalla.
HPA Department Settles in at Ford Building
Click here for “moving in” photos and faculty/staff office locations.
Office of Rural Health Presents 2007 State Rural Health Awards
Three respected community health care providers and a long-time rural community health center were among those honored during the 2007 Pennsylvania Rural Health Awards ceremony, which was held at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel in State College, Pennsylvania. Michael Huff, deputy secretary for health planning and assessment in the Pennsylvania Department of Health, assisted with the presentation of the awards. Learn more about the recipients.
Save the Date – ACHE Reception
Once again the HPA department will be hosting a reception in conjunction with the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Annual Congress in Chicago. All Congress attendees, as well as alumni and friends living in the Chicagoland area, are invited to attend. We already have 15 undergraduate students signed-up to attend, and there is significant interest among our M.H.A. students so expect a full house. The reception will be held on Tuesday, March 11, 2008 in the evening. The exact time and location will be announced in an upcoming newsletter.