Monday June 7, 2021

Thought Leader Forum

The Thought Leader Forum offers healthcare HR leaders an opportunity to contribute their knowledge, experience and insights through a formalized process. The participants for the Forum are proven leaders with expertise in specific topics relevant to each Thought Leader Forum agenda.

Findings from each forum are published in the following white papers. 

2020 has been a year filled with protests against racial, social and criminal injustice, sparked by the killing of George Floyd. The ongoing pandemic has also amplified the disparities in health care resulting from structural inequities. This confluence of circumstances has made it imperative for health care providers to gain a deeper understanding of our nation’s history of oppression and accelerate their efforts to eliminate the systemic racism that continues to put the lives of so many people of color at risk.

The 2020 Thought Leader Forum was held virtually on August 24, 2020, and was moderated by Alison Bodor, MBA, MS OSTR/L, Program Director for Diversity and Inclusion, Human Resources at Northwestern Memorial Health Care. Special guests for the discussion were Juana S. Slade, CDM, CCF, Chief Diversity Officer and Director of Language Services at AnMed Health, and Donna M. Skurzak, MA, LSW, CDP, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Cleveland Clinic.

The discussion focused on how HR leaders can proactively be part of the journey to equity, diversity and inclusion for employees, patients and the communities we serve. This executive summary shares expert insights and practical recommendations for understanding the challenges, creating sustained change and measuring progress.

ASHHRA held its 13th Thought Leader Forum on Monday, Sept. 23, 2019, in Chicago. The discussion was moderated by Greg Maras, vice president of human resources at Meadville Medical Center, with guest speakers Kristen Hines, managing director at Accenture, and Andy Shin, chief operating offi cer for the Center for Health Innovation of the American Hospital Association.

Titled, “Preparing the Health Care Workforce for AI,” the discussion focused on how AI will affect the workforce in various ways, and as HR professionals that fact can be a source of concern. Thought leaders discussed and strategized how to train and prepare the workforce to meet that challenge. Human resources professionals can begin tailoring positions that align with AI instead of being replaced with AI.

This executive summary shares expert insights on the strategic challenges and opportunities AI presents, plus practical recommendations on how to best prepare your organizational culture and workforce to capitalize on AI.

ASHHRA held its 12th Thought Leader Forum on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018, in Pittsburgh. A select group of health care executives – including three participants from the 2013 session – joined field experts in technological advancement, workforce demographics and workforce shortages to reassess the earlier predictions and examine the current workforce landscape. They discussed whether or not the changes projected rang true, the factors impacting future workforce needs, and the training and tools human resources executives should be prepared to offer to ensure workforce success in new and evolving roles.

The Forum was sponsored by Purdue University Global, an adult-serving public university, operated as part of the Purdue University system focusing on career-oriented fields of study and lead to educational certificates and degrees. Dominick Squicciarini, executive director of health care partnerships for Purdue University Global, welcomed participants, which was moderated by Jamie Parsons, CHHR, SPHR, FACHE, SHRM-SCP, senior vice president of human resources at St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Edgewood, Kentucky.

This summary is a strategic overview of the dialogue, discussion and recommendations for successfully addressing some of today’s most challenging health care workforce issues.

Sponsored by: Purdue University Global

ASHHRA, in collaboration with TIAA, a financial services company and longstanding sponsor of ASHHRA, held the 11th Thought Leader Forum on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014, in Chicago. Kevin Nazworth, managing director, Southeast Region and head of the Health Care Market, TIAA, welcomed thought leader participants to the Forum, which was chaired by Grace Blair Moffitt, ASHHRA’s immediate past president. The discussion was moderated by Cindy Fineran, senior consultant with The Walker Company Healthcare Consulting.

A select group of executives working in health care or roles that have insight into the field participated in the Forum, a two-hour session titled “Managing Multiple Generations in Your Workforce.” These executives provided their insights and perceptions about managing a workforce that spans four generations between its oldest and youngest employees.

This summary is a strategic overview of the discussions, thoughts and insights emanating from this Thought Leader Forum.

Sponsored by: TIAA

ASHHRA, in collaboration with TIAA, a financial services company and longstanding sponsor of ASHHRA, held the tenth Thought Leader Forum on Sunday, July 20, 2014, in San Diego. ASHHRA Thought Leader Forums provide a means for ASHHRA to gather information, insights and best practices regarding vital health care issues and trends and help members successfully lead their organizations into the future. Kevin Nazworth, managing director, Southeast Region and head of the Health Care Market, TIAA, welcomed thought leader participants to the Forum, which was chaired by Grace Blair Moffitt, ASHHRA’s immediate past president. The discussion was moderated by Cindy Fineran, senior consultant with The Walker Company Healthcare Consulting. A select group of executives working in health care or in roles that have insight into the field participated in the Forum, a two-hour session titled, “Meet Your Future Leaders: Engaging and Empowering Women to Achieve Success in Health Care.”

These executive women provided insights and perceptions regarding why women are underrepresented in health care leadership, challenges women face in advancing their careers and actions that may be pursued to help women achieve greater success in health care.

This summary is a strategic overview of the discussions, thoughts and insights emanating from this Thought Leader Forum.

Sponsored by: TIAA