After stepping into the role of interim dean of the College of Health Professions in recent months, I am pleased to share that I return this semester to my full-time role as VCU Health Administration chair.

First, I want to acknowledge the outstanding work of our Dr. Saleema Karim, who served as the department’s interim chair over the past year. She seamlessly led the department, including through our successful program re-accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) and integration of the College’s bachelor of science in health services into the department. I am grateful for her service and delighted Dr. Karim will continue her leadership with us as an associate chair.

As we start the fall 2024 semester, I – alongside our incoming class – enter an always-evolving health care sector driven by factors such as payment reform, the integration of artificial intelligence, louder calls for sustainability, continued emphasis on care quality, cost, and access, and the increasing involvement of private equity investments in health care.

Challenges? Unquestionably. But in our mission to prepare the next generation of health administrators, finding ways to address these issues are opportunities for growth — both within our department itself and across the broader leadership landscape.

These forces further emphasize the critical need for skilled and diverse health care leaders, and after 75 years (more on this later), our department’s shared focus remains on preparing our students to navigate and lead in this dynamic field.

We begin the semester with the arrival of our new College dean, Amy Darragh, Ph.D. She comes to Richmond from The Ohio State University, where she served as director and vice dean in the institution’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Our full team looks forward to working with and learning from Dean Darragh.

This semester is also the first that we experience the long-awaited “demographic cliff,” a result of lower birth rates during 2008’s Great Recession. A trending decrease in college-age students affects enrollment across the nation, and ours is no exception.

In anticipation of enrollment challenges, we’ve innovated our educational offerings to meet the shifting needs of students. We’ve added a fourth certificate program: Sustainability, Health and Health Care, providing foundational knowledge on the interplay of climate change, human health and the health care industry. It was a topic addressed by two recent speakers: former CMS chief and Harvard Medical School’s Don Berwick, who delivered the Jim and Sally Warden Parrott Lecture in March; and the Joint Commission’s Jonathan Perlin, M.D., Ph.D. (VCU Ph.D. ’91, MD ’92, and MSHA ’97), who delivered the Paul A, Gross Landmarks in Leadership Lecture in November.

This year also marks the 75th anniversary of our department. That’s cause for celebration, which is exactly what we’re doing on Sept. 14 at the Altria Theater. Health Administration alumni and supporters are all invited, where we'll reconnect and get inspired. We’ve set an ambitious fundraising goal to support our programs and initiatives.

We’re thrilled to welcome new faculty members who bring diverse expertise and fresh perspectives:

• John McHugh, Ph.D., joins us from Columbia University, and focuses on nursing home transitions and organizational behavior.
• Kristin MacDonald, Ph.D., a recent Health Services Organization and Research (HSOR) doctoral graduate, is enhancing our teaching capabilities — particularly in our Bachelor of Science in Health Services program. Kristin is a Tillman Scholar, with research focused on direct-care workers in the long-term care setting.
• Matt Krauchunas, Ph.D., a 2011 alum of our Ph.D. program, joins us as an assistant professor. A retired U.S. Air Force colonel, Matt brings extensive military insights from his more than two decades as an administrator across various inpatient, outpatient, deployed, “corporate” and academic health settings.
• Lauren Mortenson, who joined our department as assistant program director of the bachelor’s degree in health sciences program.

As we navigate the year ahead, we remain focused on nurturing the next generation of leaders, expanding our research capabilities, and strengthening our educational programs. Moving into the next quarter-century of VCU Health Administration, together we will build on our legacy of excellence in our discipline and care.

Paula H. Song, Ph.D.
Richard M. Bracken Chair and Professor
VCU Department of Health Administration