By Malorie Burkett
VCU College of Health Professions
mgburkett@vcu.edu

Jan. 17, 2023

Stephen Mosher, a Master of Science in Health Administration (MSHA) Student in Virginia Commonwealth University’s College of Health Professions Department of Health Administration, has earned the Tim Campbell Scholarship for Selfless Service to Others and the Community by the Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).

Students in CAHME accredited or certified programs are eligible to receive the scholarship, named in memory of Campbell, a CAHME board member who personified a commitment to service and volunteerism. Campbell believed in hard work and selfless service in his professional and personal life, and that true success is measured through relationships which help others reach their full potential.

A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Mosher attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering. He subsequently began to work for the Veterans Health Administration in Jackson, Miss. before coming to Richmond in 2015. In 2020, he was promoted to his current role of chief engineer at the Central Virginia VA Healthcare System. In this role, he oversees the hospital's day to day building maintenance operations and construction projects, among other things.

According to Mosher, when he first joined the Central Virginia VA Healthcare System, he immediately focused his efforts on promoting a positive culture. He enacted monthly, individual discussions with each employee he supervised to provide opportunities for direct feedback. As a result, the Biomedical Engineering department employee satisfaction scores were rated in the top 15 departments hospital-wide for the "Best Places to Work.”

“By offering expanded opportunities for communication, he was able to proactively address concerns that, if left unaddressed, could have detrimental impacts on employee morale,” said M. Paige Powell, Ph.D., associate professor of Health Administration and the MHA & MSHA program director. “Learning how to carry out a culture change was a motivator for him to enter the MSHA program, which pushed him to grow as a leader and provide guidance on developing his leadership abilities.”

Mosher says that being on the maintenance side in a government role is a different aspect of health care, and he wanted to further develop his leadership skills and knowledge of the healthcare industry in general.

“As a non-clinician, I can't directly impact patient care, but I can work to create an environment where our administrators and clinicians work together to provide the highest quality of clinical care,” he said. “In my current role, we have a lot of fires, we have a lot of problems that come up, and things that need to be solved. It’s empowering my staff to creatively solve those problems and work collaboratively with the clinicians to ensure they have everything they need to provide the best care for patients.”

Mosher lives in Richmond with his wife, Grace. Together they enjoy hiking in the Shenandoah Valley, visiting wineries, and traveling all over the world. In recent years they have visited Italy, Spain and South Africa. After graduation this May, they plan to travel to France and Denmark. 

“I am very humbled to be selected for this scholarship. I didn't get a chance to meet Tim Campbell, but it sounds like he was such a good person, who cared a lot about people,” said Mosher. “To be honored in his memory is humbling and very exciting. I’m kind of at a loss for words.”

For more information on the CAMHE awards programs, visit here.