Healthcare Administration Fellowship

Program Directors: Scott Regenbogen, MD, MPH and Bill Palazzolo, MS, PA-C

The complexity of managing healthcare delivery systems has increasingly required physician leadership, and surgeons are often well positioned to assume these roles. Yet, our surgical training does not include the key skills and experiences these leaders need – finance, clinical operations, human resources, strategy, and others. 

In order to more formally prepare the next generation of surgeon administrative leaders, the Department of Surgery offers this Healthcare Administration Fellowship, intended for residents in their academic development time. It is anticipated that most fellows will be engaged in primary scholarly work in health services research (HSR) or other related disciplines, and that this Fellowship will be the secondary focus of their academic time. The program is operated through the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy (CHOP).

Objective: To supplement primary research experiences with didactic and experiential training in the disciplines and practice of health system leadership. Trainees will be integrated among the CHOP research fellows and engage in HSR training and mentored research.

Core competencies of CHOP HSR training include:

  • Clinical epidemiology and biostatistics
  • Qualitative and quantitative study design and data analysis
  • Healthcare quality improvement
  • Implementation science
  • Survey research design
  • Academic writing for publication and funding applications

The Healthcare Administration Fellowship will supplement this experience with training for in administrative leadership for a complex academic medical system. Core competencies for this training include:

  • Healthcare finance
  • Administrative governance, communication, and reporting structure
  • Regulatory and medicolegal affairs
  • Clinical operations management
  • Change management, clinical innovation, and quality improvement research
  • Supply chain
  • Healthcare information technology and virtual care
  • Health system business strategy

Curriculum: The time commitment to this Fellowship may vary to some degree, depending on each Fellow’s specific interests and other research commitments. In most cases, this Fellowship will be the “minor” focus, with a “major” in HSR or other related field.

The program will include a series of monthly didactic seminars, modeled after the curriculum of an MBA, focused on the specific disciplines that most pertain to health system leaders. In addition, fellows will engage in a series of apprenticeship experiences with UM Health leaders involved in ambulatory care, hospital operations, inpatient and ambulatory procedural areas, health system strategy, virtual care, supply chain, pharmacy, and strategy. A multidisciplinary team of faculty mentors will lead these apprenticeships. Fellows who participate in a second year will elect an extended practicum to lead an administrative project in an area of particular interest within the health system, as a culminating project experience. Scholarly writing and publication related to experiential operations work will be highly encouraged, and mentored by Fellowship faculty and leadership. The volume of publication can be tailored to the areas of focus and other academic commitments.

Required didactic sessions for the Fellowship include:

  • CHOP Friday noon seminars and 3pm Research in Progress meetings
  • Summer methods seminars at CHOP
  • “Mini-MBA” didactic seminars (Dr. David Butz and Matthew Comstock)
  • Department of Surgery Leadership Development Program (in years that it is being offered)
  • Biweekly work-in-progress meetings with Fellowship Director and/or Co-Director including experiences in composition and presentation using A3 and SBAR tools

Eligibility: The Healthcare Administration Fellowship is offered to trainees during academic development time within postdoctoral surgical residencies or fellowships. Although a 2 year commitment is preferred, trainees in specialty programs which allow for a 1 year commitment may also be considered. Interested trainees should apply.

Applications must include:

  • Letter of interest (1-2 pages) describing previous experience, plan for concurrent academic research and mentorship, career goals, and how the Fellowship will advance these goals
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Letter of support from Department Chair and/or Program Director, with documentation of support for salary and benefits during the Fellowship
  • Please email application documents to: [email protected]  

 

Leadership and Faculty:

Director: Scott Regenbogen MD MPH, Professor of Surgery, ACCO for Surgical Specialties

Co-director: William Palazzolo, MS PA-C, Director of Clinical Operations, Department of Surgery

 

Sponsors:

Jennifer Waljee MD MPH MS, Associate Professor of Surgery, Director, CHOP

Andrew Ibrahim MD MSc, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Co-Director, CHOP

Michael Englesbe MD, Professor of Surgery, Vice-Chair for Resident Mentorship

Justin Dimick MD MPH, Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery

 

Didactic Faculty:

David Butz PhD, Adjunct Lecturer of Business Administration, Ross School of Business

Matthew Pruente MBA MHSA, Chief Operating Officer, UM Medical School

 

Health System Operations Faculty:

Janet Abbruzzese, Assoc. Chief Operating Officer, Operations and Ancillary Services, UM Health

Sapan Ambani MD, Assoc. Professor of Urology, Senior Medical Director for Ambulatory Surgery

Chandy (Chad) Ellimootil MD MS, Assistant Professor of Urology, Medical Director, Telehealth

Scott Flanders MD, Professor of Internal Medicine, Chief Clinical Strategy Officer

Lindsey Herrel MD MS, Assistant Professor of Urology, Medical Director, Operating Rooms

Robert (Bobby) Hewlett III, Controller, UM Health

Kelly Malloy MD, Assoc Prof Otolaryngology, Assoc Chief Clinical Officer, Surgical and Rehabilitation Services, Adult Hospitals

Michael Mulholland, Professor of Surgery