Contributor: Heather Aspras, WG’08
To learn more about Heather, click here.
I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year! Hopefully, you’ve been able to take some time off this winter to recharge, which is more necessary than ever. I am energized by all of the plans we have for the WHCMAA in the upcoming year and am looking forward to connecting with all of you.
As we start the new year, I’ve been reflecting on the importance of focus and prioritization, both personally and professionally. The pandemic has made many of us, including myself, acutely aware of how we’re spending our time and which activities and relationships we’re valuing. One thing that is very clear to me is the time we invest with each other in the WHCMAA and with students in the program is always worthwhile and uplifting.
In terms of our priorities for this upcoming year, we are focused on several key things:
- Continue to be a key connector of alumni as the pandemic evolves to foster discussion and serve as a thought leader for how the healthcare system must transform, providing networking opportunities, and holding engaging events
- Elevate focus on health equity and diversity and inclusion by successfully establishing our new committee, developing clear priorities and focus, and implementing with our membership
- Celebrate the unique value of the Wharton Healthcare Quarterly (WHQ), which was launched in 2012
There are a few key things that led us to these priorities. For me – and probably for many of you as well – the HCM program and the WHCMAA blur the lines between the personal and the professional. Through the program and the alumni organization, we have made lifelong friends and have also made incredible professional connections. In my mind, both types of connections are especially critical during the (hopefully beginning of the end of the) pandemic. As a WHCMAA board, we are all dedicated to continuing to provide you with a variety of opportunities to connect – to network, to learn, and to have fun. Some of these opportunities will continue to be virtual, and as guidelines evolve and conditions on the ground permit, some of these opportunities will start to be in person as well.
As I mentioned in my last President’s Desk note, we have created a new committee on the WHCMAA board dedicated to fostering diversity and inclusion and to advancing health equity. Bhuvan Srinivasan is leading the team in developing goals and supporting activities for this board term, which you will hear more about in future newsletters. If you are interested in contributing to this committee or have any feedback or ideas for the board, please reach out to Bhuvan at: [email protected] or to me.
We are also pleased to be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Wharton Healthcare Quarterly. Our Managing Editor, Z. Colette Edwards, MD, MBA, has an exciting slate of activities planned for 2022, including: an “Anniversary Spotlight” in each edition this year, featuring contributors from the original 2012 issues; monthly webinars featuring both HCM graduates and external speakers; and LinkedIn interviews. We know you will enjoy these experiences and the celebration of this milestone anniversary. For more than 10 years the WHQ has offered a platform and opportunity to inform, demonstrate thought leadership, connect healthcare-related communities within Wharton and the University of Pennsylvania, advance knowledge, and share diverse perspectives across the healthcare industry.
I’m looking forward to connecting with you over the course of the year!
Kind regards,
Heather Aspras, WG’08
President, Wharton Health Care Management Alumni Association
Contact Heather at:
[email protected]