Contributor: Heather Aspras, WG’08
To learn more about Heather, click here.
Last year at this time, most of us never imagined we would still be living through a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. As one of the most difficult years has turned into more than 18 months and counting, our thoughts are with you, your families, and your communities.
As you have heard by now, our annual alumni conference has been postponed. In normal years, we all look forward to reuniting with other alumni in person at the alumni dinner the evening before and then the next day at the conference itself. Though we are disappointed we will not see you face-to-face this fall, the most important thing is that you all stay safe and healthy.
We are continuing the mini-summit series that provided important and ongoing dialogue over the past year. Conrod Kelly spoke with us about the impact of social determinants of health and racial disparities on the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, while the Honorable David J. Shulkin, MD, discussed the impending disruption and creative rebirth of the U.S. healthcare system after last November’s election. Dr. Lawton Burns talked about his recently published book, The U.S. Healthcare Ecosystem: Payers, Providers, and Producers, which is based on his decades of experience teaching HCM841 – a class that was foundational to the shared HCM experience for many of us.
Dr. Shantanu Nundy discussed his new book, CARE AFTER COVID: What the Pandemic Revealed is Broken in Healthcare and How to Reinvent It. In addition to providing specific categories of recommendations for the reinvention of healthcare, Dr. Nundy emphasized that health equity needs to be infused throughout all of these areas and not be set apart as its own standalone issue.
As Wangari Maathai said, “There are opportunities even in the most difficult moments.” She was no stranger to doing difficult things - fighting for environmental justice, human rights, and the end of poverty.
Last year, in the midst of the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd and far too many other people of color, we committed to listening more deeply, creating the space for rich dialogue, and taking concrete actions to advance health equity. We have learned a lot and started the journey, but there is still much to do.
To that end, we have formalized our commitment by creating a new committee on the WHCMAA board to focus on diversity and inclusion, as well as health equity. The committee will be tasked with gathering regular feedback from members, identifying gaps, and developing and executing on priorities for which the WHCMAA can make a direct impact and provide leadership. We are eager to hear from you, and we welcome your ideas and involvement.
Please contact me directly at [email protected] or contact Bhuvan Srinivasan, the newly-named head of our D&I and Health Equity Committee, at [email protected].
More than ever, we encourage you to make connections and reach out to other alumni. Share your ideas and experiences with our community:
- LinkedIn: Wharton Health Care Management Alumni Association
- Twitter: @WhartonHCMAA
- Facebook: Wharton Health Care Management Alumni Association
- Wharton Knowledge Network: [email protected]
- LinkedIn public channel: https://www.linkedin.com/company/whcmaa/
Our thoughts remain with all of you as we continue to navigate this unique time. We have an unparalleled opportunity as HCM alumni to drive positive and lasting change, and we’re looking forward to partnering with you.
Kind regards,
Heather Aspras, WG’08
President, Wharton Health Care Management Alumni Association
Contact Heather at:
[email protected]