In the 17th episode of BYOB: The Healthcare Podcast, the team sits down to speak with Monica Shah. Monica has spent the better part of her career working in the international areas of major health systems domestically and abroad. Monica spent time working in Singapore for Johns Hopkins International and currently works within the international affairs division of Weill Cornell Medicine. She shares how different business models of international healthcare are seen across academic medicine and how her work today differs from some of her early work in the City of New York. 

Monica Shah – Director of the Office of International Affairs for Weil Cornell Medicine 

Monica V. Shah presently serves as Director of the Office of International Affairs for WCM. Prior to her role as Director, Monica helped drive Global Initiatives for WCM through project management of WCM’s proposal to build a Greenfield hospital in Shanghai. Before joining WCM, she was a part of the Strategy & Analytics team with NewYork-Presbyterian Global Services, where she managed strategic department initiatives and consulting projects in the Middle East. Monica also served as Project Administrator for Johns Hopkins Medicine International in Singapore. In this capacity, she led strategic and new business planning for the hospital and regional affiliates. Monica has degrees in Cultural Diversity and International Health Studies and Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Connecticut, along with a Master of Health Administration from Johns Hopkins. 

The crew asked Monica the following questions: 

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your healthcare background? 

When people think of international healthcare, they may think of public health work or doctors without borders. Can you describe the underlying business models for international healthcare at AMCs? 

In your healthcare journey you worked at Johns Hopkins International for a couple of years. How would you describe JHI’s business model? 

You currently serve as the Director of the Office of International Affairs at Weill Cornell Medicine. Can you tell us what the job entails and how you landed there? 

What are some of the partnerships that Weill Cornell Medicine has established or is establishing? 

What insight into international health systems have you gathered from your work?  

What advice would you give to early careerists or students who are interested in getting into international healthcare? 

Grab a drink and join us for another episode of BYOB: The Healthcare Podcast!

Episode 17 - International Healthcare with Monica Shah

In the 18th episode of BYOB: The Healthcare Podcast, the team sits down to speak with Joanna Ekstrom. Joanna works at La Clinica De La Raza, which serves the East Bay area as a federally qualified health center. La Clínica was founded in 1971 to address health barriers and create better lives for the underserved. Today, La Clínica is the first choice for providing multi-lingual, accessible full-scope health care services in the East Bay, no matter a patient’s income level or insurance status. Joanna details how funding for FQHC’s impacts the programs they implement and how her team makes community-based care a realization for thousands of people in California. 

Joanna Ekstrom – Senior Planner at La Clínica de La Raza, FQHC in the Bay Area 

Joanna Ekstrom works as Senior Planner at La Clínica de La Raza, a Federally Qualified Health Center in the Bay Area, where she oversees the team responsible for program development, grant writing, and grants management. She also works closely with executive leadership on strategic planning, program planning, and other agency initiatives. Previously she worked at UCSF on a cervical cancer screening project, at another FQHC program serving transgender patients, and at a nonprofit mental health agency. Joanna has an MPH in Community Health Science from UCLA and a BA in Sociology and Women’s Studies from UC Santa Barbara. 
 

The crew asked Joanna the following questions: 

For our listeners who may not be aware, can you speak to the great work that La Clinica de la Raza does and who they are? 

You currently serve as a Senior Planner at La Clinica de la Raza. What does your work entail? 

What has your experience been like managing a team of eight?  

What advice would you have for someone who is a first-time manager? 

How does funding differ at an FQHC level? What is funded? 

How do FQHC’s make an impact at the community, state and national level? 

Can you describe a specific program or two that La Clinica de la Raza currently runs? 

It takes a certain kind of person to work for an FQHC when there are other lucrative opportunities? What has made you stay in this work? 

How does the specific nature of the FQHC business affect program offerings or other business decisions? Can you compare that to a typical hospital? 

If someone wanted to get involved with a FQHC, what is the best way? 

Grab a drink and join us for another episode of BYOB: The Healthcare Podcast!

Episode 18 - FQHCs with Joanna Ekstrom

In the penultimate episode of the first season of BYOB: The Healthcare Podcast, the team sits down to speak with a great friend, Derick Simmons. Derick works as a Strategy Consultant for Rock Health Advisory. Rock Health is a full-service seed fund that supports startups working in digital health. Rock Health offers funding, access to medical, venture, legal and corporate partners, and office space to its portfolio companies. Additionally, Rock Health offers advisory services to clients across healthcare in the advancement of digital health strategies. In his role, Derick aligns with large players across the industry to converge what digital health is advancing with how their clients can move the needle forward in their respective organizations. 

Derick Simmons – Strategy Consultant at Rock Health 

Derick is a consultant at Rock Health where he supports healthcare, life sciences, and tech clients to develop digital health strategies. Prior to Rock Health, he was a transformation consultant at an integrated health system where he advised senior executives on digital health strategy, entrepreneurial partnerships, and new ventures. Derick earned an MHA from Cornell University and a B.S. in Management and Organizational Behavior from BYU. Before completing his academic training, he worked as a healthcare venture capital associate, researcher, and consultant—and also completed two years of volunteer mission service in Romania and Moldova. 

The crew asked Derick the following questions: 

You have focused more on the investment and innovation side of healthcare, what drew you to this area of healthcare? 

You currently serve as a consultant at Rock Health. What is Rock Health and what does your work entail? 

How is Rock health different from other Venture Capital/Private Equity firms? 

Are there specific types of innovations that Rock Health is interested in? 

Can you share an example of a company that Rock Health is invested in? 

What advice do you have for someone interested in the venture capital side of healthcare and wants to get more involved? 

What types of qualities does Rock Health look for in their health team and how can someone who is interested in Rock Health get their foot in the door? 

What do you think are some of the big challenges in healthcare that tech companies are best suited to solve? 

What do you want to be when you grow up? 

Grab a drink and join us for another episode of BYOB: The Healthcare Podcast!

Episode 19 -  Digital Health with Derick Simmons

In the final episode of the inaugural season of BYOB: The Healthcare Podcast, the team sits down to speak with Brian Washburn, Executive Director of Operations at Humboldt General Hospital. Brian speaks to the crew about his early career pathways and how advanced certifications help leverage young leaders for the next phase of their career. Brian specifically speaks to MGMA’s Certified Medical Practice Executive (CMPE) credential. The CMPE credential is recognized as the professional standard in medical practice management.  

Brian Washburn – Executive Director of Operations at Humboldt General Hospital 

Brian Washburn is the Executive Director of Operations at Humboldt General Hospital, a critical access hospital located in Winnemucca, Nevada. He graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in Accounting, then went on to obtain a Masters Degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. After graduating from Pitt, he secured a business associate fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in the department of Management Engineering and Internal Consulting. After a few years he moved to Montana where he worked with the Billings Clinic in a small hospital as Director of Operations before moving to Nevada. 
 
The crew asked Brian the following questions: 

What encouraged you to pursue healthcare administration?  

You currently serve as the Executive Director at Humboldt General Hospital; can you tell us a bit about your work and the things you oversee on a day-to-day basis? 

You have acquired an array of certifications throughout your career; can you talk about what those are and what drew you to them?  

Can you speak on the CMPE certification and how it has helped you? 

How can one best prepare to get the CMPE and how long did it take you to get it? 

What are the necessary steps to get the CMPE? 

Your career has covered a myriad of paths from large hospitals and systems to more rural areas of the country in critical access hospitals, can you talk about the differences between those two worlds? 

What led you to Big Timber, Montana and Winemucca, NV and how does rural medicine affect the healthcare admin side? 

What made you decide to enroll for a DHA? 

How have you managed the doctorate while working? 

What are some of the challenges you face being a young executive and what advice would you give to those in a similar situation? 

Grab a drink and join us for another episode of BYOB: The Healthcare Podcast!

Episode 20 - CMPE Certification with Brian Washburn

The Healthcare landscape today is as convoluted and vast as it has ever been and advancing in a growing industry can leave early careerists and students with more questions than answers. Nakin Bhandari, Joseph De Los Santos and Freddy Terrazas Escamilla break down complex health news stories with a targeted focus for students and early careerists. The trio will interview successful mid-careerists to share how to gain footing in the healthcare industry all with a new and refreshing take. From the guys that brought you, ‘Bruin One Ear & Out the Other’ and ‘Health Conscious,’ this is BYOB: The Healthcare Podcast.