CHI began its data and evidence-based analysis work with a focus on health care access, coverage, and outcomes. Our work has grown to encompass the social factors that influence health, and leadership is one of those factors.
We are an organization grounded in the belief that better health policy leads to better health for all people, and we know we can’t have good health policy unless we have health care leaders with the vision, empathy, leadership skills, and networks to make their visions of health equity a reality.
With this in mind, CHI has grown a business line dedicated to assisting organizations in cultivating the leaders who will shape the future of health policy. This work includes the Aspen Ethical Leadership Program, a partnership with the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the Milbank Fellows program. As these programs begin to grow in size and impact, we’re proud to share how we are setting the stage for a better health care future.
Aspen Ethical Leadership Program
In partnership with the University of Colorado Center for Bioethics and Humanities and the Aspen Center for Social Values, CHI presented the Aspen Ethical Leadership Program to a cohort of nearly 50 health care leaders from throughout the nation in September 2022. During the four-day program, attendees practiced ethical decision-making and debated challenging topics, including health system business models, artificial intelligence in health care, and equity in telehealth.
Each day, a keynote speaker provided context about the issue and discussed their own work in the field. Speakers included Bechara Choucair, Senior Vice President and Chief Health Officer for Kaiser Permanente; Wendy Dean, co-founder of Moral Injury of Healthcare; and Lisa Soleymani Lehmann, Director of Bioethics for Google. Attendees then worked in small groups to practice the program’s Triple-A Framework for ethical decision-making by working through case studies based on recent situations faced by health care and public health leaders.
The program also included facilitated debriefs and a political panel that brought together Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and Colorado Reps. Dylan Roberts and Julie McCluskie.
We were delighted with the success of the 2022 program and are busy finalizing the 2023 program. This year’s program, “Leading Toward Justice,” will explore the role of health care leaders in creating a more just world and will examine justice through the lens of discrimination, technology, and legal issues, including evolving legislation surrounding abortion and gender-affirming care. For more information about the 2023 program, visit colo.health/AELP23.
American Society of Clinical Oncology Ethical Leadership Program
Based on the success of the Aspen Ethical Leadership Program, we teamed up again with the University of Colorado Center for Bioethics and Humanities and the Aspen Center for Social Values to provide a customized version of the program to oncology leaders throughout the U.S.
This pilot program builds on the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)’s introductory leadership program by allowing a small cohort of oncology leaders to practice the Triple-A framework from the Aspen Ethical Leadership Program’s curriculum. ASCO invited 15 leaders to help them pilot the program and build it out for future cohorts.
Attendees gathered for two days in December to learn and practice the Triple-A Framework before working in small groups to build out their own case studies based on situations they were facing in their day-to-day work. In April, fellows reconvened to work through the cases their colleagues created and to learn how to bring back insights to their organizations. We are looking forward to continuing to refine the program and adapting the Aspen Ethical Leadership Program’s curriculum and methodology for other organizations.
Milbank Memorial Fund Fellows Program
For the second year, CHI has partnered with the Milbank Memorial Fund and the Public Leadership Group to offer a nine-month leadership program for senior executive branch and legislative state leaders who are committed to improving population health in their communities. This program, which CHI co-developed for Milbank, provides a range of activities and resources designed to help participants develop their leadership skills.
The program offers highly interactive in-person convenings, virtual learning events, and one-on-one coaching from experienced leaders in various fields. Participants get a chance to engage in meaningful dialogue and collaboration with their peers, as well as access to a network of ethical leaders across different industries. To learn more about the program, visit https://www.milbank.org/leadership-programs/milbank-fellows-program/.
We are proud of the role CHI is playing in helping people throughout the health care sector to hone their skills as the leaders who will be advancing equitable health policy in the years ahead.