澳彩开奖

澳彩开奖 launches Health and Wellness Professional Network

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Dr. Ken Sands

Dr. Ken Sands 鈥81 speaks at the launch of the Health and Wellness Network in Boston on February 19. (Photo by Alex Jones)

A tale of three cities unfolded in Boston last Wednesday as 澳彩开奖 launched its newest professional network for alumni and students: .

More than 75 graduates working in a wide variety of health-related fields attended the event at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, and it was up to 澳彩开奖 staff members to link them with their alma mater in Hamilton, N.Y. 鈥 city number one. Michael Sciola, director of , did so by reminding everyone of why they were there.

鈥淢ost institutions have a legacy of connecting alumni either by professions, geographic locations, or nostalgia. Instead, we are finding complementary professions so we can bring alumni together in mutually beneficial ways,鈥 Sciola said. 鈥淲hat you see tonight is an example of how we鈥檙e starting to think differently about how we interact with alumni and how we can continue a 70-year dialogue after graduation.鈥

The university has set three more objectives for its networks: to promote the 澳彩开奖 community鈥檚 impact on the world, identify mentorships and internships for students, and remind alumni that their support is invaluable as the university pursues its mission to educate current undergraduates.

This is industrial-strength networking, and Wednesday鈥檚 event proves that the approach draws a diverse crowd, interested in forming unique connections. Doctors met health care advocates, who were talking with data experts 鈥 alumni like Will Betz 鈥13, a major who now works for a company that analyzes big data derived from health care providers.

鈥淚 thought the health care event was really well done, and look forward to the future of such focused groups,鈥 Betz said. 鈥淚 think these could be much more professionally useful than the general alumni gatherings, and I hope that more groups will begin to appear.鈥

Attendees enjoyed an hour-long professional networking reception, where they exchanged business cards and memories of life on the hill. Afterward, about the inspiration behind her choice to pursue a career in public health after graduation this May.

Dyer鈥檚 father came from All Saints village, Antigua 鈥 city number two. Although he has not returned to his home country in more than two decades, he still tells vivid stories about the beaches, the sunshine, and his time in the cotton fields where he worked from the age of 12 to support his 13 siblings.

鈥淚 understand why my father has pushed me so hard to do well in school,鈥 Dyer said. 鈥淔or him, health, education, and security are not given as they are here in the United States. In Antigua, these are luxuries.鈥

, an authority on America鈥檚 health care system, followed Dyer to the podium. He focused attention back on Boston, city number three, where he serves as senior vice president for health care quality at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Sands told the story of Beth Israel patient 鈥淢r. Nagachi鈥 (not the patient鈥檚 real name), who received top-tier emergency care at the hospital following a diabetic episode. The patient hadn鈥檛 realized that he was diabetic, but a routine test performed at one of the hospital鈥檚 clinics several weeks prior to the emergency showed that he had the condition. That information wasn鈥檛 passed on to the patient. It鈥檚 Sands鈥 job to help fix the problems that led to that misstep.

Drawing on his professional background, Sands identified four trends that are pushing U.S. hospital care in a positive direction: greater transparency, greater engagement with patients, technology, and financial alignment. 鈥淢r. Nagachi had an avoidable hospital admission,鈥 Sands said. 鈥淭he current system reimburses hospitals best for high-intensity care. We also provided care for Mr. Nagachi in our clinics, and we probably lost money on those visits. That鈥檚 perverse misalignment. All of the health care plans are reconfiguring to encourage hospitals to be providing high-quality, efficient care.鈥

Because of their common backgrounds, everyone in the room was riveted by Dyer鈥檚 narrative and Sands鈥 expertise. They also were energized by the novel approach embodied in the network itself, which stands as an open invitation for members to volunteer ideas, hire a 澳彩开奖 student as an intern, refer a job or internship opportunity to the career services office, and support the university鈥檚 internship fund.

鈥淚f you bring people together with common interests, you see great innovation,鈥 Sciola said.

President Jeffrey Herbst made it clear that the innovation would continue 鈥 in Boston and in cities across the country. 鈥淲e know that 澳彩开奖 people like to get together in person, and we鈥檙e strong supporters of that,鈥 Herbst told the crowd. 鈥淪o we鈥檒l have many opportunities for you to get together in the future.鈥