Pfeiffer University’s Master of Health Administration (MHA) program has expanded rapidly since its founding in 1990. The program has grown into a flourishing community of more than 1,200 alumni and students who serve in key leadership positions for every major North and South Carolina health system, making Pfeiffer’s MHA program the largest in the region.

On November 8, 2023, the program hosted its second annual Master of Health Administration Subject Matter Experts (SME) event — Disruptive Innovation in Healthcare Delivery: Virtual Roundtable Discussion with Decision Analytics Subject Matter Experts — which was held in collaboration with the Greater Charlotte Healthcare Executive Group (GCHEG). A panel of healthcare industry experts focused on the role of innovation in the medical marketplace and examples of disruptive innovations that will change lives in health care.

Pfeiffer University’s own Dr. Howard Beatty, Professor of Health Information Management and IT Director at Atrium Health, moderated the event. Panelists included:

• Hector Joseph, Assistant Vice President and Enterprise Chief Architect for Advocate Health, is responsible for shaping the strategic vision from a technological perspective and ensuring alignment with the overall strategy of Advocate Health business needs.
• Bryan Foston, Assistant Vice President of Information & Analytical Services at Atrium Health, works with technology teams and business leaders to deliver major projects and programs across the organization. He has built and led highly engaged teams in healthcare IT for most of his career, supporting sales, IT strategy, development and operations for biotech, and pharmaceutical and hospital systems.
• Daniel James, as IT Director with Atrium Health, oversees the multi-tier IT service center, field services, embedded support, IT facilities project coordination, as well as other related functions. He has served 22 years in various IT roles including infrastructure operations and assistant CIO.

Disruptive innovation, a term coined by Harvard University professor Clayton M. Christensen, references a disruptive business model that leverages technology to help make products and services more accessible and affordable. Disruptive innovations in the field of health care include advances such as telemedicine, wearable devices and phone apps, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and electronic heath records. Other current disruptive innovations include retail clinics and point-of-care medical payments that are making a difference in how health care is delivered.

Many of the Pfeiffer University MHA program’s graduate students are adult learners, employed in the healthcare industry and looking to further their careers as life-long learners. The SME event series presents learning and networking opportunities with Charlotte’s leading healthcare innovators and is a valuable opportunity for students to apply lessons from leading research and innovations in health care to their work. The SME series’ collaboration with GCHEG takes place annually and seeks to engage thought leadership in various aspects of the field of health care. Attendees include Pfeiffer’s MHA students and faculty, as well as healthcare industry leaders of the greater Charlotte area.

“By participating in interactive, engaging discussions with experienced healthcare workers, students are better prepared for health care outside of the classroom. Students engage in conversations, research, and projects directly impacting the healthcare industry,” said Dr. Elisa Melvin, director of the Master of Health Administration program and Professor of Health Administration.

“As faculty, we encourage our MHA students to work on novel and innovative ideas that bring value to healthcare organizations. The SME series is a wonderful way to think together with experts about new and exciting ways to positively impact healthcare delivery,” she said.