Health Leadership

Story from Indiana Tech Magazine Fall 2021

University expands programs to meet global health challenges

As the world continues to navigate the coronavirus pandemic, the need for skilled and experienced leaders in a variety of health fields has only grown. Indiana Tech is helping meet this need through new and existing programs that help students pursue a wide range of health care careers.

Starting in January 2022, the university will launch three new programs in global health leadership:  a new master of science in global health leadership degree; a new concentration under its existing master of business administration degree; and a new graduate certificate. The programs are designed to help organizational leaders in business, health care, the non-profit sector, government and more address wide-ranging global health challenges and opportunities.

All three programs will be offered fully online. Students will learn about topics including global disease management, health care finance, global health leadership, decision-making for global health, and more. Classes in the four-course global health leadership certificate program are also credit bearing; those who earn the certificate can transfer 12 full credit hours into the 30-credit master’s programs at Indiana Tech.

The curricula for the new Indiana Tech global health leadership programs were developed through a collaboration between Indiana Tech’s College of Business, its Ph.D. in Global Leadership program, and Sue Ehinger, executive leadership coach and former Parkview Health Chief Experience Officer and President of Parkview Hospital & Affiliates. Collaborations like these, with industry experts and partner organizations, enable Indiana Tech to effectively tailor course and degree offerings to meet the needs of students and employers.

Dr. Kate Watland, Indiana Tech’s vice president for academic affairs, notes, “Now more than ever, the need for leaders in global health has never been clearer or more critical. The coronavirus pandemic has only magnified the need for leaders who are prepared to create and implement strategies and solutions to a broad range of global health challenges. With our experience in global leadership programs, our extensive non-clinical health programs, and our long history with technology and analytics, Indiana Tech is uniquely qualified to offer global health leadership programs like these.”

Sue Ehinger, Indiana Tech executive-in-residence and global health program leader, agrees, saying, “Meeting the health care challenges of today and tomorrow will take health care organizations, businesses, community members, non-profits and government agencies all working together. The new Indiana Tech programs are designed to develop that next generation of leaders who can work in collaboration to create more resilient, more responsive and more effective health systems in communities here at home and around the world.”

As noted by Dr. Watland, the new global health leadership programs add to Indiana Tech’s wide range of programs in health professions. The university’s health information technology and health information management programs are accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM), while its health care administration and health care management programs are part of its College of Business, accredited by the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE).

At the traditional undergraduate level on main campus, the university’s recently-introduced bachelor’s degree programs in biology and health science are also thriving. Students in these programs are preparing for careers in medicine, research, public health, medical technology, allied health fields, pharmaceuticals, and more. These programs have continued to attract a high-level of interest from prospective students interested in contributing to solving the challenges of today and tomorrow in health care and related fields.

Learn more about Indiana Tech’s extensive program offerings in health care and other fields by visiting academics.indianatech.edu.