DHA News

The Central Michigan University Doctor of Health Administration Alumni Student Network (DHA ASN) is proud to recognize and celebrate Dr. Sonia Vasdev Jain, DHA Cohort 2014, on her appointment as System Director of Accountable Care Services at Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS)! 👏 After successfully serving in this role in an interim capacity since June 2026, Dr. Jain has officially been officially selected to lead this important area of healthcare operations. With more th

The Central Michigan University Doctor of Health Administration Alumni Student Network (DHA ASN) is delighted to recognize and celebrate Dr. Donna Purvis, DHA Cohort 2020, on her exciting new leadership appointment as Vice President, Partnership Success at Ensemble Health Partners! 👏 This outstanding career milestone reflects Dr. Purvis's continued commitment to healthcare leadership, organizational excellence, and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare del

The Central Michigan University Doctor of Health Administration Alumni Student Network (DHA ASN) is proud to recognize and celebrate Dr. Philip Eappan, DHA Cohort 2017, on his exciting new leadership appointment as Vice President / Vice Chair of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Canada!👏 This outstanding professional milestone reflects Dr. Eappan's commitment to healthcare leadership, professional excellence, and advancing the healthcare administration pro

The Central Michigan University Doctor of Health Administration Alumni Student Network (DHA ASN) is excited to recognize Kate Hodgkins (Cohort 2023) on an academic milestone: her first scholarly journal publication! Publishing in a scholarly journal is a significant accomplishment that reflects dedication to research, professional development, and contributing to the growing body of knowledge in healthcare. On behalf of the DHA ASN community, we extend our warmest congratulat

The Central Michigan University Doctor of Health Administration Alumni Student Network (DHA ASN) is excited to celebrate Dr. Alton Knight’s new role as System Director, Nursing Workforce & Capacity Management, at Cook County Health! This exciting career milestone reflects Dr. Knight’s continued commitment to healthcare leadership, workforce development, and organizational excellence. His new role offers a wonderful opportunity to make a meaningful impact on nursing workforce

Central Michigan University (CMU) Doctor of Health Administration (DHA) alumni demonstrated how healthcare leadership, professional expertise, and a commitment to service extended beyond geographical boundaries to make a meaningful difference in underserved communities. Dr. Elizabeth Studley and Dr. Naomi DeShore supported Kenya Relief, a nonprofit humanitarian organization dedicated to improving access to healthcare, education, and essential services in Migori County, Kenya.

The CMU Doctor of Health Administration Alumni Student Network (DHA ASN) is proud to recognize Eric Price, DHA, Cohort 2023, for sharing his expertise in an upcoming webinar focused on the logistical challenges hospitals face with healthcare supply chain management and the use of predictive analytics to help ensure critical supplies remain available when needed. At Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital, Eric has also been involved in a two-year initiative to strengthen internal proce

The CMU Doctor of Health Administration Alumni Student Network (DHA ASN) is proud to recognize and congratulate two of our distinguished DHA alumni, Dr. Philip Eappen, DHA, CHE (Cohort 2017) and Dr. Ruiling Guo, DHA, MPH, MLIS, AHIP (Cohort 2011), on the publication of Enhancing Healthcare Informatics with Transparent and Explainable AI, now officially published by Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into clinical deci

The Central Michigan University Doctor of Health Administration Alumni Student Network proudly congratulates Dr. James A. Johnson on his retirement and on being granted the distinguished rank of Professor Emeritus, effective August 1, 2026. This well-deserved honor recognizes Dr. Johnson’s more than 24 years of dedicated service to Central Michigan University and his extraordinary commitment to the School of Health Sciences. Through his teaching, mentorship, scholarship, and

We are proud to recognize Stormie Wakemup, CMU DHA Cohort 2024, for her continued leadership and commitment to education within the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal community. As a member of the Board of Regents at Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College, Stormie reflects on graduation season as a celebration of educational sovereignty, cultural identity, and the accomplishments of emerging language keepers, artists, scientists, and business leaders. A proud alumna of Saginaw Chippewa Tribal

Congratulations to Stormie Wakemup, CMU DHA Cohort 2024, on her election as Trustee Vice Chair of the Michigan Community College Association Executive Committee, beginning July 1st. This appointment is a meaningful recognition of Stormie’s leadership and strengthens the representation of Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College and Anishinaabe women within Michigan’s community college leadership. We proudly celebrate this outstanding achievement and the important voice she brings to t

Congratulations to Dr. Philip Eappen, CMU DHA Cohort 2017, on the publication of AI in Healthcare: A Transparent Approach to Informatics, now available worldwide through Taylor & Francis Group. This important collaborative work explores how artificial intelligence can be integrated into healthcare while remaining transparent, explainable, and ethically grounded. We celebrate Dr. Eappen, his co-editors, and the contributing authors whose expertise is helping shape the future o

Congratulations to Eric Price, CMU DHA Cohort 2023, on presenting at the inaugural Becker’s Rural Healthcare Leadership Summit. Eric participated in a panel discussion focused on payer-provider partnerships and how strong, collaborative relationships can improve the economic health of rural communities, hospitals, and entire regions. This is an outstanding opportunity to contribute to an important national conversation about healthcare leadership, sustainability, and communit

Congratulations to Mary Tripod, Cohort 2020, on her new role as Chief Operating Officer at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central and Northern New Hampshire. After a thoughtful transition from healthcare leadership, Mary has found a role that aligns her expertise in operations and leadership with meaningful community impact. We look forward to the positive difference she will make in this next chapter. Wishing you continued success, Mary! https://www.linkedin.com/posts/marycaintri

Please join us in recognizing Kate Hodgkins, Cohort 2023, for her continued contributions to impactful research and scholarship. Kate actively advances work focused on workplace mental health and well-being among faculty, staff, and graduate students in health professions education. Her research explores critical issues such as burnout and loneliness, with important implications for organizational policy and practice. Her work has been presented at the Annual Research Symposi

The 9th Annual Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions Research Symposium brought faculty, staff, and students together to share their latest research projects. Sara Boykni, Cohort 2024, recently presented her qualitative research at Central Michigan University—a meaningful milestone in her doctoral journey. Her study, Between Crisis and Cost: Public Accounts of Emergency Healthcare Billing , explored how individuals describe their experiences with emergency

I am excited to share that Cody Traffanstedt, MHA, FACHE, CMPE, Cohort 2024, has joined the ambulatory leadership team at Baptist Health - Central Alabama as Director of Operations, Surgical Services. In this role, Cody will help lead and advance surgical services across Central Alabama’s River Region and surrounding communities. This appointment reflects a strong commitment to operational excellence, patient-centered care, and healthcare leadership. As a member of DHA Cohort

The 9th Annual Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions Research Symposium brought faculty, staff, and students together to share their latest research projects. Grateful to have my poster included at The Herbert H. & Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions Annual Research Symposium. Thanks to Ella Kenworthy for assisting as a second coder in this qualitative study and for presenting on my behalf, and to Dr. Lana V. Ivanitskaya for her guidance and sup

We are proud to recognize Silva Boumajhed, Cohort 2024, on receiving the Distinguished Service Award from the California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Honored to receive the Distinguished Service Award from the CA Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics . This recognition reflects a shared commitment to advancing our profession, strengthening our voice, and advocating for the value of the care we provide. I’m grateful to the mentors who guided me, the colleagues who challe

It was an honor and privilege to be inducted into the @deltaomega public health community Grand Valley State University chapter. Also, was honored to present my research on dropout rate at the Michigan Public Health Association Epidemiology Conference at GVSU. More importantly was seeing how epidemiological research are transformed into actionable policies that have helped to transform and improve populations health around Michigan. It was awesome time catching up with public