Strategic Healthcare LeadershipCornell

Certificate Program

Healthcare organizations and the physicians who run them often approach the task of management in much the same way as they approach a patient: they quickly identify symptoms or problems, make a diagnosis or analysis, and develop a treatment plan or solution. While this technique may work when making decisions about day-to-day operations, it's inadequate for evaluating the overall health of an organization and for making long-term survival plans. Effective strategic planning requires healthcare managers to shift their perspective from being a service organization to being a business.

This course teaches you several models to help you lay the foundations of a strategic plan based on the existing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing your organization. Ultimately, you will learn how to collect the right data to help you evaluate whether to invest in, discontinue, or develop certain products and services to ensure any strategic plan you devize will be profitable and in alignment with your organization's mission and vision.

Many medical groups develop strategic plans that are never implemented because the plans did not articulate how to measure progress, did not assign resources to do the work, and did not consider how to report on the goals.

This course asks you to apply organizational information you've gathered using analysis tools such as SWOT, BCG, and Porter's Five Forces to develop a strategic plan that includes specific details about who, what, when, where, and how to work on each of the agreed-upon strategic goals.

Ultimately, this course will equip you with the tools to be able to develop a comprehensive strategic plan that involves the right stakeholders and that aligns with your organization's core mission and values.

The ability to make effective and timely decisions is an essential skill for successful executives. Mastery of this skill influences all aspects of day-to-day operations as well as strategic planning. In this course, developed by Professor Robert Bloomfield, Ph.D. of Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management, you will hone your decision-making skills by following a methodology based on tested actions and sound organizational approaches. You will leave this course better equipped to confidently tackle any decision large or small, and you'll do so in a way that creates the optimal conditions for success.

All leadership is change leadership. Good leadership isn't about stagnation; it's about moving ahead. In this course, Cornell University's Professor Samuel Bacharach, Ph.D., explores the fundamental, practical skills that effective leaders have mastered.

Effective change leaders do three things; they anticipate where things are moving, they facilitate the implementation of change, and they sustain momentum by taking charge and moving things ahead. Great change leaders know how to be both proactive and reactive, as Professor Bacharach explains. Students in this course will examine their own leadership styles and practice skills that will help them translate ideas into organizational results, find ways to overcome organizational inertia, and examine strategies for overcoming individual resistance to change.

What is process thinking? How can it help you improve your healthcare organization?

In this course, you'll explore the concept of process thinking and access several reusable tools to help you develop and improve processes at your organization. You'll examine how to spot what's wrong in a process and determine solutions to those problems.

How can you ensure your organization is providing a service that meets the expectations of both patients and guests? Are there ways your organization could improve customer satisfaction while reducing costs?

In this course, you'll explore how to measure quality and diagnose what's causing issues with quality in your organization. You'll also explore methods for improving processes while maintaining quality at your organization.

Symposium sessions feature three days of live, highly interactive virtual Zoom sessions that will explore today’s most pressing topics. The Leadership Symposium offers you a unique opportunity to engage in real-time conversations with peers and experts from the Cornell community and beyond. Using the context of your own experiences, you will take part in reflections and small-group discussions to build on the skills and knowledge you have gained from your courses.

Join us for the next Symposium in which we’ll discuss the ways that leaders across industries have continued engaging their teams over the past two years while pivoting in strategic ways. You will support your coursework by applying your knowledge and experiences to relevant topics for leaders. Throughout this Symposium, you will examine different areas of leadership, including innovation, strategy, and engagement. By participating in relevant and engaging discussions, you will discover a variety of perspectives and build connections with your fellow participants from various industries.

Upcoming Symposium: February 11, 12 and 13, 2025 from 11am – 1pm ET

• Tuesday, February 11, 2025 11am – 1pm ET
• Wednesday, February 12, 2025 11am – 1pm ET
• Thursday, February 13, 2025 11am – 1pm ET

All sessions are held on Zoom.

Future dates are subject to change. You may participate in as many sessions as you wish. Attending Symposium sessions is not required to successfully complete any certificate program. Once enrolled in your courses, you will receive information about upcoming events. Accessibility accommodations will be available upon request.