Wow. It's been a really long and intense day. I'm just back to my room a little after 9pm. We started at 8 am today. We had a little later start yesterday so we had some "time" to make up.
Today's topics were very stimulating. This is a "Health Policy" course. It's all about policy and politics. On the surface it sounds boring but each seminar (in 4 hour blocks) has been fascinating to participate in.
The first seminar of the day was titled Health Policy and Politics of Health. We delved into two different organizations and their positions about health care reform. The organizations were AARP (supportive of health care reform) and US Chamber of Commerce (opposed healthcare reform). My bottom line take away is that policy and politics are about money and relationships....and sometimes the greater good is served. But usually the greater good is an after-thought.
The second seminar (4 hours) was titled "Identifying, Understanding, and Addressing Population Health Problems." We dug into the history of the Public Health System and where it has evolved to today. My take away from this session was...health care reform is going to pay for "sick care;" meanwhile well care and prevention programs will continue to suffer.
The evening seminar was titled "Preparing for Terrorism." We picked apart the oil spill in the gulf. Dr. Garner (the Dean) facilitated this session. Even though this event was an industrial accident, it could just as easily been the result of a terrorist attack. We had a deep and stimulating discussion about the how the policy and politics of this is playing out.
I'm enjoying this. Am ready to finish up though and return home. I get to go home Wednesday evening. By then, I'll have 2 courses behind me (except for the big paper that I have to write for the policy class).
I can't remember if I wrote about the dissertation yesterday or not. Bottom line, I have a pretty good idea of what I'll do my dissertation on -- effective models or traits for leadership transitions within an organization. This is going to be a huge issue as the baby boomer workforce retires over the next 15 years. Much of America's intellectual and practical experience and wisdom will be moving out of the workforce. What can we learn from prior experiences with effective leadership handoffs -- that'll most likely be my research topic.
It's time for some sleep now. Another long day tomorrow.
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