Brigadier General R. Scott Dingle, MEDCOM Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7

Today’s guest is Brigadier General R. Scott Dingle, the director plans, operations, and training for the US Army Medical Command, also known as the MEDCOM G-3/5/7. BG Dingle has had an extraordinary career, including attendance at some of the Army’s most respected training schools, battalion and brigade commands, and combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.

I really enjoyed hearing BG Dingle’s career story, but I found his lessons for leaders at the end of the interview particularly striking. He uses a clever metaphor to talking about the need for leaders to never lose their bearing, to never forget they are always in the spotlight, and to never forget they are always part of a team, because when bearings work together they can move large things. He also uses bearing as an acronym:

B - Believe in yourself and God
E - Endure through tough times
A - Accept responsibility
R - Remain unconquered
I - Identify with others who are excelling
N - Never quit
G - Give to others

This podcast is being released just in time for Independence Day weekend, and it seems appropriate to reflect on the career of a dedicated military leader and combat veteran as we remember that freedom is not free.

Links to the Podcast:

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/healthleaderforge/bg-dingle-interview

Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-health-leader-forge

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/healthleaderforge/id981989377

Transcript: A transcript of the podcast is available here.


Podcast Outline

Time Topic
0:01:49 Educational background, majoring in Sociology and English
0:03:39 Getting involved with Army ROTC
0:06:50 Experiences in ROTC
0:08:02 Commissioned as a Medical Service Corps Officer (MSCO)
0:09:05 Medical Service Corps description
0:10:12 First duty assignment as a MSCO
0:12:10 The transition from ROTC to active duty
0:15:07 Initial leadership lessons in active duty
0:16:04 Decision to stay in active duty
0:17:08 The importance of company command
0:19:56 Decision to become an operator in the Medical Service Corps
0:23:44 Being a Medical Planner
0:24:34 Attending the School of Advanced Military Studies
0:27:10 Planning and coordinating delivery of health services in Afghanistan and Iraq
0:30:05 Lessons learned from working with foreign nations
0:31:12 Healthcare operations in the Office of Army Surgeon General
0:32:52 Difference between being a company commander and a battalion commander
0:36:12 Serving as a Brigade Commander for the Army Medical Recruiting Brigade
0:38:45 What is a Medical Brigade? Serving on the 37th Medical Brigade
0:41:50 Organizing and planning healthcare delivery in the G3
0:46:50 Goals for the G-3/5/7 Organization
0:48:20 Worries in the current role
0:49:30 Common misconceptions/understanding the Army Medical Department
0:52:52 Personal leadership philosophy
0:54:50 Characteristics of a good leader
0:57:20 What do you look for in a leader?
0:58:13 Leadership advice for young leaders


Links Discussed

Morgan State University

US Army Medical Service Corps

School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS)

Press Release About BG Dingle's assignment to the G-3/5/7

Army Medicine 2020 Campaign Plan



Thanks to Sameer Panesar for production support.

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Rev. Frank Macht, Director of Chaplaincy, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

Today we return to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and our guest is the Reverend Frank Macht, the director of the Chaplaincy. Frank is a minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, although he is originally from Germany. Together we reflect on his journey, as he refers to it, and the experiences he has had as he served and trained all over the United States, from Berkley, California, to Atlanta, Georgia, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Nome, Alaska and finally to Lebanon, New Hampshire.

Frank was first called to ministry as a hospital chaplain through a training program known as clinical pastoral education. His interest in this specialized form of ministry led him to become a clinical pastoral education supervisor, which allows him to supervise the clinical training of other chaplains.
In this podcast we discuss the training a hospital chaplain goes through, the role of the hospital chaplain, and specifically the role of the Chaplaincy at Dartmouth-Hitchcock.

I really enjoyed this interview because of Frank’s unique story and how he enhanced my own understanding of the role of the hospital chaplain and chaplaincy training. I think it’s important for healthcare leaders to understand what a well-trained chaplain can bring to the care team, and I think Frank does an excellent job of explaining that role.

Frank and I had a lengthy conversation about his career and the role of the chaplaincy. To produce this episode, unfortunately I had to edit out much of the conversation that was of interest to me, so I am posting two versions of the interview – the edited version, and the full-length interview.

Links to the Podcast:

Soundcloud: 

Edited: https://soundcloud.com/healthleaderforge/reverend-frank-macht-edited

Extended: https://soundcloud.com/healthleaderforge/extended-rev-frank-macht-director-of-chaplaincy-dartmouth-hitchcock-medical-center 

Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-health-leader-forge

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/healthleaderforge/id981989377

Podcast Outline

Time Topic
0:02:31 choosing to study theology in Germany
0:05:56 coming to the US and the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA
0:09:28 discovering Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)
0:14:27 role of the Chaplain
0:21:20 being an un-ordained chaplain
0:23:24 the meaning of "journey"
0:25:39 levels of training
0:26:54 the "verbatim" - self-evaluation
0:30:20 towards ordination - interning in Alaska
0:32:41 return to CPE at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, NM
0:35:16 business and industrial chaplaincy program at Emory University
0:36:51 starting CPE supervisor training at Presbytarian Hospital
0:38:00 a call to pastor a church in Nome, Alaska
0:43:15 manager, Spirtual Care, Providence Alaska Medical Center, Anchorage, Alaska
0:46:31 coming to DHMC
0:50:15 mission of the Chaplaincy - keeping the patient "human"
0:54:12 interacting with the academic mission of DHMC
0:57:41 religious diversity and specialties in the Chaplaincy
1:01:22 managing chaplains
1:05:05 looking into the future - chaplains and value-based care
1:07:31 what to understand about the role of the chaplain

Links to Topics Discussed:

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

DHMC Chaplaincy

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Stanford CPE

Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, NM

Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Nome, AK

Providence Alaska Medical Center

Providence Spiritual Care

Interesting article featuring Rev. Macht 
http://www.vnews.com/home/16615668-95/when-science-faith-clash

Pacific School of Religion

ACPE

What is CPE 

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Sheila Woolley, RN, NEA-BC, BSN, MPH, CNO and VP of Patient Care Services at Wentworth-Douglass Health System

Today’s guest is Sheila Woolley, the Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Care Services at Wentworth-Douglass Health System in Dover, New Hampshire. Wentworth-Douglass Health System includes Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, a 178-bed non-profit, acute-care hospital that employs 2,300 individuals with 1,700 FTEs, has 50,000-visits annually, and is a Level III Trauma Center. The Health System also includes Wentworth Health Partners, which include 23 primary care and specialty practices, and two express care facilities. As we discuss during the podcast, although Wentworth-Douglass is a community hospital, it has clinical affiliations with world-class academic medical centers that enable patients to access some of the best physicians in the region while staying at home on the New Hampshire Seacoast.

In this podcast we discuss Sheila’s career in nursing, the role of the CNO, how the nursing profession has evolved, and conclude with a discussion about leadership.

This is a valuable interview for any aspiring healthcare leader to listen to because Sheila really demonstrates through her career how leadership in healthcare transcends parochial roles, and the future of healthcare delivery will require a team-based approach.

Links to the Podcast:

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/healthleaderforge/sheila-woolley-cno-and-vp-wentworth-douglass-health-system

Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-health-leader-forge

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/healthleaderforge/id981989377

Podcast Outline

Time	Topic
0:02:15	Educational background, choosing to major in nursing
0:04:23	Initial mentors in nursing
0:05:55	Initial impressions about the nursing profession
0:07:03	Work as a staff nurse at Stanford Medical Center
0:08:55	Obtaining a BSN at UCSF
0:09:37	Pursuing a MPH at Boston University, value of the MPH degree
0:11:57	Work in administration at Dialysis Associates
0:13:16	Work as an administrative nurse at the University of California
0:14:53	Importance of having a good mentor
0:16:15	Work as a nursing director at the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas
0:22:28	Transition from patient care to administration and management
0:23:27	Lessons learned from the transition
0:24:31	Responsibilities as the director of the cardiothoracic division
0:26:51	Transition to the CNO and VP roles at Wentworth-Douglass   Health System
0:27:46	Why Wentworth-Douglass?
0:28:55	Wentworth-Douglass’s geography, size, location, history, and clinical affiliations with Mass General and Dartmouth-Hitchcock
0:34:02	Role of the Chief Nursing Officer
0:36:19	What it means to “promote a professional nursing practice”
0:39:10	Advantage of having baccalaureate nurses
0:40:45	Defining “shared governance”
0:42:39	Performance Improvement at Wentworth-Douglass
0:44:13	Defining and implementing “Patient-Centered Care”
0:48:13	Relationships with nurses outside of the department
0:50:10	Evolution of the nursing profession
0:52:12	Role of the Vice President of Patient Care Services
0:56:55	Senior Executive Team at Wentworth-Douglass, Board of Trustees Meetings
1:00:39	How the “Triple Aim” frames the future of healthcare
1:04:16	Personal leadership philosophy
1:06:24	Learning a leadership lesson the hard way
1:08:41	Leadership lessons you are proud of
1:10:35	What do you look for when you hire leaders?
1:14:20	The importance of organizational culture
1:16:00	How do leaders shape organizational culture?
1:17:24	Mentorship at Wentworth-Douglass
1:18:33	Advice for students looking to enter healthcare, nursing, or healthcare administration

Links to Topics Discussed:

Wentworth-Douglass Health System

Children's Health

The Triple Aim


Thanks to Sameer Panesar for production support!

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Roderic Olvera Young, Executive Vice President, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health

Today’s guest is Roderic "Roddy" Olvera Young, Executive Vice President, and Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health.

In this podcast, Roddy shares his nearly three decades of experience in communications and public relations in a wide variety of governmental and private organizations, among them including being the press secretary for NASA, as well as being a consultant for firms involved in public relations crises while working with MSL Group/TMG Strategies prior to coming to his current role at Dartmouth-Hitchcock.

This is a valuable podcast for any current or aspiring health leader to listen to because Roddy reveals some of the key mistakes leaders make when working with strategic communications and dealing with the press and provides insight on how to engage in a long term strategic messaging effort.

Links to the Podcast:

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/healthleaderforge/roderic-young-interview

Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-health-leader-forge

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/healthleaderforge/id981989377

Podcast Outline

Time Topic
0:01:47 Background, education, and coming to public relations
0:03:09 Press Secretary for Congressman Estaban Torres
0:09:54 Press Secretary for NASA
0:24:36 Comparing work on the Hill to work at NASA
0:25:56 public relations crisis management with MSL Group/TMG Strategies
0:46:47 transition to Dartmouth College, then Dartmouth-Hitchcock
0:48:45 about Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System
0:52:20 about the communications and marketing team at DH
0:54:40 the difference between marketing and communicaitons
0:56:38 how his work history prepared him for his current role
0:57:30 WII-FM - telling meaningful stories to engage the audience
0:59:58 healthcare communications vs. other industries
1:02:33 managing communications for a diverse organization
1:05:10 branding and brand management in health care
1:07:12 strategic messaging
1:08:47 mistakes healthcare leaders make when dealing with the press
1:10:08 social media and the PR landscape
1:14:01 lessons learned the hard way
1:18:16 professional organizations
1:19:58 advice to early careerists interested in communications

Links to Topics Discussed:

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health

Communications and Marketing at Dartmouth-Hitchcock

NASA

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Laura Curnan, Executive Director, High Point Village Retirement and Assisted Living Community

Today's guest is Laura Curnan, the Executive Director, High Point Village Retirement and Assisted Living Community in Enumclaw, Washington. Laura has been the Executive Director at High Point since 1990, coming to assisted living management after having worked in retirement community management.

In this podcast we talk about how assisted living works, what kind of services are provided, and how the industry fills a niche between retirement communities and nursing homes.

Laura talks about creating a community that is welcoming and comfortable for her residents, and that "brings retirement to life."

This was an educational interview for me because I personally have not had much exposure to the assisted living industry, but clearly this is an industry that will continue to grow in importance. Today there are over 30,000 assisted living facilities in the United States providing care for more than one million residents (SBDC), and it is poised to continue to grow with the aging of the Baby Boom generation.

Links to the Podcast:

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/healthleaderforge/laura-curnan-executive-director-high-point-village-retirement-and-assisted-living-community

Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-health-leader-forge

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/healthleaderforge/id981989377

Links to Topics Discussed:

High Point Village

Village Concepts

American Health Care Association

Assisted Living Federation of America

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Dr. Kenneth P. Anderson, D.O., M.S., CPE, Chief Operating Officer for the Health Research & Educational Trust

Today’s guest is Dr. Kenneth Anderson, DO, the Chief Operating Officer for the Health Research and Educational Trust, a subsidiary of the American Hospital Association in Chicago, Illinois. In this podcast, we trace Ken’s career in medicine, from his training in both family practice and internal medicine, then as nephrologist and kidney transplant specialist, followed by his movement into the physician executive ranks, specializing in quality and data management as the Chief Medical Quality Officer for the NorthShore University HealthSystem before his current position as COO of HRET. As the COO of HRET he helps to influence health policy at the national level through research and educational programs.

I really enjoyed speaking with Ken about his career – his passion for medicine and improving the quality of care for patients at the individual and system level is evident in everything he has done.

ADDENDUM: Since the recording of this podcast, Dr. Anderson has been promoted to Acting President of HRET and Acting Senior Executive for Health Improvement for the AHA (American Hospital Association). 

Links to the Podcast:

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/healthleaderforge/anderson-interview

Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-health-leader-forge

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/healthleaderforge/id981989377

Podcast Outline

Time	Topic
0:01:47	Educational background, choosing to enter the medical profession
0:04:00	Going to medical school, osteopathic vs. allopathic medicine
0:06:47	Residencies in family practice and internal medicine, falling in love with nephrology
0:09:50	Fellowship in nephrology
0:10:55	The “Physician Identity”
0:12:40	First jobs after residency & fellowship training at Iowa Lutheran (IL)
0:14:17	First experiences in a leadership role at IL
0:15:25	Early clinical career experiences
0:16:58	Furthering education through an executive program in health management, a master’s degree in administrative medicine, and the college of physician executives
0:18:55	Initial involvement in Quality Improvement (QI)
0:20:53	Work as Chief Medical Quality Officer at the NorthShore University HealthSystem
0:22:05	Transitioning away from clinical practice
0:24:16	Work as Co-Director of the Center for Clinical Research & Informatics at NorthShore
0:26:58	Developing a mobile application to distribute health informatics, passion for health informatics
0:28:04	Information on the Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET)
0:29:07	Interaction between HRET and the American Hospital Association
0:30:51	Governance structure of HRET
0:32:09	Interaction between the President and COO of HRET, Ken’s role as COO of HRET
0:33:39	Staffing and organizational structure of HRET
0:34:37	Obtaining revenue at HRET
0:35:14	Business lines at HRET
0:36:10	Areas of research at HRET, sharing research results with other hospitals and health systems
0:38:25	Being a researcher vs. running a healthcare delivery system
0:39:58	Day in the life of Ken Anderson as COO of HRET
0:41:45	Importance of the physician perspective in healthcare delivery research
0:43:45	The “Physician-Executive Identity”
0:45:03	Personal leadership philosophy
0:45:52	What makes a good leader?
0:48:23	Learning a difficult leadership lesson
0:51:24	How to evaluate the performance of leaders
0:52:09	The importance of organizational culture, influencing organizational culture as a leader
0:54:08	The importance of mentorship, mentoring other leaders
0:57:50	Involvement with and importance of professional organizations
0:58:46	Advice for clinicians, others interested in healthcare management

Links to Topics Discussed:

Health Research and Educational Trust

American Hospital Association

NorthShore University HealthSystem

Iowa Lutheran Hospital




Thanks to Sameer Panesar for production support!

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