Cardwell Comments - Winter 2025
Chrissy Bowdren <bowdrence@vcu.edu>
Chrissy Bowdren <bowdrence@vcu.edu>
Thu, Feb 19, 2026 at 10:42AM Draft
Seasons of Momentum at VCU HealthAdministration
The fall semester was a season of renewed energy and progress in the Department of HealthAdministration.
In her Cardwell Comments winter column, department interim char Saleema Karim, Ph.D., MHAreflects on rebuilding student residency site visits, strengthening connections with alumni and preceptors and the momentum created by having the right people and structures in place.
Together, the efforts are helping ensure the program continues to evolve alongside the rapidly changing health care landscape.
Read Dr. Karim's Full Message
As the federal government prepares to negotiate prescription drug prices,AdamAtherly, Ph.D., is leading an effort to determine whether methods for judging the “value” of new Alzheimer’s treatments are accurate — and whether they disadvantage vulnerable older adults. His work is part of a fiveyear, $2.34 million federal grant.
Get the Full Story
Mick
Lecturer Eric Conley on 'leading with humanity'
Sentara executive Eric Conley (center, seated with faculty and staff) headlined the 2025 Stephen S. Mick Lecture on Nov. 21. He urged students to “disrupt with humanity” while preparing for constant change in health care. Get a recap of his talk. Seated with Conley at his left is Mick, faculty emeritus and former chair of the Department of HealthAdministration.
More guest speakers from the fall semester:
Kelly Cassidy Sweet, Pharm.D., MSHA(VCU '15), director of medication policy and safety at Bon Secours Mercy Health, visited Health System Organization, Financing and Performance (HADM 602) to unpack recent IT developments in areas like pharmaceutical tracking.
Healthcare attorney Steve Gravely, MHA(VCU '80), founder and CEO of Gravely Group, walked students through the impacts of data sharing on performance and patient care.
"Beyond the Degree:Alumni Paths in HealthAdministration" was a virtual panel for MSHA students and featured Katherine Fowler, MHA(VCU '01) of Vanova Health, Benjamin Reigle, MHA(VCU '01) ofTarpon Health, and Sarah Kleinhample, MHA(VCU '20) with CBRE Healthcare.The panel was moderated by assistant professor Julie Beales, MD, Ph.D. (meet her below).
See a complete list of the outside experts who spoke with students this fall on our news roundup.
FACULTYNEWS
Longtime Richmond VeteransAffairs leader brings curiosity-forward ethic to MHAand MSHAprograms
Julie Beales, MD, Ph.D., MSHAjoined VCU this summer as an assistant professor and the department’s director of professional development, bringing with her two decades of leadership and clinical experience at the Richmond VAMedical Center (VAMC). In her new role, Beales leads a revitalized professional development curriculum for MHAand MSHAstudents.
Get to know Julie
Health services researcher on Yahoo!
Finance podcast
With a shortage of health care workers and an aging population, more families are forced to shoulder the financial and emotional burden of caring for their loved ones.Associate professor John McHugh, MBAPh.D., joinedYahoo! Finance's Decoding Retirement podcast to discuss his study on caregiving.
Check it out.
This June, VCU hosts the nation's only conference dedicated to health care organization and management research
VCU HealthAdministration will welcome leading scholars from across the country to the 2026 OrganizationTheory in Health Care (OTHC) Conference, June 24-26.Abstract submissions open in the spring, with full paper sessions, a poster walk, networking events and panel discussions scheduled for the conference. “It’s very competitive to secure a presentation at this conference, so you get the best of the best: the top minds in our field from the top universities," said associate professor Laura McClelland, Ph.D., who is leading planning.
IN MEMORIAM
She was 'all that was good about VCU'
Dolores Clement, Dr.PH, emerita professor of HealthAdministration, touched countless lives across three decades at the VCU College of Health Professions. Dr. Clement died onAugust 21. Read her remembrance in VCU News.
STUDENT UPDATES
Welcoming our new cohort — one of the biggest classes ever.
This fall, we welcomed 35 students to the MHAprogram, one of the largest cohorts in recent memory (pictured here). Meanwhile, over two dozen joined the MSHAprogram.
2nd row: Chase Keister, Lauryn McMillan, David Friedlander, Michael Pham, Sebastian Garcia Colon, Jackson Warters, ValentinaAlzate, Kaylin Huffman,Alisha Mughal, Jayna Reed, Sarah Yoon, Haniyah Johnson
3rd row: Samuel Dade, Jay Rainey,AlonzoTramiel Jr., Hayden Manyx, Samuel Wittenbraker, Cameron Mattex,Amilia Cabrera,Taylor Gray, Sydney Brookman, Lauren Siegel, Constance Patterson,Talia Chavis Not pictured: Jennifer Onodou,Anna Reiner
‘Kindred spirits’: Mentorship program creates a life-altering bond
Each year, we pair new students with alumni mentors to guide them through their studies, residencies and beyond. See how the mentorship helped second-year MHAstudent Delaney Stratton and taught mentorAshland Evans (MHA'13) a thing or two, too.
Third-year MHAstudent Madison Espiritu received theACHE Regent’s StudentAward at the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Leaders Summit in November.
First-year MHAstudents (L-R)Alex Santoli, Jay Rainey and Lauren Ma represented VCU at the DMV Case Collaborative hosted by Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
ALUMNI & GIVING
OrthoVirginia's William Clinton (MHA'15) reflects on decade of
Save the Dates
March 3, 6 p.m.: ACHEAlumni
Ten years after earning his MHAfrom VCU, William Clinton has emerged as a seasoned executive shaping musculoskeletal care across Virginia.
Now executive director for OrthoVirginia’s Central and East regions, Clinton oversees a rapidly growing footprint: over 20 orthopedic and physical therapy sites with hundreds of total employees.
Get to know Clinton
Reception |ACHE 2026 Conference, Chicago, IL
More information
April 17, 9 a.m.: Johnston Memorial VCU MHAGolf Classic |The Golf Club at the Highlands, Chesterfield, VA
More information
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Chrissy Bowdren Director of Outreach and Professional Affairs
Department of HealthAdministration College of Health Professions
Virginia Commonwealth University bowdrence@vcu.edu