


Student Council Spotlight | Sayoni Mukhopadhyay
CAHL is profiling the 2023 members of the CAHL Hen Student Council. These early careerists are active in engaging peers who are building their healthcare expertise as they advance into and within the industry. School: University of California- San Francisco (UCSF)...
Mentorship Spotlight | Alex Aleman
Alex Aleman is a Senior Quality Specialist with Kaiser Permanente. He shares his insights as a mentee in the Spring 2023 Formal Mentor Program. Describe your CAHL Formal Mentor program cohort experience. “It was an amazing experience to be a mentee in the CAHL...
Volunteer Spotlight | Sanjit K. Sodhi
Sanjit K. Sodhi, FACHE, is involved with the Membership Advancement and Career Development & Transition committees with CAHL. Sanjit was one in a cohort of twelve 2022 ACHE’s Thomas C Dolan Executive Diversity Scholars. She is Chief Operating Officer for Kaiser...
Using Artificial Intelligence to Improve Healthcare Clinical and Financial Systems
By Bridget K. Burke As healthcare leaders, currently, our resources are being stretched thin, our operational teams are constantly grappling with challenges, and we are being driven to find solutions that optimize revenue cycle initiatives and streamline processes,...
Honing Leadership and Management Skills Through Structured Change
By Kelly Brian Flannery As the season of spring renewal passes into the languid warmth of summer, I’ve been reflecting on a new role I recently undertook, and how it has inspired me to break out of some professional stagnation by exercising my skills in new ways. My...
Applying Mindfulness to “Break Through the Wall”
By Christianna Kearns Recently, I was a panelist at HFMA’s Women’s Conference held at Danville, CA on May 5, 2023, discussing mindfulness in the workplace. As we prepared for the event, the other panelists and I discussed what mindfulness meant to us. From a research...
Student Council Spotlight | Jocelyn Dretzka
CAHL is profiling the 2023 members of the CAHL Hen Student Council. These early careerists are active in engaging peers who are building their healthcare expertise as they advance into and within the industry. School: California State University, Chico. In Chico the...
Mentorship Spotlight | Kristine Cannon
Kristine Cannon, MPH, FACHE, is Director, Quality Improvement at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. For more information on pairing as a mentee with one of CAHL’s 100+ mentors, or becoming a mentor yourself, check out CAHL’s formal mentorship program...
Volunteer Spotlight | McKenna Zoucha
McKenna Zoucha, MBA, is Co-Chair of the CA Valley Local Programming Council. In her role, she oversees programming for educational and networking events in her local area. Please tell us a bit about what you’ve been doing as a volunteer and why you chose to...
Entering into a New World: A Shared Perspective of ACHE 2023 Congress & My Personal Journey
By Balu Vignesh Thavidu Rajan As one of the millions of individuals chasing the American dream, I arrived in the United States in September 2022, to pursue my doctoral degree at Loma Linda University. Having lived, studied, and worked in three different countries...
Reflections on Passing the BOG Exam: Congratulations to Michael Cureton
In January 2023, Michael Cureton, MHA, FACHE, Chief Administrative Officer of Sutter Amador Hospital in Jackson, passed the Board of Governors exam to earn his FACHE, bringing another board-certified leader into the CAHL community. How do you see the FACHE credential...
Regent’s Message | June 2023 – Call for Regent’s Awards Nominations
Summer weather has come to California – I’m looking forward to the longer days and more opportunities to get outside. It’s also time for graduations – I wanted to send my congrats to all of the undergraduate and graduate students of healthcare...
Remembering Someone Special on Father’s Day
By Michael O’Connell Father’s Day is a special time to celebrate the contributions made by fathers throughout the United States. Fathers are as different and varied as each one of us. Everyone has a father however it takes a special person to be a Dad. My Dad lived...Champion Transformational Change by Taking Time to Understand Its Complexities
By Abraham Cicchetti The rapid evolution of healthcare technologies, treatments, policies and more can have a profound impact on the financial health of healthcare organizations, as well as on patients and other stakeholders. Transformational change within healthcare...
Volunteer Spotlight | Mateika Martin, MHA, EMT
Please tell us a bit about what you’ve been doing as a volunteer, and why you chose to take that particular role. I currently volunteer as the Vice Chair for the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee for the CAHL Chapter of ACHE. I started my ACHE...
Acute Care for the Elderly Units: A Primer
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Americans over 65 will number more than 77 million by 2034. Seventeen percent of these older adults are twice as likely as middle-aged adults to require hospitalization at least once a year (Covinsky & Palmer, 2021). They’re...2023 College Bowl Winner Announced
The 2023 Statewide ACHE College Bowl took place on Friday, April 21, at Concordia University in Irvine, Calif. Congratulations to CAHL HEN school Chico State! Chico State had two undergraduate teams participate and Chico State won both first and second place in their...
Volunteer Spotlight | Ryan deGive
Ryan deGive, FACHE, CPHIMS, is the newest Co-Chair of the CAHL Higher Education Network Committee and recently started a new role with Contra Costa Health System as a Health Service Administrator. Ryan received the Volunteer of the Year Award for Generating Pride and...
Student Council Spotlight | Angelina Cayabyab
CAHL is profiling the 2023 members of the CAHL Hen Student Council. These early careerists are active in engaging peers who are building their healthcare expertise as they advance into and within the industry. Program: UC Davis and UC Berkeley Future Plans:...
Policy Watch: Assembly Bill 425 – Medi-Cal Pharmacogenomics
By Chantelle Schenning and Megan Boyd Pharmacogenomics is the science of how an individual’s genetic makeup impacts the way they process medications, having huge impacts on whether the medication is effective, helps, harms, or potentially kills the patient taking it....
A Performance Review, Toddler Toys and Joy: Observations on professional and personal growth
By Nwando Eze I recently completed an annual performance evaluation. While I was grateful in all the areas of achievement, there were some areas where I could have done better in communicating with my team. To fill this gap, I decided to dedicate time to working on...
Mentorship Spotlight | Matthew Eagens
Matthew Eagens, MPH, is a Support Services Administrator with Kaiser Permanente in the East Bay Service Area. He shares his insights as a mentor in the Fall 2022 Formal Mentor Program. Describe your CAHL Formal Mentor program cohort experience. “It was a...
Spring 2023 Committee Updates
This past month, Nwando Eze, MD, FACHE, FAAP and Chair of the CAHL Clinical Leadership Committee, co-presented at the ACHE Annual Congress with Robin Betts, RN, CPHQ. Their topic was “Moving From Person-Centered to Equity-Centered Care: Strategic and Practical...Learning to Thrive “In the Gray”: Considerations for Rotation Program Participants
By Navpreet (Navi) Atwal, MHA, CAHL Secretary, Executive and Nominating Committee Several years into her professional career, CAHL Secretary Navi Atwal reached a point of inflection that meant she would have to choose one career path or another in order to advance in...
Leading Respiratory Therapists During a Global Pandemic
By Corina B. Clark, Co-Chair CAHL Coastal California LPC March 18th, 2020, was my first day as a leader in my new role. After years of being in management at UCLA Health, I decided to transition to a smaller community hospital closer to my family in Northern...
Understanding and Practicing Our Core Key Values and Beliefs
By Michael O’Connell, MHA, FACMPE, FACHE, CAHL Immediate Past President Every person has a set of core values and beliefs that he/she follows each day. Like any key value, they are something for which we must aspire to and they take time, effort, and energy to...
Back to Balance in the Art, Science, and Business of Medicine
By Michael O’Connell I’ve had the privilege of working with Dr. Halee Fischer-Wright, President and CEO of the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), on an MGMA committee, and she gave me a copy of her book “Back to Balance: The Art, Science, and Business of...
Student Council Spotlight | Yamini Dwarakanath
CAHL is profiling the 2023 members of the CAHL Hen Student Council. These early careerists are active in engaging peers who are building their healthcare expertise as they advance into and within the industry. Program: Executive MHA at The George Washington University...
Member Spotlight | Yevgeny Ostrovskiy
Yevgeny Ostrovskiy is involved with two CAHL committees related to career growth. He shares how networking with CAHL has led to meaningful connections have driven his own career and industry relationships forward. Please tell us a bit about what you’ve been...
Making the Pivot to a Health Tech Startup
By Sarah T. Khan Focus on people and quality, and money will follow. For years, this mantra has helped me achieve multi-million-dollar transformations at small and large health systems through improved productivity, efficiency, culture, and quality. But there are...
Cultivating a Mindset of Optimism
By Pauline Orr The mindset of optimism is a curious one that can be applied to both personal and professional situations and settings. It can come naturally to some, and for others, it’s a learned skill that must be honed over time. Optimism is not ignoring the...2022 HEN Scholarship Winners
Undergraduate Scholarship Winner Tehroop Notra CAHL: What school are you currently attending and what is your major? Tehroop: Currently I attend CSU, Sacramento where I am completing my undergrad in Public Health with an emphasis is Healthcare Administration. CAHL:...
Volunteer Spotlight | Kimberly Duangchai Lamountry
Please tell us a bit about what you’ve been doing as a volunteer, and why you chose to take that particular role. I currently serve as a member of the CAHL HEN committee and I am the Vice Chair of the CAHL Student council. In these roles, I bridge the connection...
Gratitude and Giving Lead to Quadruple “Wins”
Laura Palmer, DHA, CMT, CLT, knows that a culture of health starts with service. As a member of the CAHL Volunteer Outreach and Member Recognition Committee, she shares her passion for volunteering this month and encourages all members to seek out opportunities to...
7 Components of Leading High-Performing Teams: A Note from the Chapter President – December 2022
In the past I’ve attended a leadership retreat with over 600 participants focused on “Building the Bridge to Our Future.” We learned that communication is key and that we need to work together in teams to accomplish our goals. One exercise of the day was working in...
Reflections on Passing the BOG Exam: Congratulations to Connie Moss
In November 2022, Connie Moss, MBA, of San Francisco passed the Board of Governors exam to earn her FACHE, bringing another board-certified leader into the CAHL community. Connie is focused on optimizing patient experiences and shares below her thoughts on the FACHE...
Showing Gratitude for CAHL: A Note from the Chapter President – November 2022
The Thanksgiving Holiday is just around the corner, and it gives us pause to reflect on our many blessings. Giving thanks and showing gratitude are a part of our culture, and I wanted to take a moment to show my appreciation for CAHL’s many talents and gifts by...
Regent’s Message – Fall 2022
Year End Reflection As you approach the end of the year, it is an important time for leaders to self-reflect on how the year has gone, celebrate successes and develop plans for the new year, and think about priorities for your own personal development as well as the...Policy Watch: Oct. 26 Hearing on New Prenatal Screening Regulations
By Chantelle Schenning What we’re watching: Emergency DPH-21-008E Prenatal Screening Regulations On September 19th, 2022, these Regulations went into effect without a comment period or opportunity for stakeholder engagement and now apply to all Californians...Applying Transformational Leadership to the Collaborative Field of Radiation Therapy
By Cheryl Young, EdD, RT(T) This Sponsor Contribution is excerpted from the Master’s Thesis of the author and is reprinted with permission. Radiation Therapy, as defined by educators Perez and Brady (2008),1 is a clinical modality utilizing ionizing radiation to treat...
Reflections on Passing the BOG Exam: Congratulations to Nikhil Singal
This past month, CAHL board member Nikhil Singal, MHA, FACHE, joined the select group of CAHL members who have passed the Board of Governors Exam in Healthcare Management. Nikhil, who is Vice President of Operations with Sierra Health and Wellness Centers, prepared...HEN Committee Call for Action: Volunteer as a Scholarship Judge
September 2022 was quite the busy month for the CAHL Higher Education Network (HEN) Committee! Our biggest change was that a new Student Chair was selected: Tehroop Notra from Sacramento State. Tehroop will help lead the student council, which consists of CAHL Student...
Are You (Really) Listening? A Note from the Chapter President – October 2022
The Art of Listening – What Did You Say? I’m Sorry, I Wasn’t Listening! Listening has become a lost art. We are so busy multi-tasking and connected to our technology (smart phone, iPad, Siri, Alexa, iTunes, and laptop) that we don’t spend time communicating...
Regent’s Message – September 2022
As we reach the end of summer, I trust that you and your teams have taken time away from work to rest and recharge with friends and family. As we transition to a new “steady state” phase of the pandemic with new CDC guidance , we continue to be faced with challenges...
Member Spotlight | Carla Stanley
Carla Stanley, HC,BSN,RN,FACHE,HCM-BC,NEA-BC Chief Nurse Executive with Cal Corrections Health Care Services. Carla Stanley was honored with a 2022 Service Award at this year’s CAHL Annual Meeting, held in August 2022. Carla learned servant leadership at an early...Committee Updates: What’s Going On Behind the Scenes?
CAHL’s committees represent a growing network of healthcare professionals serving in volunteer roles to provide engaging learning and networking opportunities for our members. Here’s what some of them are up to this month. Those interested in getting involved...
Celebration Meals as the Key Ingredient to Fostering Belonging and Equity
In 2019, I began a program to offer celebration meals for holidays and cultural events to celebrate diversity through food and to highlight different cuisines. Not only did this effort serve as a way to encourage inclusivity through observances, but it also provided a jovial means of educating staff members, patients, and partners on culturally or religiously significant days throughout the year.

Honk! Beep! Beep! A Note from the Chapter President – September 2022
In our CAHL service area, work commutes can range from 30 to 150 minutes. Since COVID-19, many of you have a commute from your kitchen to your office – 10 steps within your home. Regardless of the commute, we all have time to think and can decide to be stressed, calm, frazzled, or relaxed. When we encounter traffic delays, we can make a conscious choice to be mindful or not. We can be emotionally reactive, angry, frustrated, and stressed during our commute, or we can make a choice and be mindful, relaxed, patient, and calm. I encourage you to work on creating a mindful perspective with these ideas to consider during your commuting time:

Regent’s Letter – March 2018
“Integrity is the essence of everything successful.” -R. Buckminster Fuller I am honored to offer this message written to complement this issue of the newsletter of our local ACHE chapter, the California Association of Healthcare Leaders (CAHL). But first, welcome to...
A Note From Your Chapter President – March 2018
CAHL has been a valued professional organization in my career, and I am delighted to serve as your chapter president for 2018.

Regent’s Letter – November 2017
I am honored to offer this message written to complement this issue of the newsletter of our local ACHE chapter, the California Association of Healthcare Leaders (CAHL).
ACHE National News
Updates on the 2018 premier Corporate Partners; an enhanced Executive Coaching Directory; ACHE Senior Executive Program; ACHE Executive Program; ACHE’s Leader-to-Leader Program; Board of Governors Exam Fee Waiver Campaign, ACHE member communities enhance membership experience; and more.
March 25, 2018 Congress Joint Networking Event
You are invited to join your ACHE colleagues across California for a joint networking reception with the California Association of Healthcare Leaders, Healthcare Executives of Southern California, and the San Diego Organization of Healthcare Leaders.
