Tiffany’s CareerEDGE Corner
CAHL Career Advice
Tiffany offers a place to discuss career options, ask questions, and get career advice, interview tips, and more resources for job seekers.
Questions, Answers, and Comments
From Clinical Practice to Executive Leadership
From Clinical Practice to Executive Leadership: Two Kaiser Permanente leaders reflect on how their clinical backgrounds shaped their journey to executive leadership. By Renee Clarke, DrPH, MPH, RN and Deborah Ellis, PhD, FACHE, CPHQ Every healthcare executive brings a...
Interview Nightmares: Major Pitfalls to Avoid When Interviewing for Your Next Healthcare Leadership Role
Written by Amber Campbell, CEO Ambulatory Sutter Health Greater Central Valley Pursuing your next leadership opportunity? Well, the interview process can be both exciting and risky. While candidates often focus heavily on polishing their resumes and rehearsing common...
Volunteer and Member Spotlight: Dr. Deborah Ellis
Name: Dr. Deborah Ellis, PhD, MPH, MS, MT(ASCP), CIC, AL-CIP, CPHQ, FACHE Getting to know me: Please tell us a bit about what you've been doing as a volunteer, and why you chose that particular role. I currently serve on both the Clinical Leadership Committee (CLC)...
Mentor Spotlight August 2026: Allison Lam
Name: Allison Lam Title & Organization: Executive Director, Health Care Services, Alameda Alliance for Health Describe your CAHL Formal Mentor program cohort experience. It was my pleasure to serve as a mentor for this cohort. CAHL did an excellent job creating a...
20 Year Anniversary of CAHL: Sign up for the CAHL Annual Awards Today!
2006. Three healthcare leadership chapters across Northern California decided to merge into one organization. No playbook for it. Just a conviction that healthcare leaders across the state deserved a unified community. Not three fragmented ones. That's how CAHL...
How the Coastal Local Programming Committee Is Advancing CAHL’s Legacy Through Education, Service, and Collaboration
How the Coastal Local Programming Committee Is Advancing CAHL’s Legacy Through Education, Service, and Collaboration July 23, 2026 Coastal Local Programming Committee By: Lacretia Pearson, MBA CIR Co-Chair Coastal LPC As the California Association of Healthcare...
Reinventing Your Professional Brand After a Career Pivot
Reinventing Your Professional Brand After a Career Pivot By Ricky Chahal and Michael O’Connell, FACHE Career pivots rarely feel strategic in real time. They feel like uncertainty, calculated risk, and stepping into the unknown, often while you’re still expected to...
Asking Insightful Questions in Healthcare Interviews
Asking Insightful Questions in Healthcare Interviews - (A practical framework with real-world examples for early career, mid-career, and executive candidates) By Stacey Aggabao In healthcare, the questions a candidate asks are not courtesy; they demonstrate leadership...
The transformative impact of da Vinci 5 standardization on Virtua Health clinical, operational, and economic outcomes
By: Intuitive Faced with the growing demand for minimally invasive procedures and the desire to offer 24/7 access to da Vinci technology, Virtua Health undertook a comprehensive revision of its robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) staffing model. Their approach—focusing on...
California Pride at Work: Belonging, Leadership, and Psychological Safety in Healthcare
By Christa Camarillo, M.Ed., CEP Healthcare professionals spend their careers helping others feel safe. We create environments where people can heal, ask difficult questions, navigate uncertainty, and trust they will be met with dignity. We care for patients through...
Message From Your ACHE Regent – Spring 2026
"The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership." — Harvey S. Firestone Fellow Healthcare Leaders, Leadership is not a solo endeavor. The strongest leaders invest in others, celebrate excellence, and create opportunities for future leaders...
Mentee Spotlight | Medeina O’Neal
Name: Medeina O'Neal Title & Organization: Nurse Manager ll, Kaiser Vallejo Mentor Name: Allison Lam Describe your CAHL Formal Mentor Program cohort experience. Participating in the CAHL Formal Mentor Program was a highly rewarding and transformative experience....
From Mentorship to Sponsorship: Accelerating Careers in Healthcare Leadership
By: Robyn Ply, MHA, RT(T) From Mentorship to Sponsorship: Accelerating Careers in Healthcare Leadership In healthcare leadership, professional growth is rarely a solo journey. Careers are shaped not only by technical skills and experience, but by relationships;...
The Nursing Paradox
By Bridget K. Burke If you are a nurse, or thinking about going into nursing, you may be hearing two very different messages about its future. One message is that the future of nursing is bright. Americans are aging, chronic disease is rising, and patients will need...
Celebrating Heritage, Leadership, and Equity
Celebrating Heritage, Leadership, and Equity By: Simurtej Singh As we celebrate the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month this May, it is important to honor and remember those who are leading or have left a legacy in creating a more...
Volunteer Spotlight | Ashley Oates
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 with the Higher Education Network (HEN) Committee, where we’ve recently enhanced our efforts to support students and early- and...
From Responsibilities to Results: How Healthcare Leaders Communicate Quantifiable Outcomes
By: Casey Whitmore & Michael A. O’Connell Healthcare leaders rarely struggle with effort—they struggle with translation. Many professionals can describe what they’re responsible for yet hesitate to articulate what changed because of their leadership. But hiring...
Don’t Miss CAHL Congress 2026: Building on 2025’s Success
With the 2026 CAHL Congress on the horizon, CAHL President Corina Clark, MPA, FACHE shares a reflection on the powerful connections and lasting impact of the 2025 Congress. “When I think back on last year’s CAHL Congress, one word comes to mind, energy. With over 350...
The Importance of Storytelling in Interviews: Using Narratives to Showcase Skills, Impact, and Leadership
By: Kathryn Wise and Stacey Aggabao Interviews are rarely won on credentials alone. Most candidates already meet the technical requirements, so what differentiates them is how clearly, they demonstrate experience, judgment, and impact. This is where storytelling...
Celebrating Women’s History Month in Healthcare: Advancing Gender Equity
By: Kimberly Browne, LCSW, ACM-SW, ACSW, FACHE and Tiffany K. Martin, MSEE, Certified CHW, CPC As we commemorate Women's History Month, it is crucial to honor the achievements of women in healthcare and reflect on the ongoing journey toward gender equity. This...
When Clinicians Lead: Translating Care Experience into Organizational Impact
By: Ashley Oates, Yev Ostrovskiy, and Dan Nguyen Long before they were leading organizations, many healthcare executives were caring for patients and learning lessons that continue to guide how they lead today. This article features conversations with two healthcare...
Volunteer Spotlight | Shelly Bolton
Please tell us a bit about what you've been doing as a volunteer, and why you chose to take that particular role. "I have volunteered with CAHL for several years, beginning on the Awards Planning Committee, led by Shasta Addessi, FACHE, while pursuing my MHA and...
Insider Insights: An In-Depth Look Into Candidate Selection & Evaluation
By: Carmela Soto, CMA, BSBM, MSOL In today’s job market, plagued by daunting uncertainty, endless job applications, ghosted candidates, and a vast amount of competition in our ever-changing digital age, many job seekers are searching for the golden key that will...
Resilience & Hope: Acknowledging the Journey of Black Healthcare Professionals & Black Patients in Healthcare
By Dr. Pamela A. McAfee, Ed.D, MPA. OTR, CDE® and Tiffany K. Martin, MSEE, Certified CHW, CPC I. Introduction – Healthcare in the U.S. The experiences of Black clinicians and patients in the U.S. healthcare system cannot be separated from a broader historical context...
How to Navigate Tough Interview Questions with Confidence
By Samantha Lal In today’s competitive and rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, tough interview questions are more than formalities—they’re opportunities for leaders and emerging professionals to demonstrate resilience, readiness, and alignment with an...