For further information contact:
Marie E. Sinioris
National Center for Healthcare Leadership
Phone: (312) 755-5018

NCHL SELECTS SITES FOR SECOND PHASE OF UNIVERSITY DEMONSTRATION PROJECT
Project Aimed at Enhancing Education of Future Healthcare Leaders

CHICAGO, March 27, 2006 -- The National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL) said it has selected six university programs as demonstration sites for its Graduate Health Management Education Demonstration Project, initiating the second phase of the program that was launched two years ago. The university programs are:

• University of California (UCLA) – Los Angeles, CA
• University of Missouri – Columbia, MO
• University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, NC
• Rush University – Chicago, IL
• Texas A & M University System – College Station, TX
• Texas Woman’s University – Houston, TX

“We were honored to receive applications to participate in the demonstration sites from some of the most prestigious graduate health management programs in the country,” NCHL President and CEO Marie E. Sinioris said. “It recognizes the interest and importance that these programs place on competency-based learning and outcomes assessment, and their desire for greater accountability in health management education.”

The first phase of the program is entering its third year with the original four demonstration sites – University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, Simmons College, and University of Washington – now integrating the NCHL Health Leadership Competency Model into their curricula as part of the process of transforming their graduate programs.

“As we add additional sites to our Graduate Health Management Education Demonstration Project, we will be able to add more research and information to the field to influence and enhance the preparation of healthcare’s future leaders,” Sinioris said. “Our work with the graduate healthcare management programs is a critical step towards improving the quality of healthcare delivered in the U.S.”

NCHL also said that its Web cast on Curriculum Mapping, Analysis, and Planning drew an excellent response from Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) members, with nearly 40 graduate and undergraduate programs participating.

NCHL and AUPHA announced in January 2006, that they would collaborate to expand the dissemination of NCHL’s learnings from the demonstration project to the broader academic community. In addition to the Web cast held earlier this month, in June a hands-on workshop using the NCHL Health Leadership Competency Model and other planning tools will be held in conjunction with the AUPHA Annual Meeting.

“One of the key goals of NCHL’s work is to broadly disseminate our research and learnings into the field for the benefit of the industry,” Sinioris added. “The participation from AUPHA’s members in our Web cast indicates the widespread interest that healthcare education programs have in adding competency-based learning and outcomes assessment to their programs.”

About the National Center for Healthcare Leadership
The National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL) is a not-for-profit organization based in Chicago. Its vision is to be an industry-wide catalyst to improve the health of the public through evidence-based leadership and improved organizational performance. For more information, please visit the NCHL Web site at www.nchl.org.

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