Jan Dreachslin, professor of health policy and administration at Penn State Great Valley, is serving as lead investigator of a major research project for the National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL) looking into the role diversity initiatives play in organizational performance, including culturally and linguistically appropriate patient care. The three-year research project is made possible through a $500,000 grant from Sodexho.
Robert Weech-Maldonado, associate professor of health services research, management, and policy at University of Florida, serves as co-principal investigator on the project, which began in the fall. Project investigators are currently finalizing the assessment portfolio for the project while the NCHL recruits the diversity coach and three participating major health systems, both of which should be completed early this year. From that point forward, the study will be in full swing.
"This project has the potential of generating groundbreaking research to inform executive office and board room issues confronting healthcare today," said Sodexho's Global Chief Diversity Officer and Advisory Council Member, Rohini Anand. "We expect this demonstration project to offer insights into the impact of diversity and cultural competence on performance at healthcare organizations, including the impact of leadership structures on critical outcomes such as patient safety."
The NCHL, established with funding by the Kellogg and Robert Wood Johnson foundations, was formed to revitalize healthcare management. Dreachslin, who resides in Media, was principal investigator of a 2003 NCHL-sponsored study of factors affecting career advancement for women and people of color in healthcare management, and in 2004-2005 provided consultation on four NCHL research-to-practice initiatives that are grounded in that research. She has taught at Penn State Great Valley since 1991.
