Healthcare Delivery Systems

MHA, health administration, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI; BS, international business, Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, MI

Frederick Bw’Ombongi is the VP for operations and clinical and support services, formerly VP for access management, at Allina Health. Before that, he was interim VP for operations at KentuckyOne Health (CommonSpirit), providing leadership in the delivery of strategic, financial, quality, and operations results. He also worked at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in various leadership roles. Fred cofounded two nonprofits, Opening Village Doors Foundation, which fights poverty in Kenya through entrepreneurship and student scholarship, and the Refugee Education Center in West Michigan. Fred started his PhD program at UMN in fall 2023.

• Healthcare Delivery Systems (HSM 3521)

"In the heart of healthcare lies a simple truth: every voice matters, every story counts. As future healthcare leaders, let us champion a system where diversity is celebrated, equity is the standard, and empathy and compassion drives every decision. Together, we can build a healthier, more just world — one inclusive step at a time. Our Healthcare Management (HM) program helps create a great foundation where students thrive with innovation, open perspectives and passion to effect change and meet the needs of our growing and diverse communities."

MHSA, health services administration, Florida International University; BA, business administration, Interamerican University of Puerto Rico

Frances Fernández has over 25 years of experience in both nonprofit and for-profit executive healthcare leadership in a variety of settings, including home health, hospital-based outpatient services, research and education, assisted living, and consulting. She is particularly interested in human development and minority empowerment, and works fearlessly to promote inclusivity, diversity, and equity in healthcare services. Frances is an advocate of mental health awareness and education and organ donation and in her professional career has received accolades and recognition for quality initiatives and multi-million dollar grant allocations for access, increased and improved healthcare services for the HIV/AIDS population. She enjoys teaching and developing course materials as well as mentoring our future healthcare leaders.

Frances has been a member of the CCAPS DEI Faculty Committee and CCAPS Student Success subcommittee among other groups, where she has collaborated to effect changes and improvement in diversity, equity, inclusivity, and belonging as well as continued student success initiatives for the program and the College. 

For more about Frances' career and visions for the HM program, read "A New Era in Healthcare Management" and "Putting the 'Care' in Health Care." You can learn more about the HM profession in this Field Notes video interview featuring Frances.
 

• Exploration of Healthcare Management Careers (HSM 3001)
• Health Care Delivery Systems (HSM 3521)
• Directed Study (HSM 4193)
• Inclusive Excellence: Equity and Performance in Healthcare (HSM 4521W)

Dr. Joshua Pearson has been teaching healthcare administration at the undergraduate and graduate levels since 2018. Before moving into academics full-time in 2022, Joshua primarily worked with Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in the Midwest in a variety of leadership roles supporting revenue cycle, quality, patient safety, risk management and health information technology. He has also worked as a consultant for a statewide primary care association. Joshua currently works as a senior research fellow with The Harkin Institute, where he engages in research focused on Social Security and public insurance programs. He also maintains professional certifications in healthcare quality and finance through the National Association for Healthcare Quality and the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

• Healthcare Delivery Systems (HSM 3521)

MHA, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota; MPA, School of Medicine and Public Health, and RN, School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Joe is a hospital medicine physician assistant. He serves as the Medical Director for Hospital Quality at Hennepin Healthcare, where he cares for hospitalized patients and works collaboratively to improve safety and outcomes. He believes team-based care and mutual respect are critical to achieving the quadruple aim in healthcare (improving the patient experience, improving population health, reducing costs and enhancing provider well-being). He is especially passionate about promoting the value of each team member, such as in the implementation of hospital multidisciplinary rounds. His other interests include clinical decision support, patient and family engagement, de-implementation science and patient safety.

• Healthcare Delivery Systems (HSM 3521)