 Diane, Manager, Healthcare Strategy and Design for Ford Motor Company
UM SPH Degree: M.H.S.A.1989/Dr.P.H.1998, Health Management and Policy
Why did you choose the University of Michigan School of Public Health?
The UM School of Public Health Management and Policy program was ranked #1 nationally. It has lived up to its reputation. The educational experience was incredible!
What are the benefits/challenges of working in public health at a large corporation?
The joy of working in the corporate sector is being able to tackle issues of strategy and design that encourage an alignment of incentives for the patient, payer, and provider. We continue to strive for: 1) a robust health information system and standards, 2) a payment system that rewards the right thing in care happening efficiently, 3) access and quality care for all, and 4) enabling gains for a patient-centered care delivery system.
Because of Ford, I've had the good fortune to be involved in leading a cutting edge public quality reporting project, implementing the Medicare D drug subsidy and addressing the challenges of retiree health care. I am deeply grateful to both Ford and UM for making this possible.
How did you decide to pursue a career in the field of public health?
I have been committed to health administration and policy since I was in fourth grade. I always knew what I wanted to be and to do – to work for real change in the system that improved patient quality of care. My father was diagnosed with a dread, chronic condition when I was in grade school and the experience that I had as a visitor and on-looker to care, and the many challenges my father faced in receiving appropriate care were motivating to me. He was a brilliant man and I knew when I was young that his caregivers and providers were not trying to do a sub-par job. Rather, the absence of a system of integrated care that supported quality and value was the real problem.
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