This quarter’s interview is with Kathleen Pine, a student with the Health Administration Section

Kathleen, why don’t you tell us about yourself? Are you married?  Do you have a family?

Yes, I have two wonderful kids -- 3-and-a-half-year-old identical twin girls.  Having them is one of the things that drew me to my current research.  I am a PhD candidate at the University of California, Irvine in social ecology, and we enjoy going to the beach and going on little adventures to explore our community in sunny Southern California :)
 
I see you have been a teaching assistant and have worked in research. What is your passion today, and what fields are you most interested in? How are those passions going to be integrated in your activity with the Health Administration Section of APHA?

My research interests are at the intersection of three fields: organizations and organizational behavior, informatics, and health services research.  Right now, there is a big push for health care organizations to adopt information technologies for documentation, such as electronic medical records.  I am fascinated by questions about how this transition impacts care -- I am interested in how information technologies support or interfere with the work of providers at the bedside and how implementation of new technologies changes the way that care is delivered.  With my background in organization science, the Health Administration Section seemed like a natural fit.  I hope my work will help managers oversee implementation of new information technologies in ways that maximize the utility of these systems and take into account the complex changes to individual and collective work practices that can accompany implementation of a new technology.     
      
What are your long term objectives? I see you are studying maternal quality care -- can you tell us about your goals in this area of study? Can you tell us a little about the paper you wrote that addresses the declining maternal care quality in Southern California?

I am especially interested in maternity care, which has tended to lag behind other segments of U.S. health care in terms of quality improvement.  I am working on a paper with Christine Morton, PhD, my mentor at the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative, that examines the changing landscape of quality measurement in U.S. maternity care.
   
What motivated you to participate in the Health Administration Section?

I really wanted to go beyond just attending the Annual Meeting get more involved in a section.  I am drawn to Health Administration because it brings together a wide range of administrators and researchers to talk about issues relevant to health administration.  I am looking forward to getting more involved over time. 
  
What do you plan to accomplish in the APHA Health Administration Section as a student, and how do you see that evolving as you become a full member with APHA?

Currently, I am student liaison on the Communications Committee.  I am hoping to help find ways for Health Admin Section members to continue to build a supportive community of administrators, researchers and students.  It would be great to see more ways for Section members to communicate with each other between the Annual Meetings, and I hope I can contribute to that effort in some way.  I look forward to staying involved and, as I evolve as a scholar, hopefully taking more of a leadership role on committees in the future. 

What do you derive from being part of our Section, and how can that value be used to encourage other students to become active members of our Section?

I think it is very important to get involved with a community of people who have similar interests.  That is a great way to get your grounding in a field, and getting involved as a student is a fantastic opportunity to learn from Section members who are already experienced in the field and also to meet other students who will be your colleagues for many years to come.
  
In what other way(s) do you plan on contributing to the success of the Section?

Simply contributing time, interest, and enthusiasm is a great way for anyone to support the Section, and that is what I plan to do.  I look forward to meeting more people in the health administration community over time and looking for small and large ways to contribute to the Section over time.

The Health Administration Section welcomes Katie and looks forward to her activity with our group. Welcome, Katie!