About Andrew Malley
Andrew Malley is the Chief Executive Officer of Dignity Health Global Education (DHGE).
Malley is an experienced higher education leader with over 18 years of experience in global education, in both the public and private sector.
In his role, Malley is responsible for all day-to-day business operations, developing partnerships with leading academic institutions, and spear-heading outreach to current and potential clients.
As a leader of DHGE, Malley firmly believes in providing high-quality and work-based learning to the healthcare workforce. He understands the substantial impact that industry and higher education can have when they work together in an effective, cohesive, and innovative way. Prior to joining DHGE, Malley worked, lived, and led projects in South Korea, Turkey, Italy, the United Kingdom, India, the United States, and across Africa, as a teacher, manager, and director. Through these experiences, he has firsthand knowledge of the positive outcome that education can provide to individuals and communities. Malley is a graduate of the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom and is a qualified teacher in languages.
About Dignity Health Global Education (DHGE)
DHGE offers online, industry-relevant education programs to healthcare professionals which address technical topics across various service lines, including nursing, IT, analytics, leadership, ethics, and entrepreneurship. We also provide exceptional ongoing development programs for administrative, technical and managerial employees. Visit us at https://dhge.org/.
Medical Travel & Digital Health News (MTDH): Could you provide our readers with some background information about Dignity Health Global Education (DHGE)?
Andrew Malley (AM): The idea for DHGE started a few years ago when I had a somewhat chance meeting with some executives with Dignity Health, one of the largest not-for-profit healthcare providers in the U.S.
Throughout the conversation, we came to the realization that the health system was spending millions of dollars per year without measuring the outcomes or return-on-investment for their education and workforce development programs. In fact, upon auditing, it was found that many healthcare professionals were choosing low-quality, for-profit programs from unranked institutions, usually due to financial constraints.
From that conversation, and many subsequent meetings, DHGE was formed. Today DHGE offers more than a dozen educational programs and works with leading educational institutions, including Duke CE, the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, U of A’s Eller Executive Education and the University of Exeter, to name a few.
MTDH: Give our readers some background on your professional experience and how you got involved with your company.
AM: I have nearly 20 years of experience in both the public and private educational sectors. I’ve taught in the U.S., U.K., Italy, South Korea — basically all over.
I’m passionate about finding ways to help excite people about knowledge and then use what they have learned to further inform and improve upon teaching.
I know world class learning will genuinely make someone better at their job and turbo boost their career and online learning is the great equalizer, no matter where you are or your schedule, you can make it happen.
MTDH: What groups benefit most from this program and its courses? Is it limited to healthcare providers or extended to healthcare workers in general?
AM: DHGE provides a wide-range of programs for healthcare professionals and allied industries.
Part of our vision is to provide every health worker with the opportunity to further their education through high-quality programs from some of the best institutions in the world.
There’s something for clinicians to administrators to those in marketing and analytics. It’s ideally suited for anyone from a physician moving into management positions, a nurse who wants to build leadership skills, an administrator wanting to understand compliance and regulatory issues, an RN looking to earn her BSN online, and much more.
All DHGE programs are developed with healthcare industry leaders for today’s healthcare workforce. Courses are offered through world-class universities and provide CE and CME credit.
MTDH: What can you tell us about the people who are taking advantage of your services?
AM: It’s been fascinating to see the type of people who want to further their knowledge and understanding of the industry.
We get a lot of nurses who are exceptional leaders but want to better understand the business-side of healthcare. We get people between jobs that want to freshen up their experience and show future employers their drive to succeed.
We also see a lot of professionals who know that times are changing and that to adapt, they need to have the knowledge needed for the industry today.
MTDH: Can you give some examples of success stories within the program?
AM: We have so many!
One that sticks out is a team of nurses from Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center in Globe, Arizona. These are nurses in a rural community who would have little opportunity to take classes from a well-known institution.
Yet, through our Certificate in Nurse Leadership with Duke CE, they were able to take a program that gave them insights into the business of healthcare and how to become better leaders. They took the program right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. and noted it was tremendously helpful in helping them cope with the crisis.
We are hearing quite a bit from students who acknowledge the value our programs have provided during COVID-19. It’s helped them become better leaders, motivate their teams, and communicate with leadership.
Of course, we also love hearing from students who received promotions soon after taking our programs. We recently conducted a survey and close to 60 percent of graduates report they have received a raise, promotion, gotten a new job, or taken on new responsibilities since taking one of our programs. Those are the stats that matter most.
MTDH: Tell me where you are and what your focus is in regard to the current pandemic. Are any courses focusing on COVID-19 within the healthcare workplace?
AM: A lot of our programs provide the skills and foundation needed to help workers manage the effects of COVID-19.
Leadership programs talk about the importance of teamwork, managing during a crisis, and teach resilience. As we start our next series of programs, there will be greater focus on areas related to COVID-19.
Most importantly, through connections with other students, those taking our programs will be able to reach out and connect with others to share insights and ask questions.
In January, we’ll be launching one of the first Mini-MBAs for the healthcare industry. This is a program ideal for anyone interested in gaining the business insights needed today but with limited time or resources.
The online Healthcare Mini-MBA — co-developed by Eller Executive Education, the leadership development arm of the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management, is a terrific course for physicians, nurses, administrators, and anyone looking to advance their career. It gives you the competencies and confidence to take on business, but students also learn with Olympians and Super Bowl winners to develop that champions mentality and bounce back from the adversity COVID-19 has presented.
MTDH: Which are the most popular, or helpful, courses to take?
AM: That’s like asking who is your favorite child!
I can’t answer that because we’ve worked very hard to make sure all our programs are relevant and useful. It depends on the individual and their needs and goals.
One of our first programs was the Certificate in Healthcare Leadership, developed in partnership with Duke CE. I also love hearing about nurses who go on to get their BSN or an administrator who is taking our Master of Global Management in Healthcare Services, which launched in August. (Note, the new intake launches in January 2021).
Additionally, because it’s so needed today, all of our learners get free access to Strength to Endure, our micro-course in resilience, which includes advice from leading experts in sports psychology, nutrition, and performance science on how to manage stress and remain resilient during a crisis.
MTDH: Are these courses available to international participants?
AM: Yes, our programs are online, making them accessible to learners anywhere inside and outside of the U.S. We have had students from China and the Middle East, for example.
MTDH: How will analytics help clinics with the ongoing pandemic? What will healthcare workers and physicians gain from these analytics courses?
AM: Analytics is not just about data. It’s about asking the right questions to identify useful solutions.
It’s about being honest about what the data shows and not using it to just fit your ideas.
It’s simply a fascinating area and one so needed in healthcare today. For example, think of how scheduling has changed since COVID-19. How many patients will we see? How many staff will we need? What’s our busiest time?
You can’t guess at the answers. Analytics can look at the data patterns continually and help organizations better staff, so they best meet the needs of their patients.
I hope that people that take this program learn how to use analytics to better address a wide range of organizational needs and challenges.
MTDH: Can you elaborate on the importance of workforce development right now within hospitals and outpatient clinics?
AM: One of the concepts we are beginning to explore is the monetization of Human Resources.
- How much does it cost to hire and train a new employee?
- What are the benefits of educating existing employees?
- Can we keep good employees in our system if they move?
We’re looking at ways to help institutions develop a blockchain approach to HR that combines information on an individuals’ skills, experience and perhaps even career goals that can be used to help ensure that good employees remain with an organization and are given the opportunities to improve their knowledge and skills.
We think it’s a concept that could save the industry millions of dollars and lead to more job satisfaction.
MTDH: What are the fees for the courses?
AM: Our programs are designed to be affordable for any organization or individual. Prices vary based on the program and length.
We publish our pricing information on our website where it is easily accessible. Visit www.dhge.org.
We also offer flexible payment plan options and have partnered with several tuition reimbursement providers — we want to make sure that anyone who wants to take one of our programs can do so.
MTDH: What colleges or universities are you partnering with for these courses?
AM: It’s important for us to work with organizations that are recognized leaders in their field.
We want our graduates to have certificates and degrees they can be proud of and we value the insights and knowledge the faculty with these organizations bring.
We work with universities ranging from Duke CE, to Arizona State University’s prestigious Thunderbird School of Global Management, to the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, to the University of Exeter in England. Information about the other great schools we work with is on our website.
MTDH: What sets this program apart from others?
AM: I think it’s that our programs are developed with industry, for industry and are underpinned by academic excellence.
What this means is we have actual healthcare experts who are involved in the program design from start to finish and make sure that there are assignments and case studies that directly relate to real-world situations learners will face.
Our instructors are experienced healthcare experts and they are readily available to communicate with students, answer questions, and provide the guidance needed to get the most from the program.
In addition, our programs use the latest science and insights in online education. Healthcare workers should be trained by the world’s best, that much we can all agree on, and this platform provides that.
MTDH: Where do you see this program growing within the next year? Are there any courses being added?
AM: Our programs are going to continue to grow and expand globally because of the type of courses we offer, the universities we work with, and our overall approach to learning.
We will continually add to our curriculum to ensure that it meets the needs of healthcare today.
We’re very excited about two upcoming programs. In January, we will launch one of the first Healthcare Mini-MBA programs co-developed with the University of Arizona’s Eller Executive Education. This is an exciting program for anyone who doesn’t wish to enroll in a full MBA — which can take years and upward of$100K — but wants to learn the fundamental business skills needed to be an effective healthcare leader.
We’re also launching a Leadership Academy with Duke CE that will include a comprehensive array of programs and resources on how to be the most effective leader you can be. Contact us at [email protected].