Innovators

Santa J. Ono, PhD, a biomedical researcher and president of the University of British Columbia, assesses COVID-19's impact on higher education —and society as a whole —in the latest edition of the higher education podcast Innovators.

Just as COVID-19 has taken a disproportionate toll on the health and wellbeing of some population groups (e.g., senior citizens, people of color, and individuals with underlying medical conditions), the pandemic will hit some academic institutions — or categories of academic institutions — much harder than others, Ono said.

A child of Japanese parents, Ono grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia, attended the University of Chicago for undergraduate studies, then returned to Canada to earn a doctorate in experimental medicine from Montreal's McGill University. He did post-graduate work at Harvard University before joining the medical faculties of — in chronological order — Johns Hopkins University, University College London, and Emory University in Atlanta.

Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.

*The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Ajit Yoganathan – The Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Chair in Biomedical Engineering & Regents' Professor at The Georgia Institute of Technology – joins Innovators to talk about his history in biomedical engineering and the background on the field as a field of higher education. Dr. Yoganathan and host Dr. Rick Skinner also conclude their conversation talking about how biomedical engineering could be a "catalyst" to solve problems like COVID-19.

According to Dr. Yoganathan, his Cardiovascular Fluid Mechanics Lab at Georgia Tech "focuses on understanding complex cardiovascular problems using fundamental engineering and science. The main objective of my lab is to provide answers to life-saving clinical questions using engineering approaches."

Dr. Yoganathan earned his bachelor's degree from the University of London in 1973 and his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 1978. His lab has evaluated (directly or indirectly) all prosthetic heart valves in use in the United States since 1975.

Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.

*The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Donna Petersen joins Innovators to talk about how the coronavirus has shown a spotlight on the good and the bad of America's public health system. In the early stages of America's battle with COVID-19, Dr. Petersen talks about the public's knowledge and understanding of the country's health system and how state and federal lawmakers and healthcare professionals are dealing with the crisis.

Dr. Petersen is a masters and doctoral graduate in maternal and child health from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, and is an author of many publications. She has been honored for her work in public health by the American Public Health Association, among many others.

Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.

*The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Adrianna Kezar, Director of the Pullias Center for Higher Education at the University of Southern California, joins Innovators to examine the state of higher education when viewed against harsh criticism, external factors, and the facts around enrollment, faculty, and the changing workforce. Dr. Kezar and Innovators host Rick Skinner also talk about an aging faculty, tenure-track professors, and how to make space for the new wave of university professors.

Dr. Kezar is also the Dean's Professor of Leadership and a Wilbur-Kieffer Professor of Higher Education at USC and directs the Delphi Project on the Changing Faculty and Student Success there. She is a highly sought after expert on the matter of the changing faculty in higher education. She earned her PhD in Higher Education Administration at the University of Michigan.

Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.

*The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Mónica Bugallo, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Stonybrook University, joins Innovators to talk about STEM and efforts to improve science and technological learnings.

Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.

*The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. Jacqueline Travisano – Executive Vice President for Business and Finance and Chief Operating Officer of the University of Miami (FL) – joins Innovators to talk about being an operational and strategic leader at the institution from her position as COO. She also talks about working with and implementing the strategic plans of the university president and the rest of the executive level.

Dr. Travisano holds a Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, an M.B.A. from Chatham University, a B.S. in Business Administration from Robert Morris University.

Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.

*The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Lesa Roe, Chancellor of the University of North Texas System, joins Innovators to talk about how she manages and operates UNT System, its facilities and its strategies across many different institutions.

Roe also is the CEO of the UNT System, and joined the university system after 33 years in various leadership positions at NASA, including Acting Deputy Administrator, a role similar to a COO. She is the first woman to hold the position of Chancellor at UNT.

Chancellor Roe holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Central Florida.

Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.

*The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. James Dean, President of the University of New Hampshire, joins Innovators to talk about the state of his university, its in-state tuition rates, its status as a research institution, and how it will evolve in the future. Dr. Dean and Innovators host Rick Skinner also discuss questions around the public's trust in higher education and likewise in many other types of major institutions.

Dr. Dean became the 20th president of UNH in 2018 and has served for more than 30 years in higher education. Before becoming president at UNH, he served as executive vice chancellor and provost at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Dr. Dean earned his Ph.D. in organizational behavior from Carnegie Mellon University.

Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.

*The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

The leadership of Northern Illinois University – President Lisa Freeman, Executive Vice President and Provost Beth Ingram, and Vice President for Administration and Finance and Chief Financial Officer Sarah McGill – joins Innovators to talk about how they manage to affect change at a large university and what it means to be part of a largely female leadership team at NIU.

Dr. Freeman was appointed president of Northern Illinois University in September 2018. She earned a bachelor's degree in 1981, then a master's degree and a doctor of veterinary medicine in 1986, from Cornell University. She then spent nearly two decades at Kansas State University before her time at NIU.

Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.

*The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*

Dr. David Nash, Dean Emeritus and Founding Dean Emeritus and the Dr. Raymond C. and Doris N. Grandon Professor of Health Policy at the Jefferson College of Population Health, joins Innovators to talk about the definition of population health as opposed to public health, and how to tackle the specific challenges that come with 21st century healthcare.

Dr. Nash earned his MD from the University of Rochester and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a principal faculty member for quality of care programming for the American Association of Physician Leadership.

Innovators is a podcast production of Harris Search Associates. The show is produced by Grant Burkhardt.

*The views and opinions shared by the guests on Innovators do not necessarily reflect the views of the interviewee's institution or organization.*