Six N.C. A&T Students Gain Industry-Level Healthcare Experience Through BHLI Partnership

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Nov. 25, 2019) – Six North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University students gained a unique perspective recently through the Bluford Healthcare Leadership Institute (BHLI), a program developed by current Board of Trustees member John W. Bluford  to cultivate the next generation of healthcare leaders. Bluford is a national innovative leader in the healthcare field whose career has spanned four decades in executive leadership.

This years’ cohort members, Tyler Baker, Biology; Avery Pardue, Biology; Medinah Rashid, Architectural Engineering; and Cole Riley, Political Science, spent 16 days in Kansas City, Missouri, gaining a comprehensive overview of healthcare leadership from leading executives in the field.

Additionally, Elijah Evans, Finance student, worked in the Department of Corporate Finance at Duke University Hospital, reporting directly to the assistant vice president for finance and CFO of Ambulatory and Emergency Services. Teeghan Wiggins, a Bioengineering student, interned at the University of Kansas Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute designated cancer center.

“I learned more about healthcare than I ever imagined through the Bluford Healthcare Leadership Institute,” said Rashid.  “From one of the many excellent presenters, I also was challenged to ‘Try not to be just a person of success, but a person of value as well’.”

BHLI Scholars received in-depth insight and information in the fields of public health and policy, behavioral health, health law and healthcare information technology while analyzing contemporary issues with various industry leaders, from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City; American Hospital Association; CulturaLink; America’s Essential Hospitals; Cone Health; and Atrium Health, among others.

“I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the many initiatives that healthcare systems are taking to address issues impacting health outcomes in their communities. The fact that hospitals are addressing social determinants of health and using creative methods to promote access to and quality of care for their communities was encouraging to me,” said Pardue.

Twenty-four A&T students have participated in the BHLI since its founding in 2013 with additional internship sites including Allscripts Solutions; Cone Health; Delta Dental of Minnesota and Hennepin Health; Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital; Maryland Hospital Association; Saint Luke’s Hospital; and Walgreens Pharmacy.