Educating Our Smartest Kids to Tackle the Big Problems in Healthcare

I was intrigued by the topic Larry Gold suggested in his email inviting me to speak, so I have taken it up as my title, with variations on his theme. I plan to reflect a bit on the nature of the problems we face--his “big problems”--in health care and beyond, a bit on the kind of leadership those problems demand, and a bit on the educational culture in which I think the needed leadership qualities have a chance of flourishing. I’ll draw on some experiences as a college president, on some readings, and on some of what I am able to see from a perch on the governing boards of five nonprofit organizations.