As director of Bryant University’s School of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Kirsten Hokeness, Ph.D., is immersed in the evolving world of healthcare — from emerging trends and industry demands to innovative learning opportunities. Her goal? To prepare students with the critical thinking skills and interdisciplinary knowledge needed to make meaningful contributions within their fields.
Below, Hokeness shares her insights on the future of healthcare and how Bryant is positioning students to lead with impact:
ON AI INTEGRATION: “Every student graduating from SHBS must take at least one course in AI. For instance, our ‘Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare’ course engages students around the idea of applications of AI in the system, including the latest research, opportunities and challenges, and essential ethical components.
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Societal challenges have impacted the healthcare system for a long time, including access to care, workforce shortages, affordability, and equity. According to a study from Bain & Company and KLAS Research, 70 percent of providers and 80 percent of payers have an AI strategy in place or in development and are moving from broad-based exploration to targeted implementation. While AI poses significant challenges, it provides great opportunities for solving problems from an operations standpoint — such as enhancing diagnostics and getting treatments faster; however, delicate integration is paramount as we must think about patient privacy, data privacy, ethics, and people's lives being at stake. Ultimately, the promise of innovation must be matched by the necessity of careful integration in healthcare.”
ON FILLING EXISTING NEEDS: “We're focused on how Bryant can be a facilitator for workforce development within healthcare and help alleviate existing issues. In the clinical realm, the Physician Assistant Studies and Doctor in Clinical Psychology programs are providing clinical facing roles to address local and nationwide shortages. Meanwhile, our Health Informatics and AI program allows graduate students to apply their desire to be in the healthcare space through data-driven roles.”
ON HANDS-ON LEARNING: “We excel at putting coursework into action. Engaging students early and often, ideally starting in their first year, is paramount to their success personally and professionally. Whether it’s shadowing a field they’re exploring, earning patient-care hours for graduate school, working in a research lab, or pursuing international opportunities, practical engagement enables students to find the right path for them while building hands-on skills to amplify everything they are learning.”
ON BREAKING DOWN SILOS: “Adding business acumen to students’ classical training in health and behavioral sciences is important for being able to talk across those silos. Often, you've got business folks on one side and scientists or clinicians on another side, and they don't understand each other. That's a barrier to solutions, so it’s important that we create a workforce that has the capacity to understand and communicate effectively about challenges to drive innovation effectively.”
ON FOSTERING PARTNERSHIPS: “We're focused on ROI and providing students with enhanced career pathways. A lot of students with science majors require graduate training, so one of our goals is to create opportunities that connect them with strategic institutional partners. We've been working to generate a series of opportunities for Bryant students with top universities in the region – many of whom are connected to world-class hospital systems. Additionally, by hosting events like Bryant’s annual Healthcare Summit and engaging with healthcare employers, we can be nimble in our curriculum to respond to employers’ needs.”
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ON SCIENCE EDUCATION: “Trust in science is declining at a rapid pace. Scientific literacy is an essential skill and gives students tools to succeed in areas beyond that discipline (think: analyzing data, questioning assumptions, evaluating evidence, thinking critically). It's important to enhance scientific literacy so society can make evidence-based decisions on health-related issues, the environment, and technology, which impact all of us daily. For folks in healthcare, it's important to understand why there are hesitations and how to communicate effectively with patients.”