CARE Leaders Program launches to strengthen connections across Heritage College

Fourteen faculty and staff members from across the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine gathered in Athens Sept. 24-25 for the launch of the college's inaugural CARE Leaders Program, a new nine-month professional development and engagement initiative designed to strengthen connections among employees while deepening their understanding of the college's mission and strategic priorities.

The program, created through HCOM's Strategic Engagement Initiative, brings together faculty and staff from across the college's three campuses for a series of in-person and virtual learning experiences running through May. Participants will visit all three campuses while learning more about the people, programs and partnerships that support the college's mission of training osteopathic physicians to improve health outcomes across Ohio.

"What makes the Heritage College special is the people who bring our mission to life every day. The CARE Leaders Program gives faculty and staff the opportunity to step outside their day-to-day roles, build relationships across campuses and gain a deeper understanding of the many ways we work together to serve our students and communities,” said Interim Senior Dean Jennifer Gwilym, D.O. (’03). “When people feel connected to one another and to our shared purpose, great things happen. I'm excited to see how the relationships and insights developed through this program will strengthen our college and help advance our mission across Ohio.”

During the kickoff event in Athens, participants toured several key areas of the college, including the Heritage Translational Research Center currently under construction, and learned more about the anatomy lab, Body Donor Program, technology in the Active Learning Classrooms and the mobile health unit. The cohort met with Health Affairs leadership to learn more about the division and with college leadership.

The CARE Leaders Program was developed in response to employee feedback gathered through Gallup engagement surveys. According to Beth Maxon, associate vice president of operations in the Division of Health Affairs, employees consistently expressed a desire for stronger connections with colleagues and a deeper understanding of the college's mission and impact.

Evin Jerkins, assistant clinical professor in Primary Care on the Dublin campus, said that’s what he found appealing about the program. After attending the first session, Jerkins said he was energized by the opportunity to meet colleagues face-to-face.

"It was incredible to spend time with and learn about so many people I have seen in emails or talked to on the phone but never met in person," he said. "The biggest surprise was learning about all the cool and innovative things HCOM is doing and leading in the community."

He hopes the experience will help him grow both personally and professionally.

"I hope to walk away a more rounded person, a better teacher, physician and colleague. We all give a lot of our time to the places we choose to work, and I see my position as so much more than a job," Jerkins said. 

Other participants shared similar impressions.

Jaime Alspach, academic program administrator, said she applied because she wanted to collaborate with high-performing colleagues from across the college.

"I am hoping to come away with a deeper understanding of all parts of HCOM and form strong relationships with those in other areas of the college," Alspach said. "Together I believe we can help fix pain points, inefficiencies and strengthen HCOM."

Alspach said the experience made her feel appreciated as an employee.

"I liked that our name tags didn't have credentials listed, and that the feeling was truly that we all had something unique and important to bring to the table," she said.

For Associate Director of Student Affairs Austin Shinhearl, who has been in the role on the Cleveland campus for less than a year, the program offered an opportunity to build relationships while learning more about how the college operates. 

"While every member of the cohort has a different job description and personality, it surprised me that we all already have a shared interest in the program's overarching theme of caring for those around us, connecting with others on a deeper level and contributing to the college as much as we can in different ways," he said.

Maxon explained that the college's CARE Chairs developed the program to foster belonging and engagement across departments, campuses and employee groups.

Guided by the theme "CARE. CONNECT. CONTRIBUTE.," the program encourages participants to strengthen their connection to the purpose behind their work, build meaningful relationships across the college and apply their talents to advance HCOM's strategic goals.

According to Maxon, one of the most rewarding aspects of the launch was watching those connections form in real time.

"Our biggest observation was that we wished we had more time together," Maxon said. "From the start, participants were fully engaged. They asked thoughtful questions, were eager to learn about different areas of HCOM and showed a genuine interest in understanding themselves and how they work with others."

The success of the kickoff event required support from faculty, staff and leaders across all three campuses. Terra Ndubuizu, senior director of administration on the Cleveland campus and a chair of the CARE Leaders programs, believes that widespread participation reflects a culture of caring that defines the Heritage College.

"When the idea for this program was shared, colleagues didn't hesitate to say yes," Ndubuizu said. "We care about each other, we believe in our mission and we're willing to work together to make a positive difference."

Bailey Shooner, director of human resources and operations and a chair of the CARE Leaders program, said the strongest takeaway from the first session was seeing relationships develop quickly among participants from different campuses and departments.

"It reinforced our belief that when we intentionally create space for people to come together, learn from each other and share experiences, meaningful relationships and a stronger sense of community naturally follow," said Shooner.

In addition to Jerkins, Alspach and Shinhearl, members of the first CARE Leaders cohort included Ann LaComb, Cory Warner, Dawn Graham, Kristine Ensign, Nicole Knapp, Rob Purcell, Ryan Blankenship, Samantha Metzger, Sarah Rubin, Taylor Noel and Yang Li. The CARE Leaders cohort will continue meeting through the academic year with both virtual and in-person sessions. Another face-to-face gathering is scheduled for early 2027 on the Dublin campus. Those who would like to be presenters in the program and share the work their team does, why it matters and how it connects to others are encouraged to recommend themselves or a colleague using the online recommendation form. 

"Our hope is to offer the CARE Leaders Program annually so that more staff and faculty can experience the connections, learning and sense of community it creates," Maxon said. "The first session showed us that when we make time to bring people together, meaningful connections happen."