CEO for A Day — Eneida Roldan
One of the biggest challenges facing the healthcare industry is the growing physician shortage. According to a report released this year by the Association of American Medical Colleges the U.S. faces a projected shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians by 2034. As the COVID-19 Pandemic has clearly shown us there is already a vast inequity in the level of service and access for minority populations, rural communities, and people without medical insurance. Should the number of properly trained, actively practicing doctors continue to decline at the anticipated rates those who will suffer the most will be these same groups.
As we address these inequities and attempt to reverse the current declining trend, I feel that it is my duty to do any and everything I can to encourage the next generation. So when I was approached a few years ago by the Talent Development Network (“TDN”) to participate in their inaugural CEO for a Day Conference I accepted gladly. Launched as a way to address the “brain drain” in Miami, the TDN is an economic and career development program that focuses on substantive internship opportunities for high school students. It is the collective effort of Miami’s seven major educational institutions — Barry University, Florida International University (FIU), Florida Memorial University, Miami Dade College, St. Thomas University, the University of Miami and Miami-Dade County Public Schools — along with the Miami-Dade economic development agency, the Beacon Council. Working with corporate partners, the TDN seeks to build and retain talent and align academic curriculum with industry needs.
CEO for a Day is now in its third year and has grown into an annual, community-wide talent initiative aiming to connect Miami’s future leaders with South Florida CEO and C-suite executives for a day of mentorship and shadowing. For the 2022 Life Sciences and Technology session, Walfredo Leiva, Director of Human Resources at Leon Medical Centers, and I engaged in a virtual conversation moderated by Efigenia Gonzalez-Duran, Associate Director, FIU Career and Talent Development. Our discussion was followed by a networking and Q&A session with the students in attendance. The opportunity to directly address the students’ questions and concerns and to provide guidance on how best to pursue their calling was a priceless experience not only for them, but also for me.
As a healthcare administrator, I know that we must deal with the dearth of healthcare personnel now. But at the same time we need to focus on creating a talent pipeline for the future. I have been honored to participate in the three CEO for a Day events held to date and am grateful to TDN for providing us a platform in which to interact with and encourage the next generation.
For more information on the Talent Development Network, click here
About Eneida Roldan: Eneida is a dynamic physician leader, a vibrant teacher and mentor, and a dedicated board member with service on an array of for-profit and not-for-profit boards. She has held executive positions in a full range of health care settings, including private and public hospitals, academic medical centers, and entrepreneurial medicine in the field of wellness and health promotion. She is passionate about advocating for diverse women in leadership positions and providing strategic solutions to improve business efficiency and effectiveness, while ensuring inclusive healthcare to all. Her most recent accomplishment has been providing crisis management throughout the pandemic to the Miami community.
