In this episode of the Healthcare Plus Podcast, Quint Studer talks with Christine Schuster, Craig Nesta, and Michael Tracy from Emerson Health about a simple idea with big impact: build your own leadership pipeline and protect it, even in lean years.

They walk through Emerson’s end-to-end approach: paid summer internships embedded in real operating units, a structured mentoring lattice (direct manager, peer “buddy,” senior leader), and a one-year administrative fellowship that moves emerging leaders from classroom theory to hands-on management and, often, into first-role leadership. You’ll also hear how partnerships and a clear values stance keep the organization nimble while developing people who share its mission.

What you’ll learn:

• How Emerson structures paid internships (mid-May to mid-August), embeds students in practices, and supports them with a manager + buddy + senior mentor model.
• What its one-year administrative fellowship includes (early operational ownership, standards and accountability, and coached “reps” before promotion).
• Why Emerson protects development dollars during budget pressure and how that stance ties directly to performance and culture.
• Practical tactics for recruiting nationally and creating visible on-ramps from intern, to fellow, to first leadership role.
• How partnerships (e.g., regional systems and specialty providers) complement the internal pipeline to keep the organization agile.

Smart, repeatable, and ROI-minded, this conversation is a playbook for any system serious about growing leaders who fit the culture and stay.

Christine Schuster, RN, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer, Emerson Health
Christine (Chris) Schuster has served as Emerson Health’s president and CEO for two decades, following CEO roles at Quincy Medical Center and Athol Memorial Hospital and earlier service as COO for Tenet’s Saint Vincent Healthcare (Extended Care Division). She serves on multiple regional health and business boards and advisory groups and has been recognized by Boston Magazine among the “Most Influential Bostonians,” along with honors from the Boston Chamber, Massachusetts Health Council, and ACHE. Chris holds an MBA (with honors) from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BS in Nursing from Boston University.

Craig Nesta, JD, MBA, MS, Vice President, Emerson Practice Associates; Administrative Fellowship Director

Craig Nesta oversees Emerson Health’s physician practice enterprise and directs the system’s Administrative Fellowship Program, leading national recruitment, placement, and mentoring. He brings 25+ years in healthcare administration, with prior faculty roles at Boston University School of Public Health and Stonehill College. A longtime accreditation leader, he served the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education—including as chair of the Accreditation Council—and is a past board member of AUPHA. Craig is a fellow of ACHE, HFMA, and MGMA.

Michael (Mike) Tracy, Administrative Director, Emerson Health
Mike Tracy leads multi-service-line operations at Emerson Health. A Boston College graduate with an MHA from Virginia Commonwealth University, he began at Emerson as a summer intern, returned for a yearlong Administrative Fellowship, and advanced through roles including Practice Manager and Senior Practice Manager to his current post. An active member of HFMA’s MA/RI Chapter, Mike serves on the chapter’s board and has chaired the New to Healthcare Leadership Conference planning committee.

In this special episode of the Healthcare Plus Podcast, hosts Dan Collard and Quint Studer welcome the founders of uLeadership—Kay Kennedy, Lucy Leclerc, and Susan Campis—to announce uLeadership’s addition to the HPSG family of companies and to unpack the research and practice behind human-centered leadership.

Kay, Lucy, and Susan share uLeadership’s origin story: three experienced nurse leaders who met in 2019, burned out by overachieving, work-all-day-and-night leadership, decided to study the kind of leader nurses would follow to the ends of the earth. Their IRB-approved research validated a framework that puts connection, well-being, trust, and excellence at the core—and gave rise to Human-Centered Leadership in Healthcare.

They discuss real-world results from early client partners—higher engagement participation and scores, improved leader and staff retention, gains in patient experience (especially communication and teamwork), and even quality improvements—along with powerful moments from the road (a keynote that convinced a leader on the verge of quitting to stay, and a team that turned the framework into an award-winning poster). The team also talks about sustaining the gains (not “one and done”), building belonging as a strategic outcome, and how their book, Human-Centered Leadership in Healthcare: Evolution of a Revolution, helps leaders operationalize the behaviors, not just admire the ideas.

Finally, the group looks ahead at what the HPSG + uLeadership partnership makes possible. Scaling a movement that helps leaders feel replenished, not overwhelmed, and equips them to create teams people want to join and stay on.

About Kay Kennedy, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CPHQ, FAAN

Dr. Kay Kennedy is a nurse executive, educator, and entrepreneur. By combining a love for nurses, patients, and quality improvement, she has led large nursing teams to create healthy work environments; satisfied patients; and consistent, high-quality care. Kay has held multiple leadership roles, from the bedside to chief nursing officer. She holds an adjunct associate professor role at Emory University School of Nursing along with other adjunct appointments at Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions and Case Western Reserve University. Her goal as a leader is to ignite innovative problem-solving, develop others to be their best, and lead by serving others.

About Lucy Leclerc, PhD, RN, NPD-BC

Dr. Lucy Leclerc is a dedicated nurse leader, nurse scientist, entrepreneur, and professor with over 30 years of diverse nursing experience. Early in her career, she spent time as a bedside nurse in high-risk labor and delivery before falling in love with nursing leadership as an officer and flight nurse in the United States Air Force Reserve. She is a lifelong learner and received her PhD from Medical University of South Carolina in 2010. She teaches all levels of nursing students, from undergraduates to DNP students. Her research focuses on generation of contemporary nursing-specific leadership models.

About Susan Campis, MSN, RN, NE-BC, NBC-HWC

Susan Campis is a nurse executive, health and wellness coach, and entrepreneur. Susan is a nurse leader whose passion for coaching and mentoring others helped produce successful and engaged nursing teams throughout her career. As a nurse leader, Susan understands the importance of a safe and healthy work environment and worked to create a culture of excellence, trust and caring where her team could perform at their best, ensuring quality care and patient safety. Susan cares deeply for the health and well-being of healthcare professionals, and, as a health and wellness coach, her goal is to work with others to help them reach their full potential.

In this episode of the Healthcare Plus Podcast, Quint Studer is joined by two visionary nurse leaders from Georgetown University: Dr. Roberta Waite, inaugural dean of the relaunched independent Berkley School of Nursing (BSON), and Dr. Stephan Davis, the inaugural executive director of leadership, policy, and doctor of nursing practice (DNP) education and an associate professor at the Berkley School of Nursing.

Together, they explore what the future of nursing looks like and why leadership built on humanity is the most powerful tool we have. Dean Waite and Dr. Davis discuss the qualities that define great nurse leaders today, from courage and compassion to vulnerability and clarity of purpose. They explain why passion for the profession matters, because when leaders love nursing out loud, they inspire others to do the same. They share how empathy remains essential even in the most complex clinical situations and why centering the full humanity of every patient is nonnegotiable.

Listeners will hear:

• Why the three Cs—courage, compassion, and clarity—are foundational to nurse leadership
• How empathy helps nurses provide care without judgment, even when behavior is challenging
• Why AI should be viewed as augmented intelligence: a tool that frees nurses to focus more on patients
• How technology and robotics can reduce administrative and physical burdens, making leadership roles more sustainable
• Why advocacy skills are becoming just as critical as clinical skills, and how nurses can use their voice to influence policy and protect vulnerable populations
• How nursing must shift from using technology to building it, ensuring nurses are shaping the tools that will shape care

This episode is a powerful reminder that while technology may transform how nursing is delivered, it will never replace the human connection that defines the profession. It’s a must-listen for any current or future nurse leader who wants to influence how care evolves and ensure compassion stays at the center of it all.