Chairperson's File

2024 AHA Board Chair Joanne M. Conroy, M.D., headshot.

Blog posts from 2024 AHA Board Chair Joanne M. Conroy, M.D., CEO and president of Dartmouth Health, and past chairs.

What qualities make an outstanding leader, whether in health care or another field? Your list may include being collaborative, courageous, empathetic, innovative, inspiring, and intelligent. Based on my experiences and observations during the COVID-19 pandemic, I’d add a couple more: being humble…
Back in 2011, the first wave of Baby Boomers — people born from 1946 to 1964 — celebrated their 65th birthday. That marked a new demographic trend: the aging of the U.S. population.
Hospitals are cornerstones of our communities. They provide a broad spectrum of acute and ambulatory care services and serve as economic anchors in many cities and towns. Hospitals and health systems also work closely with many community-based organizations, partnering to address people’s health…
Tomorrow, May 25, marks the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. His death shined a spotlight on the systemic racism and inequities in many aspects of our society. These include inequities in health and health care. 
Millions of people across our country are living with a mental health issue. It’s estimated that one in five U.S. adults and one in six young people ages 6-17 experience a mental health disorder every year.
Today is “Our Cup Runneth Over with Gratitude” Day at Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital in El Dorado, Kan. Employees are wearing blue and yellow SBA colors and getting a stainless steel cup as a small gift of thanks from their hospital leaders.  
The factors that influence health are present in all aspects of our lives — in our own homes, in our communities and in society as a whole. In theory, this gives each of us the opportunity to improve and maintain our health, with support from hospitals and other providers, community-based…
In this episode, I was delighted to talk with Stacey Stewart, president and CEO of March of Dimes, and present her with AHA’s 2020 Award of Honor for her organization’s work during eight decades to improve health outcomes for mothers and babies.
As we get ready to mark World Immunization Week (April 24-30), it’s an appropriate time to celebrate the incredible gift of vaccines.
One legacy of our response to COVID-19 surely will be how it has accelerated the adoption of virtual care. It is one of the more encouraging developments during the losses of the pandemic.