Jen Raney, MD, MHCDS

I have been humbled and awed by my classmates; they have become friends, colleagues, thought partners and curbside consultants. Knowing these forty-six people spread across the country who are so exceptionally smart, engaged, committed to change, and hungry to be better leaders has given me renewed faith that we can move health care in a direction that will better serve all.

I’m the inaugural Director of the Family Medicine Nurse Practitioner Residency program at Providence Community Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Providence, Rhode Island. In this role I’ve developed a comprehensive two-year training curriculum and mentored care program designed to build the clinical skills and confidence of newly graduated Family Nurse Practitioners (FNPs) to meet the highly complex medical and social needs of our urban underserved patient population. I balance my work life with lifelong passions for running, playing the piano, and reading while also trying to keep up with my two teenaged sons.

Why did you decide to take the MHCDS program?

At each successive stage in my career as a practicing physician I’ve reached a point where I wanted to expand my impact. This initially led me to add teaching and part-time work in a substance use clinic to my clinical practice, but as my frustration with the U.S. medical system increased, I knew the next iteration of my career needed to include a higher-level focus on alternative payment models, health care policies, and leadership skills to effect change. More personally, I felt committed to making sure this kind of leadership was available to FQHCs because of the invaluable, and often overlooked, role they play in our health care system. I wanted the most pertinent parts of an MPH, MBA and MPP/MHA all rolled into one, and the MHCDS program at Dartmouth, drawing on the combined resources and expertise of Tuck, Geisel, and The Dartmouth Institute, holds an unparalleled position to provide this learning. 

What has been the best part of the program for you – so far?

I assumed there would be exceptional teaching at MHCDS but the level of engagement, interest, availability and investment in student success that the program faculty contribute, both in and out of the classroom, has stunned me. The learning is clearly bi-directional, and the faculty’s excitement in exchanging ideas informed by the wealth and breadth of experience our class brings to the program is both palpable and contagious. I have been humbled and awed by my classmates; they have become friends, colleagues, thought partners and curbside consultants. Knowing these forty-six people spread across the country who are so exceptionally smart, engaged, committed to change, and hungry to be better leaders has given me renewed faith that we can move health care in a direction that will better serve all. My classmates have profoundly shaped and catalyzed my learning this year.