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12/20/2023 08:30 AMMassive technological advancement has been one of the defining parts of the 21st century, reaching nearly all aspects of life, including health sciences. It takes leadership and fostering a culture of collaboration and dedication to help those in that field navigate these great changes. For the students and faculty at the School of Health Sciences at Quinnipiac University, that’s where people like Anita Lee come in.
As the new associate dean of academic and faculty affairs at the School of Health Sciences, where she is also a professor in the same discipline, her primary responsibility comes down to “working towards the quality of academic programming as well as supporting faculty to help them be successful at their job,” says Anita.
“I believe that faculty success will lead to our students’ success, so helping our faculty to respond to the rapidly changing society is also very important as well,” she says.
One of the greatest examples of “the rapidly changing society” affecting health sciences is the integration of artificial intelligence into scientific work. As associate dean, Anita oversees the use of the burgeoning technology by students in their courses so that they become familiar with it later in their careers in the medical field, for example.
“Hospitals and health care providers are starting to use some of them. The FDA has already approved some of the devices, and they are being used in hospital settings. So our faculty will have to learn that, our students will have to be prepared for that so that when they go out to work after they graduate from Quinnipiac University, they should be ready for it,” said Anita.
Because the arrival of artificial intelligence is occurring “recklessly,” Anita says it’s important that everyone learn how it will affect those “not only in the healthcare setting, but I believe that in many other occupations and disciplines, [it] is going to impact our lives in the future.”
According to Anita, what must be maintained in this new era of health and medical sciences are the “five pillars” of the School of Health Sciences strategic plan. They are educational excellence, innovation, community-based partnerships and programs, organizational health, and inclusive excellence.
In relation to the immediate innovation of artificial intelligence is establishing community-based partnerships and programs because “we cannot just do it by ourselves,” says Anita.
“We will have to engage community partners as well as industry partners [and] healthcare providers to understand what they are doing, what they are planning to do, what is the need of patients and the public as well,” she elaborates. “Our students will have to serve the public in the future after they graduate.”
The fourth pillar serves as a constant reminder to Anita about the importance of “helping our faculty and staff to work effectively, efficiently,” especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic’s impact and the need for collaboration on tremendous public health issues.
The final pillar of inclusive excellence is to support collaboration further so that people from all walks of life with similar skill sets can work together for a common cause.
“Health inequality and disparity is a very big topic, and our students will have to be prepared to work with all kinds of people in a society. They need to be exposed to different cultures and be culturally competent when they do their job,” says Anita.
As far as her academic background, Anita is very accomplished in the field of health science. She has received several certificates from the American College of Sports Medicine on top of her master’s degree in recreation and tourism and a doctorate in physical education, both from Springfield College. She says her master’s degree was helpful in establishing “a foundation of management” for her current position.
“There are a lot of transferable skills I’ve learned that can be used today in higher education management. That includes day-to-day operation in recreational and sports settings as well as event management [and] competition management,” says Anita.
She is also very interested in supporting and enhancing “athletic excellence” for everyone as a way to stay healthy.
“If we can engage more people from the general public to exercise to stay healthy - it doesn’t have to be on a competitive level - but they just enjoy exercise and can be able to prevent diseases, that will be great, and that’s the reason why I entered into those degrees.”