Karen Gross

See the following -

Business Is Higher Education Just About Money?

Karen Gross | Money Inc | June 29, 2017

If one were solely reading/hearing what appears in the news and in social media and on the US Department of Education website called College Scorecard, one would think that higher education was all about money. There are a plethora of articles about the costs of education and the difficulties students have in repaying their student loans. For students who do not complete their education, they end up in the unenviable position of having debt with no diploma – the worst of both worlds. Thinking through student borrowing and repayment has occupied center stage in debates about whether higher education is “worth it” or whether the price exceeds value. In business terms, folks are questioning the ROI on education...

Read More »

Improving Healthcare Delivery: Data as Service Provider

We have all experienced, or know someone who has experienced, problems with our healthcare delivery systems. To be sure, there are commonalities among the issues that arise but each patient’s situation has unique, personal features.  These differences can lead to vastly different outcomes, including those affecting family caregivers. Consider a couple general examples. There can be a range of medical errors, whether caused by physicians or other medical personnel, some largely inconsequential and others leading to devastating outcomes; there can be discontinuity of care with siloed or non-integrative providers and procedures where each sector of the medical profession is working to solve the body part problem in their limited sphere and coordination is hard to achieve...

Read More »

Leveraging the "Learning Health Community" Concept in Education

This idea of an iterative engaged learning environment (we can call it a “Learning Health Community”) is not far-fetched. Such a system would require quality evidence-based data and information delivered in real-time based on the real-world experiences of millions of patients. As new verified information and data develop, these would be incorporated and then deployed. We would harness the power of existing and future knowledge in a form that is usable by both medical professionals and the patients they serve. The questioning fathers and others similarly situated could access the Internet for augmented and personalized health information.

Moving Counter-Clockwise: Lessons from Hurricanes, Floods and Earthquakes

The plethora of natural disasters raises all sorts of complicated but expected issues – from discussions of the legitimacy of global warming to the adequacy (or lack thereof) of on the ground relief efforts. One would have thought that post-Katrina, we would be ready, willing and able to provide immediate relief to those in need of disaster relief...despite capacities, we have been stunningly slow in moving these new services into disaster areas. Instead of technology advancing the ball, it is as if we are moving our clocks backwards. Sure, in the absence of cell towers, creative workarounds have been enabled like ATT&T facilitating communications to/from the mainland for its customers.

Read More »

Sure Strategies for Improving Health and Education: 2020 and Beyond

Our paths cross as we enter a new decade and consider the next ten years can lead to marked improvements in healthcare delivery - something sorely needed but doable. To that end, we've identified three key developments that can and should be implemented. These are not the only needed improvements and avenues to be pursued; that would take a book or a longer article. So, we've focused on what are, for us, three of the most innovative possibilities. One added word: some of the three innovations or aspects of them may strike readers as fanciful or imaginary or over-the-proverbial-top. But, the speed with which technology is changing, the pressing need for solutions and our capacities to consider new paradigms for solving old problems are converging.

Read More »

Why We Need Trauma Trained Educators for National and Regional Disaster Response Teams

Lately, I have been dealing on a number of fronts with natural disasters, and how to help schools and their educators can best deal with their aftermath. At the same time, I have been listening to and learning about disaster team efforts across our nation (from across state and federal government), teams that are dealing with the treacherous aftermath of person-made calamities (floods, fires, shootings, hurricanes, tornados, bombs and car/truck intentional crashes). When Veteran hospitals and facilities are at risk, the Department of Veterans Affairs offers their added expertise too.

Read More »