Building the Bench: Developing Tomorrow’s Healthcare Leaders

The record-breaking number of Americans who followed the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup were treated to many memorable highlights, courtesy of a blend of skill and athletic talent from veteran players and younger, rising stars who are just hitting their stride and will provide fans with new thrills for years to come. 

Whether in sports, business, healthcare or any other profession, fields advance when talented, motivated and capable people are coached and supported in their efforts to hone the skills needed to become future leaders. 

This is especially true in healthcare, where the list of critical skills required to help hospitals and health systems adapt and thrive in today’s fast-changing and transformative environment continues to grow.

The ideal healthcare leader brings bold perspectives and specialized skills — from technology and data analytics to population health and workforce transformation. Tomorrow’s leaders must have the curiosity, knowledge, skills and adaptability to navigate change and create a culture of innovation, accountability and inclusion.

Our field is already blessed with many outstanding leaders who are deftly navigating today’s complex healthcare environment and working to guide their organizations to a bright future. And we are pleased to support a pipeline that promises more gifted leaders coming up through the ranks ready to sustain and advance progress into the future. 

The AHA Next Generation Leaders Fellowship focuses on developing leaders and empowering them to bring about real and lasting change in the hospitals and health systems they serve, as well as in our field overall. 

This month, we introduced our largest-ever cohort of Next Gen Fellows 46 talented thinkers and doers who will tackle key challenges affecting healthcare. The group includes 12 Age-Friendly Fellows supported by The John A. Hartford Foundation and five fellows supported by the Richard J. Umbdenstock Scholarship to help their communities improve access to care. There are also four fellows from state hospital associations.

Representing a wide range of backgrounds, fellows come from 26 states and Washington, D.C., across urban, suburban and rural communities. The class has made significant contributions to their respective hospitals and health systems through a wide range of roles, including quality, medicine, operations, nursing, market intelligence, business development and geriatrics.

The highly interactive 12-month fellowship program provides tomorrow’s healthcare leaders with the tools, experience and ability to drive innovation in healthcare delivery as they expand their knowledge of leading change, navigating the new healthcare environment, driving transformation, improving care delivery and developing operational strategies for success. 

Its unique design pairs each fellow with an executive-level mentor who guides them through the planning and execution of a year-long capstone project at their hospital or health system, tackling key issues and challenges affecting healthcare affordability, cost, quality and safety.

The results are impressive and a preview of great things to come. A few examples of recent capstone projects include:

• Reducing the high turnover rate for certified nurse aides by increasing opportunities for career advancement and developing a program to offer free education and training during an employee’s regular work shift. 
• Assisting a large healthcare system with a seamless transition from fee-for-service to value-based care by building new bridges to align with accountable care networks. 
• Accurately predicting inpatient bed capacity and demand, increasing early hospital discharges by 26% and, over time, decreasing diversions to the emergency room by 78%.

As the demand for care grows, due in part to managing an aging population, we are encountering a demographic wave unlike anything in our history. It is more important than ever to bring fresh eyes and fresh thinking to strengthening a healthcare system that will continue to meet the needs of patients, families and communities into the future. 

Michelle Hood, who oversees the Next Gen program as AHA executive vice president and chief operating officer, notes, “The 2027 class will help deliver clinical and operational breakthroughs and innovations to America’s hospitals and health systems and provide new opportunities to discover solutions for the challenges affecting healthcare today.” 

Please visit our website to learn more about the program and spread the word about its mission and goals as we work together to advance health for all.