SLU’s Department of Health Management and Policy Announces New Health Management Case Series
St. Louis (October 19, 2026) - The Saint Louis University Department of Health Management and Policy has launched "The Discernment Lab: The Saint Louis University Master of Health Administration Case Series," designed to provide a series of educational frameworks to help instruct future generations of healthcare professionals.
The Discernment Lab: The Saint Louis University Master of Health Administration Case Series.
The Saint Louis University Health Management Case Series is a new educational initiative that brings real-world healthcare management challenges into the classroom. Cases and instructions for downloading the cases, and usage, will be released at the Discernment Lab as they are developed.
“In a rapidly changing healthcare environment, emerging challenges require us to adapt quickly and prepare our students to lead through uncertainty,” said Kimberly Enard, Ph.D., interim dean of the Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice (CPHSJ). “This on-demand case series gives us an opportunity to examine real-world issues as they unfold today, connect those experiences to the classroom, and equip our students with the critical thinking and adaptability they will need to shape the future of healthcare.”
Saint Louis University faculty will work directly with healthcare executives and industry partners to continually develop concise, practice-informed teaching cases based on contemporary issues leaders are navigating now, from changing reimbursement and access to strategy, operations, workforce and emerging technology.
These cases, and accompanying faculty resources, will be available at no cost to verified educators through a learning management system, with the goal of expanding access to high-quality, applied learning while positioning Saint Louis University as a national leader in connecting health management education with practice. All information about cases will also be posted to "The Discernment Lab" website.
“Our alumni and healthcare partners know the decisions leaders are facing because they are the ones making them,” said Marcea Walter, M.H.S.A., director of Saint Louis University’s M.H.A. and M.S.H.A. programs. “Their insight gives educators something especially valuable: timely cases grounded in the realities of healthcare, which they can use to help students work through the kinds of decisions they will one day face.”
The case series will also feature one-of-a-kind input and interaction with the highly regarded alumni network of the SLU M.H.A. program.
Located within the Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice, the Department of Health Management is home to one of the nation’s widely recognized Master of Health Administration programs. The SLU M.H.A. program is ranked No. 16 in the country, and No. 1 in Missouri, according to the 2026 U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate School Rankings.
The program is one of the nation’s oldest and largest graduate programs in health administration, celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2023 and a proven standout among its peers because of the program’s spirit of innovation.
College for Public Health and Social Justice
The Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice is the only academic unit of its kind, studying social, environmental and physical influences that together determine the health and well-being of people and communities. It also is the only accredited school or college of public health among nearly 250 Catholic institutions of higher education in the United States. Guided by a mission of social justice and focus on finding innovative and collaborative solutions for complex health problems, the college offers nationally recognized programs in public health and health administration.