Fireside Chat with Nightingale Education Group Board Chair Kimberly MacPherson Bringing more than 30 years of experience in healthcare innovation, workforce development, and higher education to Nightingale Education Group, Kimberly MacPherson is now serving as the chair of Nightingale Education Group’s Board of Managers, succeeding the tenure of Charles Cook. Kimberly holds multiple faculty roles at the University of California, Berkeley, including executive director of Health Management and distinguished teaching fellow at the Haas School of Business. She is also the director of Health Policy and Management MPH programs at the School of Public Health and codirector of the Berkeley Center for Health Technology, where she focuses on health-system strategy and technology. We recently had a conversation with Kimberly to gain insight into what she hopes to accomplish while serving on the board, her vision for making a lasting impact on the healthcare industry, and how she will help the divisions within the organization close health equity gaps and prepare a relevantly skilled, readily available nursing workforce, representative of the communities they serve. Tell us about yourself and the work that you do at the University of California, Berkeley. I have been a member of the Berkeley faculty for 19 years. As an alum, I completed my graduate studies here in the early ‘90s, and my long history at the institution makes me proud. Initially, I did not expect to be an academic; I started as a management consultant in health care, working with many health systems, plans, and organizations like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. However, that lifestyle became challenging due to travel and family commit- ments. Subsequently, I sought a role that would allow me to have a significant impact while staying intellectually curious. When a position opened at UC Berkeley, it allowed me to split my time between the Haas Business School and Public Health departments. I now work with graduate students pursuing a master of public health, a master of business administration, and occasionally a master of public policy. As a lifelong learner, I love this role because it allows me to stay current with industry developments through various projects. I am committed to working with my students to help them reach their goals. As the nation’s healthcare landscape continues to evolve, what makes you excited about the future of this industry?
It makes me excited to see the healthcare workforce passionate about their roles and caring for patients. Although there are challenges, like burnout and insufficient funding, we can address them. The commitment to this industry is remarkable, and it is an exciting time to be a part of it. I continually follow biomedical innovation, including recently launched therapies using gene editing for sickle cell disease. Clinical breakthroughs are thrilling, and I know more are to come. In the future, I hope to see advancements in Alzheimer’s, cancer treatments, and technology efficiencies that will allow nurses to focus on human-centric care. This field is so compassionate and mission driven, and those who are called to it are deeply committed. It heartens me to witness scientific progress.
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