UNH Today

UNH’s College of Health and Human Services recently added a new entity to its group of high-performing centers and research institutes. The Institute for Excellence in Health and Social Systems (IEHSS), formerly known as The Microsystem Academy at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, transitioned to UNH in August where it will pursue its vision to partner with complex health and social systems to help populations live a good life in a good place. The executive director of IEHSS, Marjorie Godfrey, is an internationally acclaimed leader in quality improvement processes and leadership development who has worked with many organizations in the U.S. and abroad to improve care quality. Godfrey also joins the department of nursing as a research professor.   

“We are honored to welcome Marjorie Godfrey to her role as the director of the newly developed Institute for Excellence in Health and Social Systems, and her appointment as research professor of nursing,” says Gene Harkless, professor and chair of UNH’s department of nursing. “The close linkage between the Institute and our nursing programs will enhance the current focus on nursing’s responsibility and accountability for health care improvement and innovation, offering expanded interprofessional opportunities for students in improvement projects and research, along with leadership development from the baccalaureate to doctoral level.”

Godfrey’s numerous publications on clinical microsystems formed the foundation for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s clinical nurse leader(CNL®) education project, which began at the national level more than 15 years ago, and her work continues to inform the development of master’s prepared clinical nurse leaders today.  

“As the College of Health and Human Services continues to advance the education of future health and human services professionals, the development of the Institute for Excellence in Health and Social Systems is a timely endeavor,” says Michael Ferrara, Dean of the College of Health and Human Services. “We are excited for the incredible opportunities that will be available to our students as they continue their educational journey toward health care leadership, as well as the enhancement to our research enterprise that is committed to improving population health.”

At the University of New Hampshire, IEHSS will focus on the interprofessional preparation of future health leaders through educational, leadership and coaching programs; use action research to explore and develop further models of leadership and team coaching for those working across the continuum of care; develop national and international Learning Health System networks to connect leading thinkers and doers; and customize programs that improve experiences for providers, patients, their families and communities.