MPH Alumni Hayley Middleton: Where Is She Now?

The Master of Public Health program’s series titled “Where Are They Now?” dives into each individual’s time as a student and how those experiences shaped their current professions. If you are interested in taking part in the series, please contact mph@ewu.edu. Catch up with Hayley Middleton here!

Name: Hayley Middleton (formerly Hodgins)

Graduation Year: May 2016

Job Title: Director of Quality

Organization: Columbia Basin Health Association (CBHA) – Othello, Mattawa, Connell

Describe your career path. Why public health?

My initial passion was in healthcare administration which was my undergraduate degree. I completed an internship at Deaconess under the Chief Quality Officer (CQO) and fell in love with quality, process improvement, and risk management. I then made that my focus for the remainder of my undergraduate degree. I graduated with my undergraduate degree in 3 years and had 2 years left of my Basketball Career at Eastern Washington University and decided to pursue my Master of Public Health after I was given advice to broaden my horizons in healthcare into more than just an acute care setting.

Columbia Basin Health Association (CBHA) offered me my current job fresh out of graduate school. It is not too often you use both of your degrees in your first job and I feel confident that both of them prepared me well for this role. It is truly something that I am passionate about and it is the ideal job that I was looking for. I have been able to learn so much from the Chief Clinical Officer, Dulcye Field, who initially started in Quality as well. I am able to conduct research, data validation, and analytical analysis to help strengthen the clinical process and business workflows, which is something I have been passionate about from the beginning.

What are you responsible for in your current position?

I oversee all of the quality aspects of our 3 community health centers. I report directly to the Chief Clinical Officer and I have 2 staff that have been incorporated into Quality specifically to help train medical staff on clinical process improvements. My staff are Medical Assistant Certified and their main job description involves training, data validation, and outreach. As a Federally Qualified Health Center, we provide medical, dental, eye care, pharmacy, family services, and behavioral health services to our communities. I am able to work with many different leaders throughout the organization as it pertains to quality and performance improvement.

I have ownership over our in-house quality incentive program, patient satisfaction results/process, patient portal, vendor management, clinical awards and recognition, accreditation, various programs, clinical workflow/processes, and data management.

What is your favorite part about your job?

My favorite part of my job is the fact that I am involved in everything and work with all department heads to create continuous improvement throughout the whole organization.

How did the MPH program prepare you for your current position?

The MPH program taught me about teamwork, community/population health, and the varying needs of patients. I also present and participate in many meetings, community events, and conferences and my MPH degree made me feel confident presenting information and engaging a group of people.

What was most memorable to you about your experiences in the MPH program?

There were numerous memories whether it was the various late nights we all spent preparing for presentations and projects or staying late after class talking. It was truly special because it was such a small group of us who really cared about helping people. We had great professors who really invested in making us successful and teaching us way beyond “textbook” knowledge.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering pursuing an MPH?

I think it is important to keep a broad vision of what healthcare is. It is important to find something that you are truly passionate about. Know your strengths and build a foundation on those aspects so that you have something to stand firm on while you learn and grow in the areas you aren’t as strong. Always seek opportunities to learn and never say no. Be the person your peers know will get things done fully and on time. You can learn so much by taking on projects outside of your job description.