Offered for the first time in the fall of 2024, IHHS 490 – Innovating for Health: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Entrepreneurship, was team-taught by Mr. Bryan Bourdeau, assistant director of the Dave & Patsy Rommel Center for Entrepreneurship (RCE), and Dr. Tina Reid, professor of nursing.
“Engaging in structured interdisciplinary learning experiences allows students to learn and develop new skills, cultivate innovative ways of thinking, and embrace unconventional approaches to problem-solving. Interdisciplinary education is an essential step in preparing a ‘collaborative practice-ready’ health workforce that is better prepared to respond to various health needs,” said Reid.
Bourdeau and Reid connected at the Perdue School of Business RCE in 2023, and their discussions about entrepreneurial mindset development employed to address health care issues spawned the idea for the course offered in the College of Health and Human Services.
“In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset is not just for business leaders – it is essential for health care professionals. Adaptive thinking, innovation, and problem-solving are critical skills that empower new graduates to navigate complex challenges, improve patient outcomes, and drive systemic change,” said Bourdeau.
The 16-week course culminated with thirteen nursing students delivering final pitches on the top floor of the ROSS building in Downtown Salisbury to a final pitch panel including nursing professor and director of the SU School of Nursing, Dr. Debra Webster; Dr. Kevin J. Valadares, professor and chair of health administration, University of Southern Indiana; Dr. Kathryn Fiddler, vice president, population health, TidalHealth; and SU undergraduate student/entrepreneurial coach for the RCE, Louis Mulliez. The Response from the panelists was overwhelmingly positive, with the students incorporating technology in solving health care problems with unsafe hospital discharge and emergency department boarding.