AMERICAN COLLEGE OF HEALTHCARE EXECUTIVES
ANNOUNCES HILL-ROM ESSAY
COMPETITION WINNERS

CHICAGO, March 5, 2003—Diana Gerhardus of Trinity University, San Antonio, TX, won first place in the graduate division of ACHE's 2003 Hill-Rom Management Essay Competition for her essay "Robot-Assisted Surgery-The Future is Here." In the undergraduate division, Elizabeth J. Floyd of The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, placed first with "Healthcare Reform through Rationing."

Gerhardus and Floyd will each receive $3,000 and a plaque; their schools will each receive $1,000. In addition, the first-place essays will be published in the Journal of Healthcare Management, ACHE's official journal.

The second-place winner in each division will receive $2,000 and a plaque. In the graduate division, Jennifer R. McCarthy of Oregon State University, Corvallis, placed second for her essay "The Malpractice Crisis: Making Managers Part of the Solution." In the undergraduate division, Melissa N. Evarts of Ithaca (NY) College won second place with "The Legal Evolution and Impact of Cost Containment Initiatives."

Tracey Perez Koehlmoos of the University of South Florida, Tampa, won third place in the graduate division with her essay "Magnet Mania: A Beginner's Guide to Health Care's Hottest Designation." Jackie A. Thomas of Oregon State University, Corvallis, placed third in the undergraduate division with "Lessons from Gandhi: When Leadership and Spirituality Collide." Third-place winners will each receive $1,000 and a plaque.

The six winners will accept their awards on Wednesday, March 19, at the Leon I. Gintzig Commemorative Lecture and Luncheon during ACHE's 46th Congress on Healthcare Management at the Hilton Chicago. The annual competition is sponsored by Hill-Rom, which provides solutions for clinical and financial outcomes. Based in Batesville, Ind., Hill-Rom offers a range of products, clinical process improvements, and support backed by service centers in both the United States and Canada.

The awards program was developed to stimulate student writing about important issues and developments in healthcare management. It is open to all ACHE Student Associates enrolled in either a graduate or undergraduate U.S. or Canadian health administration program that sponsors an ACHE student chapter. For more information and submission guidelines, contact Reed L. Morton, Ph.D., FACHE, associate director of ACHE's Division of Research and Development.

CONTACT: Deborah A. Labb, (312) 424-9426

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