FACULTY PROFILE
"I really enjoy teaching at GSU because it not only allows me to work with a diverse group of wonderful students, but provides me an opportunity to give back to the community by sharing my education and 30 years of health care experience with the next generation of healthcare executives. At the undergraduate level, I truly relish the excitement the students have learning about the ever-changing healthcare delivery system. Their enthusiasm for learning makes the classroom an enjoyable experience for all.
At the graduate level, instructing and coaching mid-career professionals is challenging but extremely rewarding, especially when you hear of their wonderful accomplishments after graduation. I am proud to have the opportunity to serve these wonderful students. My field of research relates to healthcare workers' willingness to report to work in disasters. For several years of my career, I was a Division Director of Patient Care Services and the Emergency Preparedness Planning Section Chief for a large healthcare system. I often faced the challenge of staffing hospitals in times of pandemics and other potentially disastrous events. After receiving advanced training in pandemics from the Department of Homeland Security and certification in Advanced Disaster Life Support, I saw the need for further research on the topic.
The most rewarding aspect of my job is working with the students. We learn from each other and it is satisfying to watch them grow and gain the knowledge and confidence to be the healthcare leaders of tomorrow. At the end of day, it’s gratifying to know that the next generation is prepared to care for all of us in the rapidly changing field of healthcare. My background in healthcare actually began in 1977 when I worked as a nursing assistant. While working part time, I furthered my education becoming a registered nurse, first with an Associates Degree and then with a Bachelor’s Degree in Science. With each degree, I was promoted to various management positions in the hospitals in which I was employed. In 1998, I achieved a Master of Science and Administration Degree from the University of Notre Dame. It was here where I learned the business of running hospitals. Once again I was promoted to a director and then a division director of a healthcare system. Finally in 2012, I completed a Doctorate of Health Administration program at Central Michigan University. While pursuing my doctorate I was also able to travel to several countries and complete a Certificate in International Health. Finally, I am also a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives which is the Gold Standard for healthcare executives.
In 2012, I retired from healthcare to start a second career in teaching. In giving back, my most valuable community service experience is working in Belize, Central America. For the last five years for one week in March, I have worked in the villages providing diabetic screenings for the Belizeans. Belize has the highest incidence of type II diabetes in the Caribbean and the citizens cannot afford the test strips to screen and check their blood sugar. After gathering a multitude of donated supplies, a team of professors, physicians, clinicians and students spend spring break working among the poor. This is by far the most rewarding service I have ever done. At a local level, I am the Faculty Advisor for the Student Healthcare Management Association (SHCMA) which gives me the privilege to participate in many local community service initiatives. In 2013 the SHCMA, in conjunction with AT&T, sponsored the It Can Wait Campaign to stop texting while driving. This initiative educated the GSU students, as well as the public, on the dangers of texting while driving. More than 300 individuals took the pledge to stop texting while driving. Other initiatives include food drives for homeless shelters."
- Caren C. Rossow
PUBLICATIONS
C. Rossow, L. Ivanitskaya, L. Fulton, W. Fales. Healthcare Providers: Will They Come to Work During an Influenza Pandemic? Disaster Management and Human Health Risk III, WIT Transactions on the Built Environment, Vol 133, WIT Press, 2013, ISSN: 1743-3509, ISBN: 978-1-84564-738.
Healthcare workers' willingness to report to work during an influenza pandemic: A systematic literature review. Rossow, Caren Colleen, D.H.A., Dissertation. Central Michigan University, 2012, 150; 3556375. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/pubnum/3556375.html
PRESENTATIONS
Healthcare Providers: Will They Come to Work During an Influenza Pandemic? Third International Conference on Disaster Management and Human Health: Reducing Risk, Improving Outcomes, July 9-11, 2013 A Courna, Spain.
Multidisciplinary service learning in Belize, Central America , National Association of Multicultural Rehabilitation Concerns Annual Training Conference, New Orleans, July 27, 2013.
Enhancing Transfer Students Writing Skills, Great Lakes Conference on Teaching and Learning, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, May 14, 2014.
Creating a Gateway to Equity and Inclusion within the Healthcare System, National Association of Multicultural Rehabilitation Concerns Annual Training Conference, St. Louis, Missouri, July 25, 2014
Dissertation Committee:
A Qualitative Analysis of Non-Governmental Organizations’ Use of Evaluation Frameworks in Measuring Performance. Flannery, Pam. Dissertation, Central Michigan University, 2014. Chairman: Dr. James A. Johnson, Committee: Dr. Ning Lu and Dr. Caren Rossow.
GRANTS
ASPR HPP Emergency Preparedness Grants – 2004-2011
Lakeland Regional Health System – Annual grant for healthcare system emergency preparedness funding. Managed grant funding (allocations, requests, justifications, and submission).
ASPR HPP Emergency Preparedness Grants - 2004 - 2010
Berrien County Medical Control – Annual grant for county ambulance system emergency preparedness . Managed grant funding (allocations, requests, justification, and submission).
5th District Medical Coalition – 2009 - 2010
Berrien County Medical Control – Wrote grant for county ambulances requesting the purchase of $50,000 in ventilators for five critical care ambulance and training for paramedics. Grant approved and completed on time and under budget.
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