Shaping the Next Generation of Healthcare Leadership:
A Fellow’s Perspective
Early Reflections from Sydney Schultz, Joint Commission-CAHME 2026 Fellow
The Joint Commission Fellowship in Healthcare Quality Leadership recognizes a graduating student from a CAHME-accredited program each year. It provides a unique opportunity to explore healthcare quality, patient safety, policy, and leadership through hands-on experience across the organization. The Fellowship is designed to help cultivate the next generation of healthcare leaders by providing exposure to the complex challenges and opportunities shaping healthcare today.
This year’s fellow, Sydney Schultz, is a Master of Science in Health Systems Management student at Rush University. After spending her first few months with Joint Commission, Sydney reflected on what she has learned so far, the experiences that have started to reshape her perspective on patient safety and quality, and how the Fellowship is helping prepare her for a future in healthcare leadership.
How has the experience been so far, and what have you enjoyed most?
The Fellowship has been an incredibly rewarding experience so far and has exceeded my expectations in many ways. What I’ve enjoyed most is the opportunity to gain exposure to so many different aspects of healthcare. Every week, I learn about new policy issues, industry trends, and challenges facing healthcare organizations. One highlight was traveling to Washington, D.C. and getting firsthand exposure to healthcare policy discussions. It’s been exciting to see how these experiences connect to Joint Commission’s larger mission of improving healthcare quality and patient safety for all.
What are you currently working on or learning through the fellowship, and how does it connect to your career goals?
The Fellowship will include different rotations within Joint Commission departments. I have completed my first rotation, which was with the Government Relations team, and I’m now starting a new rotation with the Communications and Marketing team. With the Government Relations team, I was researching healthcare policy issues, tracking legislation, and helping develop dashboard and reporting resources. Through this work, I’ve already gained exposure to a wide range of challenges and opportunities impacting healthcare organizations today, including policy, advocacy, and sustainability initiatives. I’ve especially enjoyed learning how to analyze complex issues, communicate key insights, and translate information into meaningful resources for decision-makers. As someone interested in healthcare leadership, these experiences have helped me develop skills that will be valuable throughout my career.
Even this early in the experience, how has the fellowship shaped your perspective on healthcare and your role as a future healthcare leader?
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned so far is how interconnected healthcare really is. Policy, quality, workforce challenges, financial sustainability, and patient outcomes all influence one another, and decisions in one area often have ripple effects across the entire system. For me, this Fellowship has already reinforced the importance of staying curious, asking questions, and embracing continuous learning in such a dynamic industry. Even just a few months in, I’ve gained a much broader perspective on healthcare and a greater appreciation for the responsibility healthcare leaders have in shaping outcomes for patients and communities. I’m looking forward to continuing to see these learnings come to life as I prepare for other rotations with the Joint Commissions’ Office of the Chief Medical Officer and the Office of the Chief Operating Officer, Division of Accreditation and Certification Operations, and more.
CAHME and Joint Commission are united by a shared belief: that strong healthcare leadership is essential to advancing quality, safety, and healthier communities. Applications for the 2027 Fellowship are now open: https://cahme.org/awardsscholarships/joint-commission-fellowship-award/