Health Crisis Leadership: Decision-Making, Strategy, and Simulation

Program Overview

In this era of poly-crises, where health emergencies are increasing in frequency and severity, senior health leaders must be able to make good decisions and communicate them clearly and decisively in order to lead through crises that are fast-moving and high stakes, with implications to several sectors including health care, public health,  private industry, education and all levels of government. Health Crisis Leadership: Decision-Making, Strategy, and Simulation is the Harvard Chan Advanced Learning Academy’s flagship on-campus leadership program for executives seeking practical tools to make sound decisions under pressure, navigate complex stakeholder and media dynamics, and strengthen crisis response in their organizations. Taught by renowned leaders Rochelle Walensky and Dawn O’Connell, this immersive program uses real-world health crisis cases and applied discussion to help participants interpret the broader communications environment, lead with confidence, and bring actionable insights back to their institutions. 

Responding to a health emergency requires quick decision making with limited and often imperfect information. Leaders must understand the substance of each decision, the available options, the anticipated downstream consequences – both inside and beyond the healthcare sector – and undertake a risk analysis with very little time for consideration or margin for error. Each leader, across the larger enterprise, is making their own series of decisions that interconnect with the larger effort – from commerce and travel to education and security – all with possible political ramifications. Trusting your colleagues, your staff, and your gut – shaped by prior experiences – are critical elements to leading any response. Rochelle Walensky and Dawn O’Connell designed this class to provide you a front row seat to the behind-the-scenes machinations of a response, demonstrating how important it is to ground yourself in the facts, to cultivate strong relationships with colleagues, and to surround yourself with staff that you trust.