Rama Mwenesi Musalia, MSE, PhD
University of Michigan School of Nursing
400 North Ingalls Building
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5482
Interests
- Implementation Science
- Learning Health Systems
- Healthcare Quality & Patient Safety
- Global Surgery
- Perioperative Nursing Leadership
With an interdisciplinary background in systems engineering, innovation, and healthcare administration, Rama has dedicated his career towards advancing the deployment of healthcare quality and patient safety initiatives across complex medical and surgical settings. His specialties and expertise are in implementation science, operations management, high-performance leadership coaching, and the creation of socio-techincal infrastructures necessary to support routine quality & safety improvement cycles, especially in surgery. In 2016, Rama was tapped to lead the strategic transformation of Michigan Medicine’s Perioperative Services Department, and set it on a path towards becoming a nationally recognized perioperative learning health system. Notably, Rama's professional journey extends beyond the borders of the United States, encompassing extensive experience navigating healthcare challenges in resource-limited settings and leading the implementation of new technologies to advance health and educational equity in underserved communities around the world. In addition to his role in the School of Nursing, Rama is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Medical School’s Department of Learning Health Sciences, Clinical Faculty Liaison to Michigan Medicine’s OR/PACU Nursing Department, and core faculty in the Nursing Executive Fellow’s Academy (NEFA) program, as well as, the instituition-wide MICHR CTSA Dissemination & Implementation Science Catalyst Network.
Teaching
Rama’s goal as a faculty is for students to develop a holistic (socio-technical) view of the world of healthcare as it is (i.e. current state, challenges, and opportunities), an understanding and appreciation of where it was (before the technological affordances of today), and a curiosity for what the future could be under the premise of a Learning Health Systems model. The Learning Health Systems model is continuously evolving and gaining global traction as a catalyst towards a future of sustainable and scalable healthcare and quality improvement. Finally, Rama’s objective is to enable students of all levels to consider this future of healthcare and envision the roles that they could play in shaping it.
Courses Supported:
N454 – Leaderhsip and Management in Nursing (Undergraduate)
N539 – Quality Science & Analytics (Graduate)
N910 – Translation, Implementation and Comparative Effectiveness (Graduate)
Affiliations / Service
- Clinical & Operations Faculty Liaison, Michigan Medicine OR/PACU Nursing Department, 2022 - Present
- Member, Center for Global Health Equity, 2022 - Present
- Member, Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation, 2022 - Present
- Member (Healthcare Administrator), Association of PeriOperative Registered Nurses, 2018 - Present
- Member, Catalysis “Healthcare Value Leaders Network”, 2018 - Present
- Quality Assurance & Innovations Manager, Michigan Medicine Perioperative Services Department, 2016 - 2022
Education
- Ph.D., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
- M.S.E, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
- B.S.E, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Publication Highlights
Mwenesi, R., Brennan-Wydra, E., Sanchez, C., Ellis, M., Koch, D., Davis, C.S., Millunchick, J. (2018). “The WREASN Typology of Student Involvement Activities,” IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), San Jose, CA, USA, 2018, pp. 1-3. DOI: 10.1109/FIE.2018.8659260
Abbott, PA; Omollo, K., Bell, S., Rana, G., Hammond, N., Mutumba, M., Jiang, Y., & Mwenesi, R. (2016). “An Exploration of National Policies and Effective Practices for Electronic & Mobile Learning for Nursing and Midwifery Education,” WHO Commissioned Peer-Reviewed Monograph #N020433-00. January, 2016 World Health Organization. WHO Press: Geneva, Switzerland.
Maass, K.L., Liu, B., Daskin, M.S., Duck, M., Mwenesi, R., Wang, Z. and Schapiro, H. (2015). “Incorporating Nurse Absenteeism Into Staffing With Demand Uncertainty,” Health Care Management Science. DOI: 10.1007/s10729-015-9345-z
Scheinberg, N., Zhang, B., Raschid, L., Mwenesi, R., Grum, M., Cohn, A., DeRosier, J., Bagian, J. (2016). “A Systematic Approach to Improve the Reprocessing of Surgical Instruments,” Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics. Springer Verlag. (Vol. 482, pp. 275-286). DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-41652-6_26.
