Handling Crises - Eneida Roldan
“When the situation calls for sound, science-based decision making, political insight and aplomb, I look to Dr. Roldan. At FIU, we are safer and wiser because Dr. Roldan has helped lead us through the pandemic.” — FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg
I was recently featured in an interview for University of Tennessee’s Haslam College of Business. We discussed my efforts throughout the pandemic and how my wide range of knowledge aided me in addressing the crisis. My medical and business training allowed me to create a strategic holistic plan that was effective and inclusive.
Read more below.
“Eneida Roldan (PEMBA, ’03), Florida International University’s health care network CEO, wears many hats in the world of medicine and higher education. As associate dean for international affairs, associate dean of the master in physician assistant studies and a professor at FIU’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, her work not only influences human health, but also the training of new practitioners. And FIU appreciates Roldan’s range of expertise.
“When the pandemic hit, FIU called on Roldan to lead COVID-19 testing and vaccine sites on campus. She credits her time in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business Physician Executive MBA program with helping prepare her for these duties, thanks to its focus on physician leadership.
“’It’s not only using your medical expertise, skills and competencies,’ Roldan says. ‘When you go into an MBA program, it teaches you another level of discipline, organizational skills and management.’
“Her PEMBA background also assists with what may be her most crucial role to date: working with VaccineWise, a joint CDC/AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) national campaign to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates in communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Roldan is one of two Spanish-speaking experts tasked with outreach to the Hispanic/Latino community across the country. Her deep experience in news media, combined with her medical background and fluency in Spanish, makes her ideal for the assignment.
“’The focus is to increase awareness, and more importantly, to be able to communicate succinctly and to educate the public to reduce vaccine hesitancy, specifically in the Hispanic population,’ she says. To address vaccine reluctance among the affected populations, Roldan has appeared on Spanish-language television and is doing media tours on behalf of VaccineWise.
“‘That is what physician leaders do,’ Roldan says. ‘Physician leaders are called to take the lead in a crisis for the betterment of the community.’”
