The Future of Health is Together - Ronolia Andrews-Gunn

Why did you choose the school (and major) you went to?

I chose the University of Central Florida to complete my bachelors and masters degree because of their high ratings, location and student diversity. Diversity was a major factor when making my selection because it allowed me to interact with students and professors from all walks of life. The cultural insight was intriguing, and I made lifelong friends. I chose to study Health Services Administration because I have always admired the behind the scenes professionals, that made sure everything was running smoothly. I believe that all Physicians and Nurses are heroes and I also believe that heroes can’t complete a mission without their support team. I wanted to be apart of the elite team of individuals that were responsible for not only supporting the clinical team but also improving the patients experience and the efficiency of the organization.

What are the biggest challenges you see in healthcare?

The biggest challenges I see in our healthcare system is the alarming number of uninsured citizens. We have millions of Americans still living without health insurance and with our current administration fighting so hard to repeal Obamacare, we will only see this number rising. We seem to lack the resources to assist our uninsured population, yet we are consistently increasing the cost to receive healthcare and medication. It will be a great challenge trying to figure out how we can manage cost without compromising the safety or quality of patient care.

Where have you traveled and where do you have plans to travel (and what have you learned from those places)?

While serving in the U.S Air Force, I was blessed enough to spend three years in Okinawa, Japan. As a
passionate traveler, I was super excited to experience a different culture. One of the main things I
learned during my time in Japan is that they take great pride in their health and education. Japan’s
healthcare system is considered one of the best systems in the world due to all their citizen’s receiving national health insurance which provides access to high quality healthcare. The focus they put on their community’s well-being is commendable and the reason why they have a higher rate for life expectancy, a lower rate for infant mortality and a higher percentage of high school graduates receiving a higher education. In addition to Japan, I have traveled to many Caribbean Islands and plan to visit Alaska sometime next year.