FIT CHECK
Sustainability best practices
Since 1968, the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) has actively promoted the continuous improvement in the preparation of future healthcare leaders by developing measurable, competency-based criteria for excellence in healthcare management. As part of a focus on sustainability which was jump started with Canon in 2017, CAHME has expanded its recognition programs with other accreditors such as The Joint Commission, and highlighted innovation in sustainability from leading graduate programs that link sustainability to leadership and revised its core standards to be accredited to include sustainability.
Under the umbrella of its work, 158 academic programs have been accredited in healthcare management covering areas such as healthcare leadership, quality and safety, and population health. CAHME President and CEO Anthony Stanowski credits the organization’s success with the partnerships it has forged with leading academic and healthcare institutions, which work in unison to ensure that graduates possess the necessary competencies and practical experiences to excel in the healthcare field and grow into future leaders.
“We view sustainability not only as an operational concern, but as a leadership competency,” says Stanowski, DHA, FACHE. “As the accreditor for graduate healthcare management education, sustainability is embedded into our revised accreditation standards and promoted through recognition programs.”
“Both Rush University and RUSH define sustainability within the context of the environment. Our leadership recognizes you can’t have healthy people on a sick planet.”
— Andrew N. Garman, PsyD, Professor & Associate Chair, Department of Health Systems Management, Rush University
One of its key partners is Canon U.S.A. Through initiatives like the “CAHME/Canon Award for Sustainability in Healthcare Management Education and Practice,” CAHME honors programs that lead in his area—demonstrating how sustainability aligns with value-based care, resource stewardship and organizational ethics (see sidebar, “Sustainability in Action”). “By championing the work of visionary academic programs, we are proud to support a generation of healthcare leaders who will leave the world better than they found it,” Stanowski says.
As a fully virtual organization, CAHME worked to minimize its own carbon footprint by eliminating the need for physical office space and paper-based processes. More importantly, the organization uses its global platform to spotlight programs that implement sustainability strategies—such as those investing in LEED-certified buildings, energy-efficient infrastructure or renewable energy partnerships. Through recognition awards and case studies, CAHME helps programs scale these practices across the field.
“We encourage sustainability best practices through our accreditation standards,” Stanowski says. “We are seeing programs phasing out paper-based syllabi, shifting simulations and exams to digital formats and integrating reusable materials. We amplify these efforts by recognizing institutions that model circular practices in operations and teaching. Additionally, we have moved accreditation reviews, training sessions, and reports to secure digital platforms, eliminating reliance on paper submissions.”
More than anything, it is CAHME’s leadership—and work to promote building other leaders—that continues to set a standard of excellence. That is why its accreditation standards and partnerships with leaders like Canon help ensure graduate healthcare management programs prepare leaders to tackle the environmental, financial and social dimensions of healthcare delivery. For example, many accredited programs now incorporate sustainability into courses on health policy, operations and strategic management.
CAHME-accredited programs have moved to provide experiential learning opportunities focused on green hospital design, waste management and climate impact mitigation. Its award-winning programs serve as models for how sustainability is embedded into the DNA of future healthcare leaders. “Our programs go beyond theoretical understanding,” Stanowski says. “They create environments where students apply what they learn in real-world settings, whether through community-based partnerships, policy analysis or green infrastructure planning.”
From an accreditor’s standpoint, CAHME advocates for innovation through example and through expectation. Internally, the organization has implemented fully digital workflows, cloud-based evaluation tools and virtual sitevisits where appropriate—all of which reduce travel and material consumption. It also gathers and shares leading practices from accredited programs that implement smart lab designs, eco-conscious simulation centers and digital curriculum delivery. “Most of our meetings are virtual,”
Stanowski says. “The Board only meets once a year in person and the Accreditation Council only meets once in person. This ecosystem approach helps foster a culture of continuous, tech-enabled environmental improvement.”
TEACH. LEAD. REPEAT.
Rush University, which is integrated within Rush University System for Health (RUSH) in Chicago, hosts an
interprofessional education program that most students take as part of their core curriculum. The teaching team leading the course currently is working on formally incorporating planetary health topics that will be offered in fall 2025.
Andrew Garman, PsyD, says further measuring RUSH’s performance—and gaps—around integrating these topics into its programs will enable students to lead an exhaustive Planetary Health Report Card survey every year to identify opportunities for improvement in the College of Medicine, College of Nursing and Health Systems Management graduate program.
“We view sustainability not only as an operational concern, but as a critical leadership competency. As the accreditor for graduate healthcare management education, we prioritize sustainability.”
— Anthony C. Stanowski, DHA, FACHE, President & CEO, CAHME
As Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Health Systems Management, Garman teaches classes in organizational analysis and change, leadership and other topics in the master’s and PhD programs, and he conducts research on topics including healthcare leadership and U.S. trends in global health activities. “Both Rush University and RUSH define sustainability within the context of the environment. Our leadership recognizes ‘you can’t have healthy people on a sick planet’.” It is about striving to be a leader in preserving environmental health through its tripartite mission of research, education and service.
This type of leadership is on display via myriad innovative technologies and practices. For example, five labs at RUSH have pursued MyGreenLabs certification and conducted baseline assessments, while the Office of Environmental Sustainability supports additional labs pursuing certification by funding their
certification and assessment fees.
RUSH also recently completed a full lighting upgrade for the entire Armour Academic Center building to install hundreds of new LED lights, dimming switches and motion sensors. Total savings realized by the project are 612,753 kWh per year—enough electricity to power 85 homes per year. In addition,
RushU’s West Side Food Hall brings in local vendors to spotlight their food and support the Chicago-land community. Late last year, the Food Hall began composting from the preparatory side of the kitchen, diverting approximately 1,200 pounds of food scraps from the landfill.
The Office of Environmental Sustainability hosts a twice-weekly “Green Exchange Open House” (GEOH) where students, faculty and staff can bring hard to recycle items like batteries, printer cartridges, textiles, Styrofoam, and more, for recycling. GEOH visitors also can “shop” in person for free surplus office
supplies, furniture and other items to keep those items out of the landfill and avoid the costs of purchasing new items. RUSH also hosts a digital reuse marketplace that facilitates users creating awareness about excess office supplies and equipment so that other departments can use them instead of purchasing new equipment.
“Our school’s goals are aligned with the systems’ goals, which involve reducing greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030 and to net zero by 2050,” Garman says. “Emissions are estimated and reported on annually by the Office of Environmental Sustainability. We have made commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through a multi-pronged approach, including enhancing energy efficiency, supporting renewable energy use, reducing non-essential anesthesia emissions, reducing food waste, and reusing office supplies and furniture. These actions are supporting our short- and long-term goals of minimizing greenhouse gas emissions.”
As healthcare schools strive to reduce their environmental impact, sustainability is becoming not just a practice, but a core principle. By embedding eco-conscious strategies into both operations and education, these institutions are shaping a greener future—one student, and one best practice, at a time.
SIDEBAR
Sustainability in Action
Since 2017, eleven standout programs have earned the CAHME/Canon Award for Sustainability in Healthcare Management Education and Practice, setting the standard for how sustainability can be integrated into the fabric of healthcare education.
Here are a few leading examples:
Rush University (2025, 2019) helped launch the Planetary Health Report Card for healthcare administration, a student-driven initiative assessing how well programs embed sustainability in curriculum, operations, and community engagement.
Florida International University (2025) embedded sustainability in its Healthcare MBA through experiential projects, sustainability-focused coursework, and partnerships that promote community health.
Boise State University (2024) reimagined sustainability economically, blending actuarial science with value-based care in its Population and Health Systems Management program.
University of Minnesota (2022) introduced a Climate Change in Healthcare course and EcoHealth Quest retreats to immerse students in environmental health. University of Washington (2021) integrated sustainability into leadership training and fostered a student-led network exploring climate-conscious healthcare innovation.
