FUTURE-READY
How today’s leaders are designing 2026
Last fall, a group of executive healthcare leaders at the University of Minnesota (UMN) wrestled with a familiar tension. Margins are tight. Workforce shortages are real. Capital is scarce. Yet expectations around sustainability continue to rise.
The conversation was not philosophical, but practical. How do you design 2026 without destabilizing 2025? For Ryan Armbruster, UMN’s Director of the MHA Executive Track, the starting point is clarity. “Sustainability is now expected, not optional. If we are serious about preparing leaders for the future of healthcare, they need to understand the intersection of climate and care as part of their baseline education.”
UMN became the first program in the country to offer a dedicated course on the environmental sustainability of healthcare delivery, where students examine energy use, supply chains, waste streams and the operational consequences of environmental instability. The goal is not advocacy; it is managerial literacy.
But exposure alone does not build readiness. “Our impact is driven by a two-tiered approach,” Armbruster says. “We build a foundational baseline for all students and provide a high-level launchpad for specialists.”
That launchpad comes through sustainability-focused capstone projects. Students partner with healthcare organizations to address real operational challenges tied to environmental performance. The work happens within active systems, reinforcing that improvement must coexist with financial discipline and clinical reliability.
“The most transformative lesson we’ve learned is that sustainability is a shared responsibility, not a competitive advantage.”
— Ryan Armbruster, Director of MHA Executive Track, University of Minnesota
Accountability is part of the design. UMN students helped develop the first Planetary Health Report Card for healthcare administration, a benchmarking tool that evaluates how programs translate commitments into measurable action. It shifts the conversation from intention to performance.
Curriculum is one lever. Executive mindset is another. “For us, leadership alignment begins with education,” Armbruster says. “We focus on creating high-impact learning experiences for our executive students and alumni—the individuals currently steering the ship in major health systems.”
When those leaders return to their organizations, sustainability becomes part of strategic discussion rather than a siloed initiative. It shows up in capital planning conversations, workforce strategy and risk management.
Inside the program, sustainability concepts are embedded into operations, finance and ethics courses so students evaluate stewardship alongside cost and quality. The approach ensures environmental thinking is reinforced across managerial disciplines rather than confined to a single classroom.
Still, ambition requires pacing. Healthcare systems are balancing long-term commitments with near-term constraints. Armbruster describes UMN’s approach as strategic integration. “Rather than viewing sustainability as a competing priority for resources, we look for where it overlaps with efficiency and resilience.”
In 2026, the emphasis is on expanding sustainability across existing structures instead of launching entirely new ones. Executive education serves as a catalyst. Benchmarking provides structure. Course integration builds consistency. The strategy minimizes disruption while accelerating adoption.
“The most transformative lesson we’ve learned is that sustainability is a shared responsibility, not a competitive advantage,” Armbruster says. “We’ve found immense value in two parallel tracks of collaboration: participating in a regular peer-to-peer dialogue group with other programs to discuss curriculum and content, and supporting the student-led initiatives that reach across university lines. While these efforts were distinct, they both reinforced the same truth: We are more effective when we learn together.”
STARTING SMALL, SCALING SMART
At Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), M. Paige Powell believes sustainability is approached with similar urgency—but grounded in practical execution. The Associate Professor and MHA/MSHA Program Director says the school recognizes that healthcare organizations are often large contributors to environmental issues and that they are increasingly looking at ways to improve sustainability.
VCU developed a Certificate in Sustainability, Health and Healthcare that includes an elective sustainability course and a capstone experience. MHA and MSHA students can earn the certificate by completing the elective and integrating a sustainability-focused capstone into their third-year administrative residency. The pathway also is open to students outside health administration and to non-degree-seeking professionals.
“Every goal should be SMART—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound—whether short-term or strategic.”
— M. Paige Powell, Associate Professor & MHA/MSHA Program Director, Virginia Commonwealth University
The impact is tangible. One graduate launched a sustainability initiative during her residency that included education efforts, partnerships with vendors for eco-friendly supplies and measurable reductions in waste tied to procurement and disposal processes. For Powell, embedding sustainability doesn’t just require policy statements, but visible leadership.
That encouragement shows up in everyday decisions. Every health administration student receives a reusable water bottle at the start of the program. Water fountains include refill stations. Recycling containers sit beside every garbage can on every floor of the building, eliminating friction in responsible disposal.
The message is simple: Sustainable behavior should be the easy choice.
VCU also benefits from faculty expertise. A retired faculty member, Dr. Cindy Watts, an expert in sustainability, teaches an elective course and brings potential collaborations forward, strengthening the program’s external partnerships.
“Every goal should be SMART—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound—whether short-term or strategic,” Powell says. “The business case for implementing sustainable initiatives is pretty straightforward. A few changes operationally can make a lasting impact.”
Her advice: Start small. “I think you have to start small and then build on initiatives in order to achieve those ambitious long-term goals. Resources are scarce, so I recommend prioritizing opportunities based on having a champion who is passionate about a specific environmental issue.”
The philosophy already is playing out. Faculty within the college are working on food waste reduction across campus and the health system, beginning with composting improvements on the academic campus before expanding to the medical campus. A student will work with the team to identify priorities—another example of pairing education with operational change.
Powell is realistic about culture change. Not everyone will be equally passionate about sustainability initiatives.
The solution is structural reinforcement. “One way to operationally achieve these goals is to make each new project and program proposal include sustainability goals or justify how their projects advance those goals.”
In other words, sustainability becomes embedded not through slogans, but through process. Each new initiative must articulate its environmental footprint or contribution. “As sustainability initiatives grow and produce results, you can build culture around those successes,” Powell says. “Leadership has to be committed to the long-term sustainability goals and you need to have champions throughout the organization that will keep the projects alive.”
As healthcare systems look ahead in 2026, the path forward is not about adding another initiative—it is about embedding sustainability into how leaders think, decide and operate every day. When education, accountability and culture align, resilience stops being aspirational and starts becoming operational.
From Commitment to Culture
Turning sustainability from a priority into a norm takes intentional leadership. Here are practical steps to move beyond statements and embed it into everyday culture and decision-making.
Build or join a community of practice
Regular peer engagement shortens the learning curve and prevents duplication of effort.
Empower student-led innovation
Students often surface blind spots and elevate accountability in ways traditional governance cannot.
Normalize the specialized path
Consistently offering advanced sustainability projects builds expertise without requiring every leader to become a specialist.
Move toward measurable accountability
Structured assessment tools create clarity and discipline.
