CHP Distinguished Alumni Award winner

Anthony Stanowski, Doctor of Health Administration (DHA) Class of 2013, has been recognized by the MUSC Alumni Association with a Distinguished Alumni Award.

The award is given to alumni to honor their dedication to their chosen field, their community and MUSC. Stanowski, president and CEO of Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME), was nominated by Michael Meacham, a retired faculty member in the MUSC Department of Healthcare Leadership & Management. Meacham recognized him for his leadership at CAHME that transformed the organization into one that is experiencing financial growth while advancing the quality of health care management education.

“It’s interesting when you get an award like the Distinguished Alumni Award, you realize that you’re getting it because of a lot of the work that other people put into you to make you successful,” Stanowski said. He credits his time at MUSC with having shifted the trajectory of his career­ -- and that without the mentorship of Brian Poplin, DHA ‘10, he may not have attended.

Poplin’s mantra “we are all created in God’s image, and our success will be measured in the changed lives of others,” is still a guiding principle for Stanowski. It’s a belief that has shaped his career through every new step. When Poplin suggested that he apply to the doctorate program at MUSC, Stanowski recognized the potential impact he could have not just on Aramark, where he worked at the time, but on the future of health care management.

After an already successful 20-year career, Stanowski earned his DHA from MUSC in 2013. He says it was a reflective time in his career when he was looking at what he had done and what he could still do.

Shortly after graduating, Stanowski joined the CAHME Board of Directors as chair elect. When the president of the non-profit announced his retirement, his former Aramark supervisor, Tim Campbell, suggested he apply for the position.

At the time, CAHME needed a strong leader who could turn the non-profit around and bring it to its full potential. It wasn’t a career move that he had ever pictured for himself until Campbell gave him a piece of advice that, much like Poplin, shaped the trajectory of his career: If you do what you love and you help people, that’s worth more than any money in the world.

Stanowski took the role of president at CAHME and, with the help of Karen Wager, MHS, DBA, was able to create the teams and infrastructure needed to build an organization that could truly make an impact on the lives of others. Wager was the associate dean of Student Affairs the College of Health Professions, and served as the chair of the Accreditation Council during his first year as president; Stanowski knew she was an essential person to create growth within CAHME. With Wager’s advisement, Stanowski has created scholarships, access to leading edge practitioner information for use in classrooms, and a leading awards program to recognize innovative health care management programs.

“I’m fortunate to receive this alumni award and I’m very proud of it,” Stanowski said. “But when you look at everything that people did for you, that’s why you’re able to accomplish some of the things that you do.”