Letter from the Army-Baylor Program Director: Lt. Col. Mike Frankel
Dear Army-Baylor Family,
We are proud to celebrate our 75th anniversary this year! As we move into the 2026-2027 academic year, I am proud of the momentum, commitment and shared purpose that continue to define the Army-Baylor University Graduate Program in Health and Business Administration. Our mission remains clear: to inspire, educate, train and develop healthcare leaders who strengthen readiness and improve the health of service members, families, retirees and veterans across the federal healthcare sector. As such, we remain committed to adapting the program to best prepare our students to thrive in dynamic and challenging federal and healthcare environments.
I would like to highlight a few of the initiatives we’ve enacted this year in promoting programmatic improvements. First, I’m proud to announce that we are piloting our concentration in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics with our 2026-2028 cohort. This concentration ensures that our graduates remain prepared to lead with data-driven decision-making in the face of rapidly evolving technology. Second, leveraging the expertise of our dedicated and extremely talented faculty, we’ve created a short course on the Fundamentals of AI in Healthcare to better educate the federal workforce and model our program name and faculty. Third, we’ve updated our curriculum to meet the expectations of our stakeholders and better prepare our students for successful post-graduate work.
We will continue to advance our program mission through three enduring lines of effort: People, Promotion and Proficiency.
People
People are, and will always remain, the foundation of Army-Baylor. Our students, faculty, staff, alumni, preceptors, partners and advisory council members form a powerful community united by honorable service, leadership, learning and collaboration.
We will continue investing deliberately in the development of our students and faculty through leadership engagement and lectures, site visits and tours, case competitions, simulations and research opportunities.
We will remain focused on developing leaders of character – leaders prepared to listen, build trust, lead teams through uncertainty, and make sound decisions on behalf of the patients and organizations they serve.
Promotion
Army-Baylor has a compelling story to tell. In the coming year, we will more actively share that story with prospective students, healthcare executives, alumni, military leaders and academic partners. We will continue to expand our applicant pool as we target different sectors of the federal healthcare system.
Promotion is not simply about recognition. It is about communicating the value of the Army-Baylor experience, attracting exceptional future leaders and reinforcing the relationships that enable our program to remain responsive to the needs of military medicine and the broader federal healthcare enterprise. Our faculty are an outstanding group of leaders, educators and researchers, and continue to provide invaluable service to the program and the military more broadly.
Proficiency
Our third line of effort is proficiency: ensuring that every Army-Baylor graduate possesses the knowledge, skills, judgment and confidence necessary to lead effectively from day one.
Healthcare leadership today requires far more than technical competence. It requires strategic thinking, financial stewardship, operational discipline, data literacy, communication skills and the ability to lead interdisciplinary teams through continual change. Our curriculum, applied learning experiences, research opportunities, guest-speaker engagements and residency partnerships will continue to prepare students to translate classroom learning into meaningful operational results.
The program will also continue to pursue academic and professional excellence through scholarship, innovation, and close alignment with the evolving needs of federal healthcare. The establishment of an advisory board composed of healthcare executives, military-service leaders, alumni and industry stakeholders provides an important mechanism for ensuring that our program remains connected to the workforce and prepared for the future.
As we move into our 75th year, I am grateful for the confidence, commitment and partnership of the entire Army-Baylor community. The strength of this program has always rested in its people and their willingness to serve something larger than themselves. Together, we will continue to develop future healthcare leaders who are prepared to advance innovation, strengthen outcomes and serve the evolving needs of the federal healthcare system.
