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center for learning and innovation
Center for Learning and Innovation
Celebrates 10th Anniversary
LAKE SUCCESS — The adage “if you build it, they will come”
characterizes the 10 years that the Center for Learning and
Innovation has existed. The corporate university for the North
Shore-LIJ Health System celebrated its tenth anniversary on January
16, 2012. From its humble beginnings in a rented single classroom
at the Dale Carnegie Institute in Woodbury, CLI has grown and
flourished, impacting employees from all levels and areas and now
occupying a state-of-the-art facility in Lake Success. Through the
end of 2011, CLI has taught 163,384 people and it has no plans to
slow down. “Since it opened in 2002, CLI has become the largest
corporate university in the healthcare industry, setting the standard
for educational excellence and demonstrating the highest level of
innovation,” said Michael Dowling, president and CEO of the North
Shore-LIJ Health System.
A New Place to Play
Officials from Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove and Cohen Children’s Medical Center (CCMC) of New York
recently celebrated the opening of the shopping center’s new children’s play area. Sponsored by the North
Shore-LIJ Health System, the play space is located in the mall’s Sears Court. Among those at the opening were,
from left: Cynthia Ruf, corporate director of marketing for the health system; Kevin Carraccio, CCMC’s vice
president of philanthropy; Debora Riccardi, CCMC’s director of community outreach; Paul Fiore, Simon Property
Group’s northeast regional director of business development; Sharon Ritterband, Simon Property group’s
area director of business development; and James Lundgren, Smith Haven Mall’s general manager.
76 Summer 2012
Based on Michael Dowling’s original white paper on the
development of a leadership institute, CLI began 10 years ago with
educational offerings limited to Core Management and Six Sigma,
which had instructors traveling to hospitals and using a rented
classroom to offer the education to employees. It was not until a year
later, when CLI moved to its first location, that the education was
centralized and the amount of programs that the corporate university
was able to offer began to grow. Over the years, CLI developed
additional programs such as the administrative and physician high
potential programs, as well as the scholar pipeline and administrative
fellowships. In 2012, over 80 different enrichment courses are
scheduled, with additional courses being developed due to the high
demand of learners and the continued growth of the health system.
One of CLI’s innovations was the establishment of the
Patient Safety Institute (PSI) in
2006 to focus on preventable
medical errors, teamwork and
communication. PSI provided
the clinical aspect of education
that was in high demand for the
organization’s team members who
were directly involved in patient
care. In 2011 alone, CLI and PSI
conducted over 950 individual
educational programs.
Outside organizations
repeatedly take notice of the
work that is done by CLI. The
International Association for
Continuing Education and Training
(IACET), which accredits CLI to
offer continuing education units,
awarded the corporate university the
2011 Exemplar Award for Internal
Training. The Center for Learning
and Innovation also received a
Silver Award for Best Leadership
Training Program. Most recently,
Chief Learning Officer Magazine named
CLI a 2012 Learning Elite Finalist.
“We’re proud of CLI’s
success and confident that its
future achievements will enable
us to reach even greater heights
as a ‘learning organization,’” said
Mr. Dowling.