Episode Overview

Title: Interview with Rebecca Napier, Vice President of Finance and Administration at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
Date: January 13, 2026
Host: Laura Dardeau, Becker's Healthcare
Guest: Rebecca Napier

Main Theme:
This episode delves into how the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center (UNM HSC) is navigating key trends and challenges in healthcare, especially around workforce shortages, care access, state-wide collaboration, and the evolution of healthcare education. Rebecca Napier shares thoughtful reflections on leadership, adaptation, and strategic planning in a fast-changing healthcare environment.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introduction to Rebecca Napier and UNM HSC

• Rebecca Napier introduces herself and her 30+ year career in academic healthcare, spanning administration, education, and system leadership.
• UNM HSC is described as the state’s flagship health science organization, offering a wide array of programs:
  • School of Medicine (allopathic education and residencies)
  • College of Nursing
  • College of Population Health
  • College of Pharmacy
  • Integration with the healthcare delivery system
• [01:23] “Very fortunate to have a broad base and experience here… We span far more than just the School of Medicine and then we have our healthcare delivery system as well.” — Rebecca Napier

2. Current Healthcare Trends and Top Priorities

• Napier identifies regulatory changes and their impacts on funding as critical concerns.
• Persistent healthcare worker shortages, as highlighted by HRSA data, are particularly urgent.
  • It's not only physician shortages—shortages affect the entire healthcare workforce.
• As an academic institution, UNM HSC aims to pipeline graduates into local communities, recognizing both retention challenges and broader impacts.
• Emphasis on ensuring that educational programs anticipate not just current but long-term (10–20 years) workforce and community needs.
• [02:33] “It's really important that as we build these educational programs that we do so in a way that's really mindful of the needs, not just for today and tomorrow, but when we look at the 10 and 20 year.” — Rebecca Napier

3. Strategies and Challenges Around Access to Care

• Healthcare is rapidly evolving with technology and an emphasis on efficiency.
• Moving care out of the acute (inpatient) environment and into outpatient settings is a priority, helping decompress the overburdened acute care system.
• UNM HSC is currently operating at 130% acute care occupancy, underscoring access constraints and system stress:
  • [04:10] “We currently run at about 130% occupancy in our acute care delivery system, which is quite a challenge and a burden to our organization, our providers.” — Rebecca Napier
• Despite system strains, Napier stresses the ongoing commitment to deliver outstanding care statewide and to find positive-impact solutions.

4. Expanding the Healthcare Workforce Pipeline and Physical Capacity

• Top priority over the last year: ramping up physical facilities and infrastructure to double medical school graduate output over the next decade.
• Initiation of a robust business plan and stakeholder alignment to guide the construction and programming of a new School of Medicine building.
• Focus on infrastructure that is flexible and adaptable for future educational and technological changes.
• Internal and external stakeholder engagement is crucial for momentum and shared vision.
  • [05:30] “We've undertaken a very robust business plan that gave us sort of the framework of how to go about achieving this…” — Rebecca Napier
  • [06:56] “I can't say that I've seen the level of interest, engagement and drive that our state has shown for a project of this type… In order to be able to do this type of a large scale project at such a fast pace has become incredibly important to not just have that alignment internally, but also externally as well.” — Rebecca Napier

5. Leadership and Collaboration: Aligning Toward a Common Mission

• Napier credits strong executive and state leadership for accelerating progress.
• Multi-level stakeholder engagement (internal executive team and external partners) is necessary for executing on large, complex projects.
• Emphasizes the unique collaborative spirit and the rapid conceptualization-to-design pace as a testament to effective partnership.

6. Advice for Emerging Healthcare Leaders

• Remain optimistic and reframe challenges as opportunities for growth and innovation.
• Encourages leaders to build “muscle memory” by navigating difficulties and embracing change.
  • [08:36] “A skilled sailor isn’t made through smooth seas. It's actually the difficult seas that make the skilled sailor… These occasional difficulties [are] really honing our skills and helping us create that muscle memory to be able to continue to navigate through challenging times.” — Rebecca Napier

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On anticipating future needs:
  [02:33] “It's really important that as we build these educational programs that we do so in a way that's really mindful of the needs, not just for today and tomorrow, but when we look at the 10 and 20 year.” — Rebecca Napier

• On state-level commitment:
  [06:56] “I can't say that I've seen the level of interest, engagement and drive that our state has shown for a project of this type… Such an absolutely refreshing perspective to have.”

• On reframing adversity in leadership:
  [08:36] “A skilled sailor isn’t made through smooth seas… These occasional difficulties [are] really honing our skills and helping us create that muscle memory…”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:23 — Rebecca Napier introduces herself and the UNM Health Sciences Center
• 02:33 — Top trends: funding, regulatory change, workforce shortages
• 04:10 — Strategies for improving access and managing high acute care occupancy
• 05:30 — Facility expansion to double medical school graduates over 10 years
• 06:56 — Importance of alignment, both internal and state-level, to drive rapid progress
• 08:36 — Leadership advice: reframing challenges as opportunities, the value of adversity

Summary Flow & Takeaway

Rebecca Napier paints a picture of an academic health system facing workforce shortages, care access challenges, and the necessity of strategic, long-range planning—all against the backdrop of rapid industry change. She highlights UNM HSC's proactive initiatives (facility expansion, flexible education, community-focused retention), the value of stakeholder alignment, and a positive, resilient approach to leadership. Her closing advice is to use adversity as a tool for leadership development and to view turbulent times as opportunities for collective improvement.
This episode is a valuable listen for anyone invested in healthcare system leadership, education, or transformation—especially those curious about effective collaboration at the intersection of policy, institutional change, and community engagement.