By Lois Thomson, South Florida Hospital News, for ACHE of South Florida

Rahat Verma confessed he is an avid traveler, visiting 45 countries and more than 15 states, and he holds a strong appreciation for the influence that the cultures, norms, and values of those experiences have taught him. Verma began life in Chicago but moved to South Florida at a young age, and spent the majority of his life there.

Verma is currently the Vice President of Operations at HCA Florida Kendall Hospital in Miami, where he has worked since 2022, starting as an Administrative Resident and then serving as Associate Administrator. Prior to that he worked at an HCA hospital in Los Angeles as an Administrative Intern, a position he held in grad school while attending the University of Minnesota, where he was pursuing a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Healthcare Administration.

His current role has him overseeing operations at HCA Florida Kendall, both clinical and non-clinical, including for such departments as imaging services, rehabilitation services, safety and security, communications, environmental services, food and nutrition services, and emergency management, among others.

In addition to his work at the hospital, Verma is a long-standing member of ACHE – the American College of Healthcare Executives – where he recently became a member of the board. He first learned about the organization when he was in graduate school. “There was an opening to serve on the board as a student member, so I joined the Minnesota Chapter in 2019. I remained a member of both that chapter and simultaneously our local chapter here in South Florida, knowing that South Florida was my home base and I did have intentions of coming back here at some point.”

For the past few years he has been highly involved as a volunteer, as a mentor for student competitions, and by offering support wherever possible. This year, however, he has taken the next step, joining the board as the Student Services Chair-Elect. “It’s an incredible opportunity for me to immerse myself more into the culture of the organization, and continue to spread the impact out into the community.”

The responsibilities for that position are to create opportunities for students, at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, to get more involved in ACHE. Verma said he and Student Services Chair Marla Sanfilippo will work to do this by hosting the annual student case competition, and by facilitating events that are directly aimed at students, such as job fairs, networking fairs – focusing on students, and those entering the job market who are new to the healthcare industry.

Of his experience with ACHE, Verma commented, “I had initial baseline expectations, but my experience has superseded those.” Likewise, he explained how he has been able to apply his experience at HCA Florida Kendall to the ACHE Chapter: “The culture at our hospital is one of the most diverse and most meaningful cultures that I’ve ever had the opportunity to be part of. That has transcended into what I aim and the board aims to create as the culture of our South Florida Chapter in 2025.”