The inaugural class of Brown's new Executive Master of Healthcare Leadership program will gather on campus for the first time today. President Christina Paxson will greet the 29 students who will then hear a plenary talk by the authors of the book The Art of Medical Decision Making. The new students will also attend a panel discussion led by Dr. Ira Wilson, chair of the Department of Health Services, Policy, and Practice. Speaking to the issue of “Challenges in Healthcare Leadership, 2013 and Beyond” are leaders from the medical, business, and policy communities around the state: Dr. Dan Ashley of Memorial Hospital; Mike Hudson, CFO of Blue Cross Blue Shield RI; Dennis Keefe, president and CEO of Care New England; Bob Linke, president and CEO of Embera NeuroTherapeutics Inc.; Marlene McCarthy, chair of the Rhode Island Breast Cancer Coalition; and Jennifer Wood, chief of staff and general counsel in the lieutenant governor’s office.