In Kesa Bond’s classroom, the starting point never really changes.

“Every new semester feels like 1995 all over again,” she said. “I see myself as that student I used to be.”

It’s a mindset that’s shaped nearly two decades of teaching at Temple.

Bond returned to her alma mater after building a career in healthcare systems and industry. She’s now an associate professor of instruction in health informatics and the newly named interim chair of the Department of Health Services Administration and Policy. That full-circle perspective carries over into her teaching.

“I treat students like adults,” she said. “There’s so much to be unpacked behind every story.”

Before entering academia, Bond worked in long-term care and at McKesson, helping implement early electronic health record (EHR) systems. Saying yes to every opportunity—even when it stretched her—proved formative.

“Students want more than textbook knowledge,” she said. “They can read that on their own. What they want is the connection to the real world.”

Still, it’s the students who keep her coming back.

“The students really are the prize and the joy,” she said. “I always joke that one of them is going to come back and hire me one day, so I keep my résumé ready.”

Over the course of her career, Bond has watched health informatics evolve rapidly—from early EHR systems to telehealth to artificial intelligence.

“I’ve never seen anything move as quickly as AI,” she said.

But Bond’s work is grounded in something more personal. Her research on patient engagement is shaped by her own experience as a parent navigating the healthcare system for her daughter.

“Patient engagement, when it’s done right, really does empower patients,” she said. “If you’re not engaged, you’re not empowered.”

That focus also extends to questions of equity. Bond has seen firsthand how care can differ based on a patient’s background.

“You don’t get the same level of engagement across the board,” she said.

Looking ahead, she hopes to raise awareness of health informatics and its role in modern healthcare, while continuing to invest in the students who first drew her back.

“Education is the key,” she said. “It’s the most direct pathway forward.”