Health Care Executive MBA Testimonials

“ I decided to pursue an MBA to both enhance my medical practice and diversify my career goals. After extensively researching the various executive programs available, I found the Healthcare Executive MBA Program at UCI to be the best with respect to reputation, quality of instruction and course schedule. The knowledge that I am gaining will be instrumental in running a more efficient practice and will additionally allow me to pursue a consulting position within the healthcare field."

Mark G. Kowall, MD
Orthopedic Surgeon
HCEMBA 2003

“ The HCEMBA program provided me the unique opportunity of learning with various leaders from within the health care industry. I did not have to apply theories of making "widgets" to patients. In addition, the Catalyst system enabled me to communicate with professors as if office hours were determined by me. The convenient scheduling system enabled me to maintain my career focus. The HCEMBA program continues to exceed my expectations. From day one, I have been able to successfully apply my classroom experience to my work. It has enabled me to develop unique solutions that were previously insurmountable."

Anthony Nguyen, MD
Medical Director
Blue Cross
HCEMBA 2004

“ I decided to attend the UCI Health Care Executive MBA because of its outstanding reputation and results. After reviewing a number of nationally ranked programs it was clear UCI had uniquely stayed on the cutting edge with their programs, while maintaining a solid base in business fundamentals. The education I received at UCI paid dividends immediately after graduation in the form of a promotion within CIGNA. I have been impressed with the quality and experience of my peers at UCI and have forged professional and personal friendships that will last a lifetime."

Christopher De Rosa, MBA
Vice President, Information Management
CIGNA HealthCare
HCEMBA 2001

“ My career path has included representing insurers, managed care organizations, and physician groups and as such I wanted a program that would include the application of business concepts to health care industry related topics. In addition, I wanted the opportunity to interface in the classroom setting with both providers of care and experts in various health care related fields.

The program is unique in that it combines focused learning (one long weekend per month) with challenging group related activities during interim periods. The interaction with group peers is extremely valuable in teaching skills relevant to any business environment including effective communication, strategic planning and consensus building.

Personally, having significant corporate environment experience, Management Science has been most enlightening. Learning decision-making models that can provide solution options to real business scenarios is extremely valuable and exciting and has already allowed me to differentiate myself in my current business environment.

To date, the best part of the HCEMBA experience, in addition to the learning of material that allows for improved performance in the workplace, is the interaction with classmates and particularly the interface with the study group team. These relationships are invaluable and will likely last a lifetime."

Michael McHale
Senior Manager
DJ Orthopedics
Class of 2003

“ The UCI HCEMBA program is one of the most innovative programs in the country. I wanted an MBA with a strong focus on health care and information technology. Being situated in the greater Los Angeles area, UCI was well situated to draw excellent faculty and a diverse student population. The program has taught me to think outside the box, developed friendships that will last a lifetime, and provided me the tools to be a successful leader in the dynamic business environment."

Gavin Choy, PharmD
Clinical Scientist
Gilead Life Sciences
HCEMBA 2003

“ My HCEMBA education at UCI was the key driver in securing my successful transition from clinical practice to health care administration. It is also the foundation upon which I build my core competency in making the right business and financial decisions."

Betty Tu, MD, MBA
Vice President
Gateway Medical Group, Inc.
HCEMBA 1999

“ What's a physician going to do with an MBA? That was the question asked by colleagues, friends and family before I entered the HCEMBA Charter Class in 1996. In 2002, my answer to that question is, "He's going to have new worlds revealed that were previously unavailable with only medical training. He will then address these new opportunities and his current situation with new sets of tools and insights gleaned from the brilliant construct of the HCEMBA program."

Healthcare is over one seventh of the US economy and growing rapidly, yet this juggernaut is plagued by economic inefficiencies at every level, stemming from the persistent fact that 19th century technology, the pen and paper, remains the most common method of data management. No other large industry would tolerate this fact. The IT orientation of GSM provides a background from which one might try to address this fundamental flaw in healthcare.

People in all aspects of healthcare delivery are entwined in a working life determined on the macro level by public policy decisions and on the micro level by the excessive transaction and coordination costs that derive from the Bartlebian reality I alluded to above.

The wisdom of the HCEMBA program lies in the well-conceived set of tools the graduate takes back to that milieu and the new opportunities he can discern with the changed perspective that the program provides. Moreover, the learning I received at GSM in the HCEMBA program has been a foundation for further postgraduate learning, which is analogous to the professional path after training in the practice of medicine.

So, to answer the question, "What's a physician going to do with an MBA?" I would now answer, "Grow intellectually and professionally in ways he could not have foreseen."

Ted Burdumy, MD, MBA
Partner, Pacific Valley Medical Group
President, InfoHealthNetwork: The Intranet for Healthcare Improvement
HCEMBA 1997

“ Choosing to enter the HCEMBA program at UCI was the second smartest thing I ever did! I chose the UCI HCEMBA program because of it's emphasis on the health care industry, the monthly schedule which worked much better for me and my family and the tremendous opportunity offered by the D.C. residential. I am the only physician in my organization and my position has evolved to include a large number of management duties. In addition to the terrific introduction to the world of business, the program also offers me the chance to regularly see other physicians which is what I miss most in my current work. It's also a way to be with other professionals who are interested in having a positive impact on the health care system. I have enjoyed all of the classes a great deal, but Macroeconomics, Managerial Finance and Management Science have been my favorites so far. I have applied techniques from all of my classes into my daily work life which has been very satisfying. Although the program takes a lot of work and dedication, I anticipate that it will greatly enhance my future career potential and would do it all over again in a minute!"

Susan Heller, MD
Medical Director
Southern California Edison
HCEMBA 2003

“ The UCI HCEMBA program fits a distinct niche for those professionals who don't have time for a full-time MBA at a top 10 school, but want something more substantial than all the long-distance learning and other less rigorous executive programs that are springing up more frequently. It helps of course that the UCI program is ranked highly in several national polls. In the health care world, at least on the West coast, the UCI HCEMBA program has a great reputation. Frequently people exclaim "I know that program" or "I know someone who went there." What clinched it for me was the once a month schedule. With a busy job and a young family, that ended up being the perfect rhythm that allowed me to focus intensely on the MBA during the four-day weekend, but then have the rest of the month for family and work.

The reasons for getting an MBA are two-fold for most applicants: first, the new opportunities that will become available from having the added credential, and secondly, the actual skills and knowledge that you acquire. On both of the counts the UCI program amply meets the goal. I noticed that whenever I mentioned that I was back in school for an MBA and told people it was the UCI program, I would get approving nods. The second part is harder to quantify, but in the long run more important. I now speak more confidently when interacting with senior executives, and can hold my own when we are discussing business strategy or negotiation issues. The main way it has helped me is to be able to place myself in someone else's shoes. For example, when trying to get a skilled nursing facility administrator to accept a certain patient, I can place myself in his position and understand what his short and long term concerns are, what his cost structure is, and what it would take to get a yes for my request.

The faculty was excellent. They were leaders in their fields and very good at stimulating the students to use the wealth of knowledge available in the class to learn from each other. Each course covered a core curriculum that gives you the basics of the subject matter, and there were enough practical applications to come away with a sense of owning the material. The textbooks and syllabi form a lifelong resource, but more than anything tangible, I feel like I have learned a way of thinking and an approach for framing business questions that will set me apart from other physicians who do not have the business training. The most surprising aspect of the program, and one that I had not planned on at all, was the sheer fun of it. The privilege of being around great professors, discussing breaking news of the day, and at the same time experiencing a college dorm like experience was a blast. When you spend the morning analyzing the collapse of the dot.com industry with an insider IT consultant, the afternoon learning about stock picking from one of the guys who invented the strategy in Chicago and then hang out in the evening with your team buddies for tennis and drinks at the sports bar, you have to pinch yourself and wonder how is it possible you are having so much fun. When friends a home say, "you must be glad it's over now," I have to smile wistfully and explain that the strange truth is that actually I'm very sad that this unique experience has ended.

When colleagues or supervisors make reference to the fact that I have an MBA, I can tell it makes a difference in their impression of me. It makes them take me more seriously and establishes that there is a different skill set I can rely on other than just medical school and clinical experience. All five of us on our team that stuck together from the beginning have changed jobs during the time we attended UCI. It almost became a peer pressure issue to make use of what we were learning and break free from traditional roles. We used each other to bounce career options around and evaluate opportunities. It was like having a personal board of directors available that has your best interests in mind.

I moved from being the medical director of a small, local HMO, to being the regional medical director with a large Fortune 500 Health Care company. Several of the physician executives in the company were UCI grads. I'm sure that helped in getting the job. The best parts of my MBA experience: Increased public speaking confidence; Being able to whip out a Powerpoint presentation in half an hour; A solid mastery of business term vocabulary; Better understanding of team and small group dynamics; New friends."

Michael J.J. van Duren, MD, MBA
Regional Medical Director
PacifiCare of California
HCEMBA 2001

“ The overall HCEMBA experience is exceptional. Several of our professors are world class. I don't say this lightly since I not only had a few teachers in the past, but was an associate professor at UCLA myself. The material of course is well thought out and very timely. We have the opportunity to study very well selected subjects. The obvious real strength is the commitment of the faculty. Everyone understands our needs and works very hard to that end."

Gene Keller, MD
Medical Director
HCEMBA 2003

“ I was a second year resident in psychiatry at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, in Los Angeles, California before I started the Health Care Executive MBA at UCI. I was finding the practice of psychiatry not as dynamic, diverse, or intellectually stimulating as I had anticipated and wanted a way to combine my creativity and my passion for science and medicine, and to use both in a dynamic and fulfilling career --which left me at quite a loss in the middle of my residency.

After asking all my colleagues in residency what else there was that MDs could do with their medical degrees besides practice (and ending up getting quite a few blank stares and shrugged shoulders), I ended up going back to my medical school's undergraduate campus for career counseling -- where they told me I was the first MD to ever walk in the door (by that time, they figure you pretty much know what you want to do when you grow up). My career counselor ended up giving me the Strong Interest Inventory, which matches your personality and strengths with other people who are happy in their career ... and my number one match came up "Marketing Executive" -- which, once again, left me at quite a loss in the middle of residency. I had nightmares about having to forsake my college education, four years of medical school, and 2 years of residency to go and sell Colgate toothpaste.

Needless to say, my wise career counselor told me to go look on the internet at job sites and start looking at descriptions of things that combined marketing or business and medicine, that sounded like something I would want to do for the rest of my life -- without having to forsake all my previous education and the science/medicine I loved. I ended up finding quite a few job descriptions in the pharmaceutical industry that did exactly that. The ones I really loved said things like "Combine business and medicine, help design drugs of the future!" Unfortunately, they also said things like "MBA required." The more job descriptions I found that I actually liked, the more getting my MBA seemed like a foregone conclusion.

Despite my health care background, I did not have the requisite work experience to apply for the program I thought I was very suited for (the Health Care Executive MBA), so I decided to apply to the full-time MBA program at UCI. I was accepted, given a full scholarship, and was going to leave residency and start my MBA full-time... Until my career counselor encouraged me to submit my resume for the job descriptions I really liked ("MBA required") despite the fact that I didn't meet the qualifications. What's the worst that could happen, she said? And instead of laughing at my resume, I actually got a few phone calls from pharma companies intrigued by my medical background and my interest in pursuing a career in marketing. Eventually, I interviewed with and was offered a position in marketing with Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis, Indiana.

All of which threw my future MBA plans into quite the quagmire. Determined at this point not to let mere qualifications stop me (aha), I resubmitted my application to UCI -- this time to the Health Care Executive MBA Program. With my medical background and my real time entry into the world of business and marketing, I could not imagine a better fit for my skills, education and future plans than the Health Care MBA . Due to the foresight of some amazing individuals who were willing to take a chance on someone on the far left side of the work experience curve, I was accepted into HCEMBA 6. I accepted the position with Lilly, and came out every month from Indianapolis for the residentials -- until I recently relocated with Lilly back to Southern California, in a new position as a Neuroscience Medical Liaison.

The HCEMBA program has been everything I had hoped it would be and more. The material I'm learning is immediately relevant for the work I'm doing, the industry I'm in, and the future path I want my career to take (pharmaceutical marketing). I'm learning not only the fundamentals of business, but also how to apply them in the real world, health care, and industry settings. Even after a year in the program, I still feel like I am on the steep part of the learning curve -- learning by leaps and bounds and becoming more aware and appreciative of the issues that face not only the pharmaceutical industry, but also the world (markets, economics, business, etc). Additionally, the wealth of experience the people in the class bring is tremendous -- I am classmates and colleagues with people with a plethora of medical experience from whom I learn inordinate amounts; and my background (in medicine and pharma) brings something unique that I can share and offer to them as well. The atmosphere in our class is extremely collaborative and supportive, and despite the fact that I work full-time and have MBA study to do most nights and weekends, I sincerely look forward to the monthly residentials, interacting with my classmates, and to learning another interesting facet of business/marketing/economics/etc."

Britton Ashley Hill, MD
Neuroscience Medical Liaison
Eli Lilly and Company
HCEMBA Class of 2003