More Student Profiles . . .
My background is in the hard/basic sciences and I was on the medical school track. Over time I realized that my interests were more related to health care addressed from a broader scope instead of focusing on individual patient care. Instead of being an actual practitioner of medicine, I thought I could serve society better as a facilitator for physicians, nurses, etc. by improving the system resulting in better health care for everyone.
What was your undergraduate major?
I was a physics and philosophy double major at UC Berkeley. I was also pre-med.
What work experience did you have before coming to the MHA Program?
I worked for 3 1/2 years at a biomedical engineering device company doing research. The company I worked for developed a catheter-based therapy for dissolving blood clots, for example in the case of stroke.
What do you feel are the strengths of the MHA Program?
First and foremost, the fact that it is interdisciplinary. Also, it focuses on management skills, including interpersonal and conceptual skills, as opposed to solely focusing on technical skills like many MBA programs. The faculty is experienced, supportive, and relatively diverse with valuable backgrounds. The cohort design is great because we are able to get to know all of our classmates relatively well.
What goals do you plan to pursue for your career in health care management? How do you feel the MHA Program is assisting you in reaching those goals?
I am interested in pursuing health care policy or policy consulting work. Since the program is interdisciplinary and we learn about the many aspects of health care management, the "complete" picture we are given is very helpful and I think will prepare each of us well, no matter what specific focus we choose.
Student Profile
Sara Vaezy: MHA Candidate, 2009
What brought you to the MHA Program?My background is in the hard/basic sciences and I was on the medical school track. Over time I realized that my interests were more related to health care addressed from a broader scope instead of focusing on individual patient care. Instead of being an actual practitioner of medicine, I thought I could serve society better as a facilitator for physicians, nurses, etc. by improving the system resulting in better health care for everyone.
What was your undergraduate major?
I was a physics and philosophy double major at UC Berkeley. I was also pre-med.
What work experience did you have before coming to the MHA Program?
I worked for 3 1/2 years at a biomedical engineering device company doing research. The company I worked for developed a catheter-based therapy for dissolving blood clots, for example in the case of stroke.
What do you feel are the strengths of the MHA Program?
First and foremost, the fact that it is interdisciplinary. Also, it focuses on management skills, including interpersonal and conceptual skills, as opposed to solely focusing on technical skills like many MBA programs. The faculty is experienced, supportive, and relatively diverse with valuable backgrounds. The cohort design is great because we are able to get to know all of our classmates relatively well.
What goals do you plan to pursue for your career in health care management? How do you feel the MHA Program is assisting you in reaching those goals?
I am interested in pursuing health care policy or policy consulting work. Since the program is interdisciplinary and we learn about the many aspects of health care management, the "complete" picture we are given is very helpful and I think will prepare each of us well, no matter what specific focus we choose.