By Danielle Ellerbe, PhD, Karoline Mortensen, PhD, and Steven G. Ullmann, PhD
Danielle Ellerbe, PhD
The University of Miami has been celebrating its centennial, one hundred years as an essential part of the South Florida community, providing academic excellence and community engagement. The Health Care Executive MBA (HEMBA) program has shared a significant part of this history reflecting community interest and need, with its 45th anniversary this past year, and educating well over 1,000 alumni. In addition, as a result of significant demand, the Miami Herbert Business School now offers a Master of Health Administration (MHA), a four-year MD/MBA program, and an undergraduate Health Management program. Certificate programs are now provided to the health care community as well with focus on various aspects of health management, leadership, finance, AI, and policy. These programs are provided regionally, nationally, and globally. The business school-based curricula we offer in our HEMBA, MHA, MD/MBA, and undergraduate HMP programs provide our students and alumni with essential skills necessary to transform organizations while navigating change.
Karoline Mortensen, PhD
In addition to our rigorous academic programs, the Miami Herbert Business School has become the third business school in the nation to earn “triple crown status” with accreditation from the three most prestigious business school accreditation organizations. Triple crown status is achieved by less than 1% of the world’s business schools. This accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS), and the Association of MBAs (AMBA) recognizes the high standards of achievement at Miami Herbert. In addition, our Health Executive MBA program and our MHA program are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME), making ours the only programs in the country with all four accreditations. Additionally, the department continues to actively engage with the Business School Alliance for Health Management (BAHM), an elite, collaborative consortium of business school-based health management programs offering national and global resources, assuring cutting-edge curriculum, the exchange of webinars and conferences, as well as allowing our students access to a global network of fellow students.
Steven G. Ullmann, PhD
Our Center for Health Care Management and Policy hosted its 14th annual conference, The Business of Health Care. This year, the theme was “Post Elections.” Executives from major professional organizations, including America’s Health Insurance Plans, American Medical Association, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Healthcare Financial Management Association, Medical Group Management Association, National Medical Association, and the American Nurses Association, joined for a keynote panel discussion on strategies given the uncertainty we face in health care in a new administration. The conference with nearly 900 registrants this past year, offered our students, community, alumni, and supporters unparalleled access to industry experts who are actively shaping the landscape of the healthcare sector. The University’s Center is already planning the 2026 conference, scheduled for February 6, 2026, with the theme being, “Navigating Change,” given the significant dynamics in the health sector. Yet again we are coordinating a plethora of high-powered panels to provide invaluable and varied perspective on these aspects of our industry.
The students, alumni, and faculty in the University of Miami Department of Health Management and Policy continue to achieve success. Both our graduate and undergraduate student teams competed in the South Florida Chapter of the American College of Health Executives (ACHE) case competition, the National Association for Health Service Executives (NAHSE) case competition, the Penn State Health Policy and Administration case competition, and the Medical University of South Caroline (MUSC) case competition. Our graduate and undergraduate students partook in internship experiences that span over fifteen health systems and organizations, located across multiple states and countries. The department faculty include Dr. Danielle Ellerbe as the academic director of the MHA program, Dr. Steven Ullmann, who continues to serve as the academic director of the HEMBA and MD/MBA programs, Dr. Michael French, the Department Chair, and Dr. Karoline Mortensen recent Associate Dean of Business Programs. We are welcoming our newest faculty member, Dr. Kelsey Moran, who recently earned her Ph.D. from MIT. Our faculty continue to actively publish research and play editorial roles in high-impact journals, serve the community, including the national and global communities, and hold leadership positions in the department, school, university, and on national editorial boards.
Our courses continue to offer a variety of interdisciplinary, experiential learning opportunities. Our HEMBA public health policy class is co-taught by two former United States Health and Human Services Secretaries (Donna Shalala and Alex Azar). Several months ago, our HEMBA students had the extraordinary opportunity to have an intimate discussion with former President Clinton, who joined the Public Policy class for a discussion on health policy. It is another example of the unique opportunities offered to our students. The department hosts a monthly distinguished speaker series open to students and faculty throughout the academic year, hosting researchers and policymakers from across the nation. The MHA, HEMBA, and MD/MBA graduate programs have attracted increasing numbers of students who desire to augment their future clinical practice as advanced practice providers and medical doctors with a degree in the business of healthcare. Our HMP department advisory board, made up of representative leaders from distinguished local and national health care organizations and companies, continue to provide valuable insight that grounds and fortifies our programs’ curriculum in the current state of health affairs.
In this era of artificial intelligence and significant changes in our domestic and global health care environment, the mission of the Miami Herbert Business School, to develop transformative scholarship and principled leaders for business and society, resonates more than ever and our commitment to advance and shape healthcare for a better tomorrow continues. It is a major aspect of the goals and objectives of the Miami Herbert Business School.
Danielle Ellerbe, PhD, is the Academic Director of the Master of Health Administration program and an Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in the Miami Herbert Business School Health Management and Policy Department.
Karoline Mortensen, PhD, is Associate Director, Center for Health Management and Policy, and Professor in the Miami Herbert Business School Health Management and Policy Department.
Steven G. Ullmann, PhD, is Director of the Center for Health Management and Policy; Director, Health Executive MBA Program and MD/MBA Program; Professor in the Miami Herbert Business School Health Management and Policy Department, and Special Assistant to the Provost.
