By Dr. Karoline Mortensen and Dr. Danielle Ellerbe
The University of Miami is approaching its 100th anniversary in 2025, marking a century of academic excellence and active community involvement. The university’s mascot, the Hurricane, is a symbol tied to the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926, which caused significant campus damage, necessitating resilience and innovation to maintain and rebuild. This same resilience and adaptability remain critical as the healthcare system contends with disruptions from artificial intelligence, the pandemic, the shift toward value-based care, and other complex challenges. Our Health Executive Master of Business Administration (HEMBA) program, celebrating its 45th anniversary this year, alongside the Master of Health Administration (MHA), MD/MBA, and undergraduate Health Management and Policy (HMP) programs, equip our students and alumni with the vital skills needed to steer organizations through these turbulent times.
The Miami Herbert Business School has achieved a rare “triple crown status,” making it the third business school in the country to be accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS), and the Association of MBAs (AMBA). Additionally, our health care programs hold accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME). The department maintains active engagement with the Business School Alliance for Health Management (BAHM), fostering valuable national and global resources.
Notably, the department’s 12th annual conference, “The Business of Health Care: Managing Through Uncertainty,” hosted executives from leading professional organizations, offering insightful strategies for navigating the post-pandemic healthcare landscape. The HMP department is eagerly planning the 13th conference to occur on February 16, 2024, “AI, Elections and the Economy”. Moreover, our students, alumni, and faculty have achieved notable successes, securing first place in the South Florida Chapter of the American College of Health Executives (ACHE) case competition and attaining semi-finalist status in the National Association of Health Service Executives (NAHSE) case competition in Atlanta. The HMP department hosted a career fair in conjunction with ACHE that was teeming with students and attended by 16 healthcare organizations across the state of Florida. Drs. Mortensen and French co-hosted the 20th annual Southeastern Health Economics Study Group (SHESG) conference this year at Miami Herbert, welcoming some of the leading health economists and health services researchers from U.S. universities. The fall semester at University of Miami kicked off with an advisory board meeting and HMP student and alumni reception, filled with a time of great connection, networking, and celebration.
Our distinguished faculty members continue to contribute significantly to the healthcare field, with recent highlights including Dr. Danielle Ellerbe joining as the academic director of the MHA program and Dr. Emma Dean presenting her research at the International Health Economics Association conference in Cape Town, South Africa. Dr. Michael French was recently recognized by Stanford as one of the world’s top 2% scientists. Faculty members hold various leadership positions within the department, school, and university, continually enriching the academic experience including Dr. Karoline Mortensen who serves as associate dean of business programs while continuing to bring her expertise to the classroom. Dr. Stephen Ullmann received a Lifetime Achievement Award by the South Florida Hospital and Healthcare Organization. Our department prides itself on fostering interdisciplinary, experiential learning, exemplified by the co-teaching of the HEMBA public health policy class by former United States Health and Human Services Secretaries, Donna Shalala and Alex Azar. In addition, our monthly distinguished speaker series and involvement of industry leaders in the classroom further enrich our students’ learning experiences.
As we navigate this era of disruption and artificial intelligence, the Miami Herbert Business School remains dedicated to cultivating transformative scholarship and nurturing principled leaders, especially in the realm of healthcare, for a brighter future.
For more information, visit www.bus.miami.edu.