As the business of health care has become increasingly complex, physicians and other professionals have been turning to the University of Miami School of Business Administration in order to gain the skills they need to navigate the evolving industry. More than 800 industry professionals have earned their MBA degrees through the School’s Executive MBA in Health Sector Management and 
Policy program since the program was started more than 30 years ago. The School now counts some of the region’s most distinguished health care leaders among its alumni.
Policy program since the program was started more than 30 years ago. The School now counts some of the region’s most distinguished health care leaders among its alumni.“One of the greatest assets of having gone through the program was the networking opportunity,” says Steven Sonenreich, MBA, president and CEO of Mount Sinai Medical Center and a 1990 graduate of the program. “Having been able to develop relationships and maintain regular contact with those who went through the program with me has helped create opportunities for collaboration,” which, according to Sonenreich, is one of the most important aspects of health care today.
In 2012, UM’s Executive MBA program was ranked the No. 2 MBA program for physician-executives in the United States by Modern Healthcare magazine. The program continues to grow as demand for those with advanced business knowledge and management skills grows in the health sector.
“As the Affordable Care Act moves into full implementation, the kind of business skills developed in the MBA program can be more valuable than ever to those working within the health care industry,” said Steven Ullmann, director of the School’s programs in health sector management and policy. “Delivering on the promise of improved quality and efficiency, while controlling costs, requires the highly-trained managers and executives we see taking part in and graduating from this program.”
The University of Miami program is the only health sector MBA program in Florida to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME), the premier accrediting body for health care management programs. The program begins in January each year, with classes meeting one weekend each month for 23 months. Participants include physicians, nurses, mid-to-high level executives and other highly experienced health care professionals working in group practices, hospitals, government agencies, biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms, insurance companies, managed care organizations, and medical device companies.
Grisel Fernandez Bravo, ARNP, MBA, NEA-BC, DNP, chief nursing officer at Memorial Hospital West, is among the many executives who have graduated from the program. She began her medical career as an RN at Miami Children’s Hospital, then known as Variety Children’s Hospital, and went on to serve as CNO of Hialeah Hospital, Palmetto General Hospital and Memorial Hospital Miramar before joining Memorial West.“I needed an MBA to understand the business aspect of nursing,” says Fernandez Bravo, who was steered toward the Executive MBA program by colleagues who had graduated from the program. After earning her MBA from UM in 2005, Fernandez Bravo earned her DNP from the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies, a decision that was heavily influenced by the high caliber of professors who taught courses for the Executive MBA program.
“This was an excellent program for someone without any business experience, especially in health care, which is so intricate,” she says.
The School of Business also offers a joint MD/MBA program with the University’s Miller School of Medicine, as well as an undergraduate major and minor in health sector management and policy.
A Center for Health Sector Management and Policy was established in 2010 to serve as a resource for the health care and business communities. The center promotes and conducts research, provides training for those in the health sector through customizable executive education programs, and features a consult practice to help organizations tackle challenges facing health care, such as cost-effectiveness analysis, Lean Six Sigma, process improvement, management and leadership, ethics and compliance, health care technology, and international health care policy. Through the center’s experts bureau, leading authorities in health sector management and policy and professors of the School are also available to provide expertise to legislative bodies, government agencies, news media and various organizations.
