Health Care UST MBA

Meet Jeff Schiff

"The St. Thomas program provided both the business expertise and leadership mentoring I needed to shift my career to this fascinating new path."

I have worked in the health care system for more than 25 years, serving in roles at Children's Hospital in St. Paul, with the State of Minnesota's ambulance board and with the Minnesota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. I found myself increasingly interested in the structure of the health care system and saw that there were great opportunities to affect change at the system as well as the patient levels.

I chose St. Thomas first because I saw the Health Care UST MBA as the academic home for the business of health care in Minnesota, because I knew a few other alumni and because the program had a strong reputation. Also, I have three small children and a busy professional life, so distance learning was the only option.

When I began the program, I was looking for the expertise—in finance, human resources, law, etc.—to take a big jump in my career. I learned a whole new skill set and came out of the program prepared to be a health care leader,  understanding, with some depth, the health care industry in a way I wouldn't otherwise.

Within my cohort there was a wealth of experience and a diversity of perspectives guided by a strong faculty. This was a big motivator to stay with the program—I didn't want to lose this intellectually stimulating group. The faculty were able to elicit the focused expertise of those in the group, as well as those available externally, to create a strong learning environment.

After completing the Health Care UST MBA I became the medical director for the Minnesota Health Care Programs, the state-funded health care program. In this role I focus on the development and implementation of policy based on clinical evidence and of new delivery models such as health care home. The St. Thomas program provided both the business expertise and leadership mentoring I needed to shift my career to this fascinating new path. I came out of the program with a rich skill set that I use every day in my current work.

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