With financial support from the Commonwealth Fund, the Yale School of Management will launch a program to give healthcare practitioners the leadership skills and the deep understanding of markets, organizations, and governments needed to tackle major inequities in the U.S. healthcare system. The program, called the Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Minority Health Leadership at Yale University, will fully fund three fellows per year, who will complete the MBA for Executives degree program with a focus on healthcare while also receiving specialized training and mentoring from experts in healthcare disparities from across the university and beyond. The fellows will be health practitioners committed to improving healthcare access and outcomes for minorities, socio-economically disadvantaged groups, and other vulnerable populations.
The first fellows will begin the 22-month MBA for Executives programs in July 2019. Round 1 applications will be accepted through November 13.
Yale’s EMBA curriculum imbues students with the analytical skills and decision-making tools to lead effectively across all sectors—private, public and nonprofit—and enhances their ability to set goals, build teams, and communicate persuasively. Approximately a quarter of the curriculum delves into management and leadership issues in the healthcare space. Throughout their time in the program, fellows will benefit from studying with faculty who are leading experts in subjects such as organizational behavior, finance, human resources, operations, and behavioral science. Fellows will develop a keen understanding of the underlying forces perpetuating the persistent inequities in the U.S. healthcare system and gain the frameworks, insights, and professional connections necessary to effectively forge solutions.
Fellows will complete the EMBA curriculum by taking classes every other weekend, as well as attending two longer on-campus modules—a format that will allow them to continue in their current roles while developing new leadership capabilities. They will be part of a cohort of accomplished, motivated and diverse peers, taking core classes with students from all three focus areas and attending colloquia and specialized electives with other professionals from all facets of the healthcare industry. In addition, fellows will benefit from mentoring, immersion trips, and hands-on project opportunities centered on minority health. Graduates earn the same Yale MBA degree as full-time students and join the Yale alumni community.
David Bach, PhD, Yale SOM’s deputy dean for academic programs overseeing the MBA for Executives, explains that adding a program centered on minority health to the EMBA made perfect sense. “Our mission of educating leaders for business and society requires us to take on complex and seemingly intractable problems,” says Bach. “Leaders who understand the connections between government policy, market forces, culture, and individual behavior have the best chance to go beyond merely bending the cost curve in healthcare to make systemwide, transformative improvements.”
For more detailed information about the goals of the program and problems it will address, read the full announcement of the fellowship here, or email the MBA for Executives program at emba.admissions@yale.edu. More information about the application process is available here.