Schools with an Exceptional Healthcare Business Faculty
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Healthcare managers are responsible for resolving issues in a healthcare organization. As technology progresses and more people get access to health services, the demand for these professionals also increases. Healthcare managers and administrators work in different healthcare settings such as hospitals, consulting firms, government agencies, pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, and managed care organizations, among others. An MBA in healthcare can pave the way for aspiring leaders in this high-growth industry.
Students in healthcare MBA programs study interdisciplinary subjects such as medicine, business, and nursing. They learn relevant business skills, taking a data-driven approach to issues in healthcare and overcoming challenges in this dynamic field.
The following influential healthcare business professors have been published in high-impact scholarly journals and many of them have become heads of their departments, renowned for their research contributions and professional experience. Notably, there were five schools in particular which featured an overall outstanding faculty in this discipline: Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, Simmons University, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Harvard University
Founded in 1636, Harvard University is the oldest university in the United States. Boldly stating that they “educate leaders who make a difference in the world,” the dean of Harvard Business School makes a commitment to ethical leadership and the many ways in which this can be done though the work of competent managers and entrepreneurs in the school’s mission statement. Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration created the first MBA program in the world in 1908 with a group of 80 students and 15 faculty members. Women were admitted in 1959, after graduating from the Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration. Harvard has awarded honorary degrees to fourteen US presidents, the very first to George Washington after the continental army forced the British out of Boston under his leadership.
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Nancy M. Kane, DBA – Harvard UniversityDr. Nancy M. Kane is a professor of health policy and management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She also serves as director of the master’s in healthcare management program and co-chair of the task force on educational quality. She teaches in executive- and master’s-level degree programs in the areas of healthcare accounting, competitive strategy, financial analysis, and payment systems.
Dr. Kane’s research focuses on measuring hospital financial performance, non-profit hospital governance, quantifying community benefits, the value of tax exemption, the viability of safety net providers, and the competitive structure and performance of hospital and insurance industries. She has published her research in top journals such as the Journal of Healthcare Finance, Health Affairs, and the International Journal of Health Services. She is the recipient of numerous awards, such as the ASPH-Pfizer Award for Teaching Excellence and Roger L. Nichols Excellence in Teaching Award.
Dr. Kane earned her master’s and doctoral degrees from Harvard University.
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Jeffrey Levin-Scherz, MD – Harvard UniversityDr. Jeff Levin-Scherz is an assistant professor in the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health. He teaches provider payment in the master’s in healthcare management program.
Dr. Levin-Scherz’s research covers the impact of medical management programs and financial reimbursement on healthcare delivery. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association, and the American College of Physician Executives. He also has published his research in top journals, including Health Affairs, the Boston Business Journal, and JAMA.
Dr. Levin-Scherz earned his medical doctorate from Boston University, his MBA from Columbia University, and his bachelor’s in medical science and English from Boston University.
Johns Hopkins University
The namesake of the country’s first research university, Johns Hopkins, pays tribute to an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and abolitionist whose desire to improve public health and education led him to leave seven million dollars to these causes upon his death. The Carey Business School honors the legacy of Johns Hopkins while upholding the mission of “teaching business with humanity in mind,” a phrase coined by the school’s founding donor, William Polk Carey. The school offers dual degree MBA programs in public health, nursing, medical services management, and biotechnology. The school also offers a global MBA degree program during which students partner with local entrepreneurs in developing countries to address business challenges in areas of critical need. Ranked #1 graduate school for biomedical engineering, public health, and nursing by US News and World Report, Johns Hopkins is a world leader in higher education.
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Toby Gordon, ScD – Johns Hopkins UniversityDr. Toby Gordon serves as the academic program director of the healthcare management programs at Johns Hopkins University. She also teaches classes on healthcare delivery systems and strategies and the discovery to market journey, as well as an immersion colloquium.
Dr. Gordon’s research focuses on commercializing scientific discoveries and strategy in healthcare organizations. Her work has appeared in several prominent journals such as the Journal of Medical Systems, the Journal of American College of Surgeons, and the Journal of Vascular Surgery. She has won various awards including the Innovation in Teaching Award and the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award.
Dr. Gordon completed her doctor of science in health policy, management, and operations research at Johns Hopkins University.
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Christopher Myers, PhD – Johns Hopkins UniversityDr. Christopher Myers serves as academic director of executive education at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. He teaches courses on management and organizational behavior, leading high-reliability healthcare organizations, a leadership development expedition, and effective teams and sensemaking.
Dr. Myers’s research is centered around leadership development, relational dynamics and interactions, individual learning and development, and vicarious learning in organizations. His research has been published in prominent journals such as the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the Academy of Management Review, and the Journal of Applied Psychology. He is also the recipient of the Dean’s Award for Faculty Excellence, the Best Dissertation-based Paper Award, and the Leabo Memorial Award for Commitment to Teaching.
Dr. Meyers earned his doctorate in business administration with a focus on management and organizations from the University of Michigan. He also has a bachelor’s from the University of North Carolina.
Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management
Founded in 1908, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management is a global community of faculty, staff, students and alumni who are shaping the practice of business and organizations around the world. The Kellogg School of Management is proud to offer an MBA with an emphasis in healthcare management. It’s based on the crucial understanding that healthcare in the United States is, at its core, a business.
The school’s innovative program on healthcare at Kellogg (HCAK) was designed to build upon this reality by offering an MBA that specializes in courses at the intersection of business and policy. The program combines foundational theories with hands-on experiential learning. Central to this objective is a cutting-edge curriculum to help students identify the intricacies of the public-private nature of healthcare.
Led by renowned faculty and thought leaders, HCAK gives students a deep understanding of the regulatory, cultural, and moral dimensions of healthcare, as well as the intricacies of product manufacturers, insurers, and provider responsibilities.
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David Dranove, PhD – Kellogg School of ManagementDr. David Dranove is a professor of health industry management and strategy at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where he teaches courses on research in economics, healthcare economics, and research development.
Dr. Dranove’s research explores business strategy with a special focus on healthcare and problems in industrial organization. His work has been published in the RAND Journal of Economics, the Journal of Health Economics, and Health Affairs. His writing examines topics such as the Anthem-Cigna merger and the effect of hospital acquisitions, and he’s the recipient of many awards, including the Stanley Reiter Best Paper Award and the Sidney J. Levy Teaching Award.
Dr. Dranove completed his doctorate in economics, business, and policy from Stanford University. He also holds an MBA in health administration and a bachelor’s in genetics from Cornell University.
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Craig Garthwaite, PhD – Kellogg School of ManagementDr. Craig Garthwaite is director of the healthcare program and a professor of strategy at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Presently, Dr. Garthwaite’s research explores the pharmaceutical industry, the political economy, health economics, and public finance. He has published his work in respected journals that include the American Economic Journal, the RAND Journal of Economics, and the New England Journal Of Medicine. He also has won awards such as Faculty Impact Teaching Award and Young Economist Award.
Dr. Garthwaite completed his doctorate and master’s in economics from the University of Maryland at College Park. He also has a master’s in public policy and a bachelor’s in political science from the University of Michigan.
Simmons University
The School of Business at Simmons University has been focused on the development of women’s leadership since 1973. Simmons graduate business programs are now coed and focused on providing all students the practical tools needed for leadership roles in the private sector, in healthcare organizations, in nonprofits and government agencies, and as entrepreneurs. Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the institution is guided by the principle of effective, ethical management. Simmons University is a small institution of higher learning in the heart of Boston, where students enjoy an intimate educational experience with a student-faculty ratio of 12:1. Most graduate programs are also offered online.
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Robert Coulam, PhD (Professor Emeritus) – Simmons UniversityDr. Robert Coulam was a professor at the Center for Health Policy Research in the Simmons University School of Management. He has taught courses on the health system, health policy, business, government, health law and ethics, and the global economy. At Simmons, his primary responsibilities are to lead the healthcare MBA program’s research activities and funding, as well as to lead courses in health policy, the health system, and health law.
Dr. Coulam has been an academic and researcher for more than 30 years, and his current area of focus is on the technical, legal, and political obstacles for competitive pricing of Medicare. His work has appeared in Health Services Research, the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, and the American Journal of Medical Quality.
Dr. Coulam completed his doctorate in politics and economics, his Juris Doctor (JD), and his bachelor’s in government—all at Harvard University.
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Edward T. Vieira, PhD – Simmons UniversityDr. Edward T. Vieira is a part of the healthcare MBA faculty at the School of Business at Simmons University. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in marketing research, public relations, strategic communication campaigns, and consumer behavior.
He is currently working on developing new methods for CSR analysis. Dr. Vieira’s work has appeared in prominent journals such as the American Communication Journal, the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the International Journal of Process Management and Benchmarking. Notably, two of Dr. Vieira’s books were published by Routledge: Public Relations Planning: A Strategic Approach, which has been recommended by the International Public Relations Association, as well as Introduction to Real World Statistics, With Step-by-Step SPSS Instructions.
Dr. Vieira completed his doctorate in marketing communication and quantitative methodologies at the University of Connecticut, his MBA in management from Bryant University, and his bachelor’s in political science and history from Rhode Island College.
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business houses the healthcare management department, which sponsors three programs: a BS in economics with a healthcare management and policy concentration, an MBA in healthcare management (HCM), and a PhD in healthcare management and economics. The first class of MBA students graduated in 1971, signifying a break from traditional models of public health and administration educational programming. The school’s reputation for innovation and excellence continues to this day; the faculty is made up of experienced healthcare professionals, from executives and consultants to entrepreneurs and investors. Notably, the Wharton Health Care Business Conference, organized by current HCM students, is an annual opportunity for industry professionals and leaders to come together to discuss the latest issues in healthcare business management.
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Abby E. Alpert, PhD – University of PennsylvaniaDr. Abby Alpert is a healthcare management professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She teaches courses on the economics of the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Before the University of Pennsylvania, she taught at the University of California, Irvine.
Her research efforts revolve around public economics, health economics, and applied econometrics. Dr. Alpert is a member of several professional organizations such as the American Society of Health Economists and the American Economic Association. Her research has appeared in prominent journals, including the Journal of Health Economics, the American Journal of Managed Care, and the Journal of Public Economics. She received the Economic Club of Washington Doctoral Research Fellowship and Bing Center for Health Economics Investment Award.
Dr. Alpert earned her doctorate in economics from the University of Maryland and her bachelor’s in mathematics and economics from the University of Chicago.
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Lawton R. Burns, PhD – University of PennsylvaniaDr. Lawton R. Burns is the chair of the healthcare management department at Wharton. He teaches courses on strategic change, organization and management, strategic implementation, managed care, healthcare strategy, and integrated delivery networks. Before he started teaching at the University of Pennsylvania, he worked at the University of Arizona and the University of Chicago.
Dr. Burns’s research efforts center on healthcare management, physician networks, hospital-physician relationships, and strategic change. His research has appeared in the Journal of Health Economics and Health Affairs, among others. He has also won several awards such as Robert Wood Johnson Investigator Award and an Excellence in Teaching Award.
Dr. Burns has a doctorate in sociology, a master’s in business administration (MBA) and master’s in sociology from the University of Chicago, and a bachelor’s in sociology from Haverford College.
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Guy David, PhD – University of PennsylvaniaDr. Guy David is a healthcare management professor in the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he leads classes on models of health services research and an economic approach to healthcare services delivery.
Dr. David’s research centers on primary care, applied microeconomics, health economics, industrial organization, and nonprofit organizations. He is a member of the American Economic Association and the International Health Economics Association. He has published his work in the Journal of Health Economics, the Eastern Economic Journal, and the Journal of Public Economics. In recognition of his teaching skills, he has won many awards such as the Wharton School Excellence in Teaching Award and the National Bureau of Economic Research Dissertation Fellowship Award.
Dr. David has a doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago, as well as a master’s and a bachelor’s in economics from Tel-Aviv University.
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Ezekiel J. Emanuel, PhD – University of PennsylvaniaDr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel serves as the chair of the department of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania. He teaches management courses on healthcare reform and leads advanced study projects.
Dr. Emanuel’s research explores health policy and medical ethics. His work has appeared in influential journals such as the Journal of Medical Ethics, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, and the New England Journal of Medicine. He has won the John Mendelson Award and the Clinical Center Director’s Award.
Dr. Emanuel completed his doctorate in political philosophy and doctor of medicine from Harvard University. He also has a master’s in biochemistry from Oxford University and a bachelor’s in chemistry from Amherst College.
Other Outstanding Professors of Business in Healthcare
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Kerri Camp, PhD – University of Texas at Tyler
Dr. Kerri M. Camp is a professor of marketing at the University of Texas at Tyler and has served as associate dean, director of undergraduate programs, and director of the Center for Retail Enterprises. She has taught several courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, including healthcare marketing and special topics in healthcare in UT Tyler’s online MBA in healthcare management and executive MBA in healthcare management programs. She holds a PhD from Texas Tech University, an MBA in management from Golden Gate University, and a BBA in marketing from Texas A&M University.
Dr. Camp has over seven years of industry experience in healthcare administration and marketing consulting for healthcare organizations and has served on multiple boards and advisory committees. She has been invited as a columnist for The Daily Sentinel, a media consultant for local CBS, NBC, and Fox News, and a guest speaker for numerous state and local organizations.
Her primary research focus is healthcare marketing issues, particularly patient satisfaction and value in healthcare. Her healthcare research has been published in the Journal of Consumer Behavior, the Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Information Systems Frontiers, and the Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship. She is a faculty associate in the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and was the keynote speaker for ACHE East Texas Chapter in 2016, delivering a talk titled “Creating Value in the Patient Experience — Applying the Drivers of Consumer Satisfaction and Loyalty.” Notably, she received the 2017 Provost’s Excellence in Teaching Award.
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Peter A. Clark, PhD – Saint Joseph’s UniversityDr. Peter A. Clark serves as director of the Institute of Clinical Bioethics at Saint Joseph’s University. He teaches courses on the ethics of healthcare and healthcare in developing nations.
Dr. Clark’s research examines Catholic bioethics, medical ethics, clinical bioethics, end-of-life issues, healthcare management and religion, and healthcare reform. He has written for several prominent journals such as the Journal of Clinical Ethics, the Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics, and the Journal of Public Health Policy. He also has won several awards, including the Christian R. & Mary F. Lindback Award, as well as the Dean Connelly Award.
Dr. Clark earned his doctorate in Christian ethics from Loyola University. He also has a master’s in divinity from the Weston School of Divinity, a master’s in philosophy from Fordham University, a master’s in counseling psychology from Duquesne University, and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Saint Joseph’s College.
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Ayman El Tarabishy, PhD – George Washington UniversityDr. Ayman El Tarabishy teaches management in George Washington University’s School of Business, and serves as the program director of the online healthcare MBA program. Some of the courses he leads include entrepreneurship, knowledge management, innovation and creativity, and social entrepreneurship.
Currently, Dr. El Tarabishy’s research examines lean startups, solutions for social problems, and design thinking for small and medium enterprises. He has published his research in the Journal of Small Business Management, the Journal of Private Equity, and the International Journal of Entrepreneurship Education, among other prominent journals. Notably, Dr. El Tarabishy has won the Most Outstanding Faculty Member Award for five consecutive years.
He completed his doctorate, MBA, and bachelor’s degrees in finance—all at George Washington University.
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Gayle Prybutok, PhD – University of North TexasDr. Gayle Prybutok is a professor of health services administration at the University of North Texas. She teaches two fully online master’s program courses: health services administration and information systems for healthcare management.
Her research focuses on health services administration, social media health information channels, and healthcare quality. She has published her research in cutting-edge journals such as the Journal of Modern Internet of Things, the Journal of Services and Standards, and the International Journal of an Emerging Transdiscipline.
Dr. Prybutok completed her doctorate in information science with a concentration in health informatics from the University of North Texas, her MBA from Texas Woman’s University, her bachelor’s in nursing from Thomas Jefferson University, and her bachelor’s in biology from Juniata College.
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Keith Turner, PhD – University of North TexasDr. Keith Turner is a professor of health services at the University of North Texas, where he teaches healthcare law and ethics, gerontology, minority aging, the processes of aging, and health service administration.
Dr. Turner’s research focuses on modeling the provision of community-based services, developing systems of care for children and adults with special care needs, and integrating aging and disabilities resource systems. He is a member of the American Planning Association and the American Public Health Association, and his research has appeared in the International Journal of Aging and Society, the Texas Journal of Public Health, and Social Work in Public Health. He also has received many awards, including the Distinguished Service of Lasting Benefit Award and Public Health Advocate of the Year Award.
Dr. Turner has a doctorate in interdisciplinary studies and master’s in psychology from the University of Cincinnati, and a bachelor’s in psychology from Xavier University.
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Miriam Weismann, JD – Florida International UniversityMiriam Weismann serves as director of the healthcare MBA program at Florida International University, where she teaches business law, healthcare fraud, abuse of law and regulation, and legal environment of business.
Her research efforts are focused on corporate governance, financial fraud, and legal ethics. Her work has been published in top-notch journals that include the Case Research Journal, the Delaware Journal of Corporate Law, and the Journal of Health Care Finance. She also has been awarded the Dean’s Service Award and Access to Equal Justice Award, among others.
Ms. Weissman completed her JD from DePaul University, her master of laws (LLM) in taxation from Chicago-Kent College of Law, and a bachelor’s in political science from the University of Arizona.
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Mike Zubkoff, PhD – Dartmouth CollegeDr. Mike Zubkoff is director of the MBA program at Dartmouth College. He is also a health economics and management professor, and teaches courses on investing and deal-making in healthcare, the organization and economics of the healthcare industry, medical care and the corporation, and contemporary issues in biotechnology.
His research examines public policy, health economics, and management, and his work has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Health Services Research, and the Journal of Mental Health. Dr. Zubkoff has won various awards, including two Article of the Year Awards from the Association for Health Services Research and the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, respectively.
Dr. Zubkoff earned his doctorate and master’s from Columbia University, and his bachelor’s from American International College.
Methodology
MHAOnline.com considered the following criteria when selecting faculty for inclusion in this list:
- University Affiliation: The professors must be actively teaching in a healthcare MBA program at an accredited university in the U.S.
- Publication: The professors chosen for this list have published their work extensively in peer-reviewed journals.
- Institutional & Peer Recognitions: They have been recognized as being among the top in their field through teaching awards, special recognition for their publications, or notable grants and research funding.
- Professional Commitment: Finally, these professionals have gone above and beyond their academic contributions, being appointed faculty deans, program directors, leaders of professional organizations, or other high leadership positions.
