Objective

Offered for the first time starting in the 2009/10 academic year, The Duke MBA—Cross Continent Health Sector Management (HSM) concentration and certificate:

• Allows working professionals worldwide to acquire a Duke MBA with an international health care focus in only 16 months. 
• Offers insight into the interaction and interdependencies of health-related industries and organizations.
• Hones functional skills and the ability to think strategically in a global business environment, allowing the immediate application of new knowledge and skills. 
• Prepares students for leadership roles in a variety of health arenas, including pharmaceutical, medical device, consulting, banking, venture capital, entrepreneurial, biotechnology, research and development, and payor and health systems.
• Builds and/or enhances a network of contacts worldwide.

Design

This newest HSM offering combines Internet-enabled distance learning with residencies in China, India, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The flexible curriculum allows students to complete either an HSM concentration or an HSM certificate within a reasonable timeframe.

Throughout their HSM studies, Cross Continent students have access to a senior HSM core faculty member for questions about the HSM curriculum, health care issues raised in the context of their core MBA studies, and extracurricular opportunities. The faculty advisor for Cross Continent HSM students is Mary Frances Luce, Ph.D. 

Student Profile

Cross Continent HSM students represent numerous health care professions including the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, information technology, and insurance industries. HSM is also suited for physicians and students from supporting sectors such as consulting, finance, and technology who seek to enter the health care field. Applicants typically have a minimum of three years of work experience and the average age of students is 30.

The Duke MBA—Cross Continent students graduating in 2013 study on the Duke University campus in Durham, North Carolina for two weeks, in Shanghai/Kunshan, Dubai, New Delhi, St. Petersburg, for nine days each, and back to Durham, North Carolina, for two weeks. Residencies are preceded by a reading period and are followed by two months of distance learning with students from other Fuqua MBA programs.

Cross Continent students have the option of completing either a concentration or a certificate in Health Sector Management (HSM):

• The HSM concentration requires the satisfactory completion of all MBA course requirements plus two required HSM courses, one additional health care-specific elective, and an HSM independent project. 
• The HSM certificate requires that in addition to the HSM concentration requirements, students take two additional electives from an offering of onsite and archived online courses; these must be completed over the course of two years to avoid additional tuition.

HSM on Demand: As an additional resource, HSM provides "HSM on Demand," an online video of interviews between Kevin Schulman, MD, MBA, Director, Health Sector Management, and HSM faculty who will accompany students on their residencies. The interviews address health-related issues specific to the countries the students will visit.

Required Courses

Fundamentals of Health Sector Management (HSM Seminar)
This multi-term virtual online course provides an overview of the global health sector, addresses current business and policy challenges, and creates a common discourse and understanding of health sector management within and across Fuqua's executive MBA programs. Instructors: Will Mitchell, Kevin Schulman, Mary Frances Luce, Jeff Moe 

Economics and Strategy of Health Sector Management
This online course applies the tools of economics and strategy to challenges and opportunities faced by product manufacturers, insurers, health care providers, and hospitals. Instructor: David Ridley

HSM Project Course
During this independent study, students apply core business skills to an in-depth analysis of health care topics by developing actionable recommendations for their current organization(s) and/or exploring opportunities for organizations that might offer career options. Project advisor in consultation with other relevant faculty members.

Electives (at least one must be completed to satisfy the elective requirement)

Health Care in the 21st Century
This week-long course provides a detailed overview of the health care system's segments and stakeholders, analyzes the industry's evolution, and addresses likely changes within the sector during the next century. Daytime, Cross Continent, Weekend Executive and Global Executive MBA students may take this course together. Instructor: Dan Mendelson

Management of Health Systems and Policy
Students travel to Washington, D.C. to visit federal institutions, advocacy groups, and non-governmental organizations critical to the development of health policy and technology and the delivery of health care services. Instructor: Kevin Schulman

Economics and Management of the Pharmaceutical Industry
An examination of management and policy issues concerning innovation, product commercialization, competition, and regulation in the pharmaceutical industry -international in perspective with an emphasis on the current U.S. market and policy. Instructors: Will Mitchell with David Ridley

Health Care Marketing
This course leverages and deepens core marketing knowledge by addressing how standard marketing analysis, tactics, and strategy apply within the health sector. Instructor: Mary Frances Luce

Provider Strategy
This course focuses on organizational innovation, specifically strategies and tactics for provider networks to successfully manage resource constraints as well as insurance and reimbursement issues in order to deliver quality, ethical and cost-effective care. Instructor: Marco Huesch 

Health Care Law and Policy
This course is designed for both law students and MBA students  and aims to bridge the market and legal issues that combine to shape the industry. No preliminary knowledge in either law or business/economics is required or assumed, though the course will rely on students' comparative expertise in each. Instructor: Barak Richman 

Medical Device Commercialization
An exploration of the market model for medical products, services, and technologies, as well as the assessment of market need - the centerpiece of a company product plan and agenda to forge its place in device history. Instructor: Gopal Chopra

Biotechnology: Management of Drug Discovery
An overview of the biotechnology industry from scientific, clinical, legal, financial, and ethical perspectives. Instructor: Kevin Schulman

The Duke MBA—Health Sector Management (HSM) offers students a variety of opportunities to engage with peers, leading health care professionals, and potential employers. We annually survey students and communicate closely with class representatives to design events that address students' interests and enhance their knowledge and networking opportunities.

Student, Peer and Industry Networking

Cross-Border Networking

• Cross Continent and other HSM students enrolled in different MBA programs take many of the same HSM courses together, either onsite at Duke or via distance-learning. 
• The weeklong optional elective class, Health Care in the 21st Century, brings together Cross Continent students with Daytime, Weekend Executive and Global Executive MBA students, as well as with alumni who return to Duke to pursue the HSM Alumni Certificate. 
• Enrolled HSM students are invited to HSM and Fuqua alumni activities worldwide.

Health Care Club

This Daytime student-run organization educates its members about career opportunities and industry trends. The Health Care Club regularly sponsors the Annual Healthcare Conference.

HSM-Sponsored Conferences and Meetings

Health Sector Advisory Council

Formed to provide faculty, students, and staff with the latest outside perspective on health care, the Health Sector Advisory Council meets twice a year to review new trends, emerging technologies, and research-grounded insights. The Council is made up of senior health care executives as well as faculty and students across Duke. Students are provided the opportunity to attend these meetings through the Health Sector Management office.

Additional Health Industry Events

HSM partners with numerous health care organizations to arrange seminars, meetings, and other events that bring together top minds in academia and industry. Many of these events involve and/or are open to HSM students. 

Industry-Sponsored Conferences and Meetings

HSM provides some sponsorships and stipends for students to attend local, national, and international health care conferences. These include meetings organized by the:

• American College of Healthcare Executives
• Council for Entrepreneurial Development
• Triangle Healthcare Executive's Forum 
• North Carolina Biotechnology Center 
• Healthcare Businesswomen's Association

Global Learning Opportunities

Worldwide Partnerships

Students have access to valuable resources and learning experiences through Duke's many global partnerships, including:

• Duke Clinical Research Institute, the world's largest and oldest academic clinical research institution, which has 5,000 investigators worldwide and currently conducts research in 63 countries.
• Duke Global Health Initiative, which brings together interdisciplinary teams and partners to reduce health disparities locally and worldwide, solve highly complex health problems, and train the next generation of global health leaders.
• Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School, Singapore's first medical school based on the American medical education model. 
• Global Business School Network, which is actively learning about and helping to develop health care management education in Africa.