This post is part of the Spotlight on Specializations series, where we explore some of the rewarding and interesting areas of study offered in the Schulich I/MBA. Connecting with students and faculty, the series will shed light on how specializing can provide you with exciting career and learning opportunities.
Joseph Mapa
DHA, MBA, FCCHL, LFACHE
Adjunct Professor & Executive Director
Health Industry Management Program – a Master of Business Administration (MBA) specialization Schulich School of Business | York University
Q1. Why should I consider a specialization in Health Industry Management?
Healthcare spending represents 11% of Canada’s GDP, spanning publicly funded institutions and private sector business. The healthcare industry requires a broad range of highly specialized business/management practitioners with skills ranging from strategic planning, analytics, IT, finance, marketing and operational management. Healthcare sector is both dynamic and robust. The work is consequential, significant, rewarding, and full of opportunities. Given its growth, there is a strong demand for business professionals that will drive innovation, creative thinking and necessary change in this vital sector.
Q2. How do the courses offered prepare me to be successful in this Industry?
The mission of HIMP is to provide you with the knowledge, skills and understanding to manage and lead in this dynamic sector. We deliver industry focused courses that combine intellectual content with career based insights. The goal of our courses is to enable students to leverage their learnings in pursuing exciting career opportunities and growth in this industry. To this end, and based on consultations from alumni, industry leaders and students, we designed 4 core courses focused on the public sector, the private sector, innovation and entrepreneurship as well as a grounding in health economics- all led and individually mentored by faculty and sector leaders and all built on core MBA courses that you have taken in year 1.
Q3. What type of careers are available to me with this specialization?
There are vast career opportunities both in the public (hospitals, home care, long term care, government) and private (pharma, consulting, medical devices, start ups, private clinics and other providers) sectors. The jobs opportunities span every area including planners, analysts, project management leads, sales and marketing, managers, business development and change management.
Hear what students have to say about HIMP:
As a physician with 8 years of healthcare experience in researching, publishing, treating and managing patient care, I decided to move behind the scenes and learn more about the service driven industry in order to create a bigger impact on population. My MBA with a HIMP specialization provided me a unique opportunity to integrate my medical experience with business acumen, and I gave back by joining the Healthcare and Biotechnology Forum (HCBF) as the Director of Corporate Affairs.
Transitioning from the white doctor’s coat to the business suit was a daunting task and the HIMP specialization went a long way enabling this shift. Not only did it provide me the essential foundational knowledge of the Canadian healthcare industry, it also connected me with the industry leaders. The faculty members of this program both guided me in my career trajectory and provided me with role models in the industry to learn from and look up to.
As I stand to graduate, I will pursue my passion of making an impact on people’s health and wellbeing and I look forward to bringing together my clinical experience and business acumen to enhance customer engagement and patient experience the service driven healthcare industry.
My passion for health and wellness began from a young age after my younger brother was diagnosed with Type I diabetes. Watching him grow up with this condition and hearing about the hardships with his healthcare team, I knew I wanted to be part of that team when I grew up – a better team.
I started to learn about the genetic condition and educated myself on it along with other topics in health and wellness. Along with my research my interest in the kitchen grew as well, and the two combined led me to begin my undergraduate journey at Ryerson University where I studied Food & Nutrition.
From the age of 13 I began my long career as a volunteer and community leader, working with high school and university students, individuals with special needs, the elderly and children with various health conditions I started to realize that I wanted to do more than just work as a dietitian (which I was training to become).
In recent years my interests have led me to pursue a career in health innovation and technology, which is what inspired my enrolment in the MBA program at The Schulich School of Business. My focuses have been marketing strategy as well as healthcare industry management (HIMP). My MBA with a specialization in HIMP has been a great journey having the opportunity to explore all aspects of the healthcare system in Canada. Being a part of the HIMP program it has been an wonderful opportunity to be able to blend my interests and skill sets while learning and being challenged by my professors and my peers.
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