The Naveen Jindal School of Management will offer high-performing students interested in healthcare industry careers an opportunity for enhanced academic experiences and professional credentials — as well as related services and attention — through new professional programs set to debut in fall 2020.
The Professional Program in Healthcare Management (PPHM) will serve undergraduates— primarily those in the BS in Healthcare Management program, and the Elite Scholar and Leader Program (ESLP) will recruit graduate students — primarily those in the MS in Healthcare Leadership and Management program.
ESLP, the grad program, is now recruiting its inaugural class.
The inaugural PPMH group of 24 students (see photos, below) learned of their selection during spring break week, just as long-term COVID-19 restrictions were taking effect.
“What a searing memory this will always be for these students,” PPHM Director Daniel Karnuta said. “I hope the coincidence of their being chosen as the pandemic took hold will forever remind them of the importance of the healthcare industry and its need for talented and passionate people, like them.”
Karnuta, an assistant professor of healthcare management, and Dr. Keith Thurgood, program director for the MS in Healthcare Leadership and Management and ESLP director see the new initiatives working alongside each other — with the ultimate goal to develop graduates who are not only competitive job candidates, but who can enter companies as leaders upon graduation.
“We want to ensure that UT Dallas is known for producing great leaders who can make an immediate difference in an organization in the healthcare space” said Thurgood. “There is a continuum of education and service between the [two programs] that focuses on both the technical and analytical skills and leadership skills necessary to drive performance.”
Karnuta says PPMH was established in part because of student input asking for a professional program similar to those in other undergraduate programs in JSOM, including the Professional Program in Accounting (PPA), Professional Program in Finance (PPF) and the Professional Program in Marketing (PPM). With more than 400 students enrolled in the healthcare major since it became a full degree in spring 2015 (it was previously a concentration option in the BS in Business Administration major), there was critical mass to implement a selective program.
“Students tell us on the application that they want to build relationships with fellow healthcare management students who are at the same caliber of performance as they are and who can help each other in the future,” Karnuta said. “As a program, PPHM allows us to identify these high-performing students and keep them engaged and challenged while preparing them to be ambassadors of UT Dallas and our undergraduate program in the outside world.”
Building on a Proven Concept
JSOM has continually developed new professional programs based on student interest and the benefit of building awareness of individual areas among employers, according to Dr. Marilyn Kaplan, associate dean of undergraduate academic operations in JSOM.
The Accounting Area started the first JSOM professional program with its inaugural PPA class in fall 2007. Finance and Managerial Economics followed in fall 2016 with the PPF, and the PPM in Marketing launched in fall 2018.
While campus-wide honors programs such as Collegium V and the all-major Davidson Management Honors Program in JSOM focus on the core curriculum, Kaplan said, there was a need for offerings within the majors as students progressed into their upper-level classes.
“Students want to maximize their time while in JSOM,” Kaplan said. “We are seeing freshmen who are career-minded, and they come in looking for a path. And once they identify their major, they are enthusiastic about the opportunities for a specialized experience.”
How the Healthcare Programs Will Specialize
A key focus of the new healthcare programs are the customized offerings and attention provided to students. Both programs will host a seminar series exclusive for their students that will include industry executives, site visits, soft-skills development and networking opportunities.
The graduate program will incorporate research experiences into academics to help students find what they are passionate about in the healthcare industry and how they can make meaningful contributions in the community.
The programs also share a collaborative study space and participate in mentoring programs ─ both as mentees with healthcare professionals and as tutors and mentors themselves. ESLP students will tutor PPHM students, while PPHM students will work with fellow healthcare undergraduates. It is important to both Karnuta and Thurgood that students gain from the professional programs but also give back.
“The programs will include learning by doing and part of the students’ development as leaders includes helping others,” Thurgood said. “We will help you, but you have a responsibility to give back too.”
ESLP is accepting applications throughout spring 2020, and selected candidates will be notified in the summer.
Ultimately the undergraduate professional program will be a gateway to ESLP for those students who stay at UT Dallas for graduate school. New applicants to and current students in the MS in Healthcare Leadership and Management program ─ as well as the MBA program with a concentration in Healthcare Leadership and Management and the PMBA Healthcare ─ are also eligible to apply to ESLP.
Both directors look for students who are more than just strong students academically, but who can serve as advocates of the program in the community and who demonstrate the potential and passion to make a difference in healthcare.
“The GPA and other quantitative criteria are the table stakes, but we want to see if students can present themselves advantageously for the University,” Karnuta said. “I’m not looking for perfection; I’m looking for enthusiasm and the desire to learn and be better.”
Professional Program in Healthcare Management Inaugural Members
Not pictured: John Davis, Rossell Martinez, Jessica Morton, Kristina Nguyen and Niyati Ravel
