摘要：Increasingly, there is recognition of the need for individuals with expertise in both management and public health to help health care organizations deliver high-quality and cost-effective care. The Yale School of Public Health and Yale School of Management began offering an accelerated Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Public Health (MPH) joint degree program in the summer of 2014. This new program enables students to earn MBA and MPH degrees simultaneously from 2 fully accredited schools in 22 months. Students will graduate with the knowledge and skills needed to become innovative leaders of health care organizations. We discuss the rationale for the program, the developmental process, the curriculum, benefits of the program, and potential challenges. The rapidly changing and complex nature of the health care system has created a demand for managers with expertise in both business and health care to lead organizations in delivering high-quality, cost-effective care. Projections suggest that the need for health care service managers will grow by 23% in 2022 compared with 2012. 1 Ideally, health care leaders have a comprehensive understanding of the core public health disciplines, as well as advanced training in management skills and strategic problem solving. The field of public health focuses on protecting and improving the health and well-being of entire populations. 2,3 The field of management focuses on the activities of planning, organizing, controlling, and motivating to accomplish objectives efficiently and effectively. 2 The synergy between the two fields becomes clear once one considers improved population health as an objective that may be realized in part through able management. The important role of prevention and public health for the broader health care system has been recognized in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which is predicted to fundamentally change the way public health is practiced in the United States. 4 Changes emerging from health care reform, the creation of new organizational forms such as accountable care organizations, are intended to achieve the triple aim of improving each individual’s experience of care, improving the health of populations, and reducing costs. 5–7 As part of health care reform, health care systems are now expected to address public health goals and are being evaluated for their ability to achieve them. Thus, a public health perspective is critical if we are to successfully train the next generation of leaders who will direct health care systems and other health-related organizations across the globe. Existing Master of Public Health (MPH) programs in health care management require coursework in epidemiology, biostatistics, social and behavioral sciences, and environmental health. They also provide training in accounting, finance, operations, economics, strategy, and organizational behavior. However, they do not provide the opportunity to develop depth of management knowledge and skills by virtue of having limited management-focused offerings relative to public health offerings. 2 Business schools offering Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs with health care concentrations provide depth of knowledge in core business skills and a fundamental understanding of technological developments, operational practices, and regulatory changes in the health care industry. However, these programs may not provide breadth and depth of understanding of the public health perspective. Comprehensive training in both business and public health would provide students with the interdisciplinary perspective to function as leaders capable of addressing the complex and multidimensional health challenges of the 21st century. However, students may not be willing or able to invest the extra one or two years to get both degrees through traditional pathways. We believe this situation results in missed opportunities to develop the transformational leaders needed to improve public health and health care. An accelerated joint MBA and MPH degree program would enable future health care leaders to acquire essential health care management and public health skills in an integrative, cost-effective program.
