Graduate Program in Health Management
Career Options - Consulting
Consulting Testimonials
Clare Carron, MBA/MPH 07
What did you do before coming to Berkeley?
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I worked for Booz Allen Hamilton in Washington, DC. During my four years as a consultant I focused mainly on Department of Defense work, which was unrelated to healthcare but gave me a strong foundation of core management and consulting skills.
Why did you choose to pursue a healthcare-focused MBA program?
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In order to continue growing professionally as a consultant, I needed to develop subject matter expertise. Although I did not work in the healthcare sector prior to Haas, I knew that I wanted to transition my strategy work into the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Thus, I wanted to pursue an MBA that concentrated on healthcare so my business school experience would serve as an effective change agent for my functional area transition within consulting. The Berkeley MBA/MPH program was a perfect fit for this need, offering the MBA experience and education, while allowing me to gain expertise by specializing in healthcare.
What made you consider consulting?
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I knew that I wanted to do strategy work after graduation, either internal to a drug company or with a consulting firm. I will likely be in consulting for a few years after graduation because I just truly love the work of a consulting firm. I find consulting work incredibly exciting and fulfilling because it allows me to engage in high-level problem-solving that will shape industry direction, to continuously learn and work on the edge of industry innovation, and to work on a broad range of project types in varied subject areas that result in tangible impacts and improvements.
How did the MBA/MPH program help you prepare for a career in healthcare/life science consulting?
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The program helped me make my transition to biotech and pharmaceutical consulting by giving me a fantastic understanding of the healthcare industry as a whole, along with the expertise I need to work effectively in the pharma sector. The MBA classes gave me the core business skills I need in any industry. However I also benefited from healthcare-focused classes, such as Healthcare Strategy and Healthcare Finance, which allowed me to apply basic business concepts and address business challenges specifically within the unique and complex healthcare arena. In addition, having the opportunity to pursue two internships gave me the chance to gain more insight and exposure to multiple facets of the healthcare industry and allowed me to build a stronger experience base before selecting my ultimate post-business school career.
Megan Kell, MBA/MPH 06
Accenture
What did you do before coming to Berkeley?
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I worked for Mathematica Policy Research, primarily consulting to the federal government about health policy topics. I focused on Medicaid and SCHIP issues. Nearly all of my work experience relates to healthcare. I spent nine months in college working at the US Department of Health and Human Services and then did health policy consulting after graduating.
Did you know you wanted to do consulting after graduation?
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When I started graduate school, I was fairly confident that I wanted to go into consulting. While I worked as a policy consultant in my former job, I was interested in switching to management consulting after school. However, I was concerned about the lifestyle and cultural differences associated with this transition so I confirmed my interest by trying it out during my first summer internship. I interned with Accenture.
How did the MBA/MPH program help you prepare for a career in healthcare/life science consulting?
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The dual degree program provided me with a well-rounded perspective to bring to health strategy consulting. The MBA courses broadened my business knowledge while the MPH courses made me comfortable translating these concepts to the healthcare sector. This unique viewpoint was been a useful way for me to distinguish myself.
Padma Sundar, MBA/MPH 06
McKinsey & Company
What did you do before coming to Berkeley?
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I was a Senior Pharmaceutical and Biotech Analyst with McKinsey & Co. at Florham Park, NJ. I am a native of India where I received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Delhi and a graduate diploma in business management from the International Management Institute in New Delhi.
What was your MBA/MPH experience like?
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Through GHPM, earned an MBA and an MPH in just two and a half years. The two degree programs are very well integrated and include access to an adviser who provides guidance on academic and professional issues. I got advice on courses and also gained access to the extensive professional network of my adviser, Sandra Dratler. In fact, her connections led to my experience last winter working at a not-for-profit hospital in India, where I developed a strategy to help increase revenue from paying patients in order to be able to treat patients who are unable to pay for care.
What was your favorite healthcare class?
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I've been very influenced by Professor Kristiana Raube, who taught Introduction to Healthcare, giving a comprehensive overview of the incredibly complex US healthcare system in just 12 weeks.
What healthcare-related activities did you pursue during the program?
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In the past, I'd worked exclusively on pharmaceutical and biotech issues. Thanks to the MPH degree, I am now confident solving issues across the healthcare value chain. In the summer of 2005 I worked as a consultant at McKinsey's healthcare practice in New Jersey, where I developed a framework for evaluating the commercial potential of pipeline drugs for a big pharma client. In the summer of 2006, I worked as a consultant at Kaiser where I recommended a system and operating procedure that would enable Kaiser's hospitals to capture the usage of, and thus generate revenues from, devices used in its hospitals. Here at Haas, I've also been involved in healthcare consulting projects, including my work at a not-for-profit clinic in India to help them launch an HIV awareness and testing service in several remote locations in rural India.
Jaffet Ghebretnsae, MBA/MPH 04
Senior Consultant
Health and Life Sciences Strategy practice, Accenture
What did you do before coming to Berkeley?
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I was an information technology consultant. In my senior year at Princeton University, I was recruited to join a consulting firm by one of my former classmates. Given my undergraduate degree in molecular biology and experience with software programming, I was drawn to the idea of consulting, especially for a firm that was strategically positioned to capture a growing number of healthcare clients. Unfortunately, while my experience was rewarding, the firm was not able to penetrate the healthcare market. Instead, I found myself working on large systems implementations for financial companies and developing online solutions for brick-and-mortar companies. Determined to keep myself on the healthcare track, I decided to get my MBA. While applying to business school, I accepted a year-long fellowship that enabled me to teach web development to inner-city high school students on the south side of Chicago and support the mayor's council on technology in their efforts to bridge the digital divide.
Did you know you wanted to do consulting after graduation?
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Though I didn't rule out the prospect of returning to a career in consulting, my primary goal before attending Haas was to position myself to work closer to the provider side of the healthcare industry. However, after completing two summer internships and several informational interviews I concluded that working for a consulting firm that has an established list of healthcare clients would allow me to have a breadth of experiences across the healthcare industry and to develop new skill sets that would become a great value to me when I return to a career in hospital administration.
How did the GPHM program help you prepare for a career in consulting?
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The MBA/MPH program prepared me for my career in consulting by providing an excellent survey of the healthcare field and access to many influential and supportive alumni. The key levers that impact many healthcare businesses were first introduced to me in Professor Raube's introductory course on healthcare and further explored through courses in healthcare finance and strategy. These courses have proven invaluable to me as a healthcare strategy consultant. Finally, through the MBA/MPH program I had the opportunity to connect with several alumni who were instrumental in my decision to return to consulting.
How has the Haas healthcare program helped you in your current career?
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As a consultant with Accenture, I have delivered solutions for health plans, a physician group, a pharmacy benefit management company, and a regional health information organization. I find that my clients greatly respect the Haas healthcare program and that my Haas MBA/MPH degree provides instant professional credibility.
