MGH INSTITUTE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS ADDS SCHOOL OF HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP AND NEW ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

Move into leadership, data analytics, and education part of strategic initiatives being called most significant transformational change in graduate school's 45-year history

BOSTON, March 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Filling a void in an increasingly complex healthcare system, the MGH Institute of Health Professions is launching a new school in leadership, and new degree programs spanning nursing, administration, and data analytics—all to help improve how health care is delivered.

The MGH Institute, the only degree-granting affiliate of Mass General Brigham, New England's largest healthcare provider, has launched the School of Healthcare Leadership and within that, two new degree programs: Master of Health Administration and Master of Science in Healthcare Data Analytics.

"The new school and degree programs are an expansion of the Institute's academic profile and represents an alignment of our existing clinical service delivery categories with a move into leadership, informatics, education, and data," said Dr. Paula Milone-Nuzzo, president of MGH Institute of Health Professions. "These areas are where there is great demand in the healthcare workforce. Our students will come away with a set of skills and leadership abilities that they can take and implement immediately into the workplace."

The new School of Healthcare Leadership joins MGH IHP's School of Nursing and School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Founded in 1977 by Massachusetts General Hospital, the Boston graduate school is now in its 45th year.

"The opening of a new School of Healthcare Leadership aligns quite well with our other programs that focus primarily on clinical service delivery," said Dr. Alex Johnson, provost, and vice president for academic affairs. "While we imbed leadership principles into all of our academic programs, these new degrees provide valuable content for those wishing to advance their careers in healthcare."

These programs will align content, faculty, and coursework with students from other healthcare disciplines. The new school and the new academic programs are part of a growth initiative that will increase the student population by 40%, to more than 2,300 over the next few years.

"This is the most significant transformational change that we have implemented in the 45 years of the IHP," said Milone-Nuzzo, who sees the Mass General Brigham affiliation as a draw for interested students. "Our students are part of the MGB system, and they will have experiences within the MGB system that are part of their education."

The Master of Health Administration program will include exposure to topics such as health economics, human resources, record keeping, and operations, built around a framework of human-centered leadership, relationship building, and talent development. Graduates will be able to build upon or seek careers in hospital administration, government healthcare, nursing homes, major companies, and insurance.

The Data Analytics program will focus specifically on healthcare analytics to prepare analysts to not only understand the statistics and produce a presentation but go beyond the numbers and tell the story of what the numbers mean to a variety of audiences—be they administrators, nurses, or other clinicians.

A significant part of all the programs is the interprofessional aspect—the idea of having students from different fields and professions collaborating with others in the classroom and with simulations and case studies.

"What we're building is in recognition of the complexity of how healthcare teams work today, and it's going to get even more complex," said Milone-Nuzzo. "Clinicians, administrators, and data managers can't exist in silos. They must be able to communicate effectively and work collaboratively to improve healthcare."

The Data Analytics and Health Administration programs are part-time, online offerings that should take about two years to complete. The online component provides convenience for students with full-time jobs and families who won't have to commute into Boston, and the opportunity to have experts from anywhere in the world serve as faculty and connect with students virtually.

"Not only are we preparing competent clinicians at the Institute, but we also want them to always have their eye on leadership and improvement, and that's the IHP differentiator," said Johnson. "This is living that destiny—we're going deeper into this area of leadership, operational delivery, and use of information to really emphasize leadership in a way we haven't done before."

SOURCE MGH Institute of Health Professions