Dr. Aran Ron delivers the inaugural Business in Medicine lecture.
Who says that a serious number-cruncher can't also be a great doctor? That was the question posed to students and faculty who gathered in Uris Auditorium on November 1 for the kick-off of the new Business in Medicine lecture series.
Part of Cornell University's Charles Lee-endowed dual-degree M.D./M.B.A. program (one of only 46 in existence), the program was created by student overseer Joseph Habboushe so that students could use their medical skills to assume a business leadership role in health-care delivery and financing. "It's ironic how we leave Manhattan, the city where most businesses are based, to go to Ithaca for business school," Habboushe remarked. "I wanted to find a way to complement the M.D./M.B.A. program by taking advantage of the incredible opportunities that surround us here in New York City."
"Business in Medicine" electives offer students the opportunity to earn elective credit in their fourth year of medical school in an internship-like opportunity in such sectors as health-care finance, hospital administration, managed care and pharmaceuticals.
Medical students listen as Dr. Ron discusses the improvement of managed care.
Habboushe proposed the idea of creating internship-like opportunities that would integrate well into the medical school calendar, along with an accompanying lecture series. "I believe that physicians often shy away from the business aspects of medicine," Habboushe said, "while those who end up running the health-care industry do not always understand the medical side."
There are three different levels at which students can get involved: a monthly lecture series open to all Weill Cornell students, with guest speakers covering such topics as the biotech industry and health insurance; a series of immersion electives ranging from four to eight weeks in length; and the dual-degree M.D./M.B.A. program, for those who may want to incorporate health-care administration into their careers. Friends of the Medical College—so-called "business mentors"—have expressed interest in establishing internship-like Business in Medicine electives for students. Habboushe added that students enrolled in the Johnson Business School at Cornell University and the Sloan Program in Health Administration at Cornell University's College of Human Ecology are also eligible for the elective.
Fourth-year student Joseph Habboushe (right) created the Business in Medicine lecture series to complement the new dual-degree M.D./M.B.A. program.
The inaugural speaker for the new lecture series was Dr. Aran Ron of the Department of Public Health. He is also executive vice president of Group Health Incorporated (GHI) and president of GHI HMO. After a brief autobiography, Dr. Ron turned the lecture into a question-and-answer session. Topics included the improvement of managed care, determining which medical procedures are over- and underutilized, and finding ways to increase the number of insured patients.
Habboushe is optimistic about the potential of the Business in Medicine series. "I hope to be one of a new breed of physicians, trained in both medicine and business, with the goal of improving the management and delivery of health care," he said.
Photos by Weill Cornell Art & Photo.