UB offering MBA program for medical residents

The School of Management is collaborating with the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences to offer UB residents and fellows in any graduate medical education specialty an accelerated MBA program, starting this fall.

The only one in New York State and one of a few such programs in the nation, the Accelerated MBA for Residents/Fellows program is designed to help physicians develop the leadership and business skills they need to measure quality of care, negotiate with third-party payers, manage medical practices efficiently and help lead the health care system in the future.

An informal reception/information session is planned to offer more details about the program. It will take place from 6-8:30 p.m. April 30 at the 31 Club, 31 North Johnson Park, Buffalo. Those wishing to attend are asked to register.

School of Management faculty and staff will attend the event, and Jurriaan de Jong, assistant professor of operations and strategy who specializes in health care supply chain management, will give a brief talk.

“As the economics of medicine evolve with health care reform, physicians with MBA degrees will be ahead of the curve,” says Arjang Assad, dean of the UB School of Management. “The program will provide future medical professionals with the critical management skills they’ll need as they take their place as health care administrators, practice clinicians or managers, medical or health services managers, and industry thought-leaders.”

Michael E. Cain, vice president for health sciences and dean of the UB medical school, adds that the opportunity to complete both an MBA and a medical residency will be attractive to ambitious young physicians. “Very few medical schools nationwide are able to offer an accelerated MBA to their residents,” he says. “This MBA program will make UB’s residency programs attractive to competitive residency candidates who aspire toward leadership positions in health care.”

Participants must currently be in a residency program within the UB Office of Graduate Medical Education and apply separately to the School of Management. They can complete the program in approximately three semesters — instead of the typical four — and will receive an MBA degree at the end of their residency/fellowship training. Residents may begin their MBA coursework after the first year of residency and must complete the program before the end of their last year.

For additional information, contact Philip L. Glick at Glicklab@buffalo.edu or Jennifer VanLaeken at jhv2@buffalo.edu.