Students who earn a degree from an intercollegiate program will be able to effectively lead organizations, navigate the healthcare field's complex institutional structures and policies, and, in doing so, address one of society's most pressing challenges: equity. Possesses a unique ability to devise solutions. Promoting health in resource-constrained environments.
“The field of entrepreneurship and health has been very disruptive, in a good and exciting way,” said Georgette Chapman Phillips Dean Kevin L. and Lisa A. Clayton. business college, Said. “The healthcare sector is huge, and IBH allows us to offer Lehigh students the opportunity to earn a degree that sits at the intersection of business and health in all its forms.”
health university Dean Beth Dolan said: “The medical sector consists of more than the traditional roles of medical professionals such as doctors and nurses. Students who want to improve human health across a variety of disciplines will benefit from business training. For example, community health leaders need to combine a business background with knowledge of the healthcare industry, such as elderly care, to run an effective nonprofit organization. The same is true for those who want to implement solutions to increasingly difficult problems.”
Integrated Business and Health Degree: A New Student Pathway
Currently, students in the College of Business can complete one of the 10 minors in the College of Health, but the new IBH Intercollegiate Program offers much more depth in health policy and health economics than the combined B.S. academic training will be provided. Studying business and economics as a minor in the University of Health Sciences. Similarly, students in the College of Health Sciences can and do declare dual degree programs or minors in the Faculty of Business Administration. The new Business and Health Integration Program provides a stronger foundation of business tools needed to solve society's complex health challenges.
Carson Snyder ’23 recognized this need even before the new program was introduced. Snyder, who majored in population health and minored in entrepreneurship and mass communications, is working with her advisor to create her own version of an interdisciplinary degree that will make it easier to define her future at Lehigh. I was able to create .
“My interest in health care has been there my whole life,” Snyder said. “But I wanted to create a view of the industry from different perspectives and through different lenses.
Three Lehigh faculty members have been instrumental in designing the classroom and experiential learning elements of this IBH program. Chad Meyerhofer (Professor, School of Business Administration and Chair, Department of Economics), Michael Gusmano (Professor, School of Health Sciences, Associate Dean, Academic Programs), and Fatima Wakil (Associate Professor, College of Health Sciences). As part of the IBH degree, students learn about the social determinants of health (political, environmental, social, etc.) and understand how health systems actually work. Students also develop biostatistical literacy to read and understand the importance of research.
“We are exploring why the U.S. health care system struggles to provide high-quality care in a cost-effective manner and why health outcomes are influenced not only by local environments but also by global factors. We are looking for students who want a deeper understanding of how we depend,” Meyerhoefer said. “Our students not only learn how to identify the most pressing areas of the health care system in need of reform, but also how to develop viable solutions to improve population health.”
“This IBH program not only attracts students seeking professional business training in the health field, but also provides the necessary support to promote community health and health equity, which is important to health leaders,” Gusmano said. We will provide training.”
Despite not having a pure business degree, Mr. Snyder has achieved financial success at Johnson & Johnson, a major company in the healthcare field, thanks to his combination of communications, marketing, strategy and health. He said he was able to secure the role. Associate Her Deal Her Desk As an analyst, she evaluates contract pricing for health systems across the country.
“Understanding the private side of the medical industry now will put you in a position to impact the public health field in the future,” Snyder said.
Path to Fall 2025 Admission for Fall 2024 Applicants
“We are pleased that this new IBH program will be offered to selected first-year students for commencement in fall 2025,” said Terry Ann Jones, vice president for undergraduate education.
Like Lehigh's other intercollegiate interdisciplinary programs (Integrating business and engineering (I am); computer science and business (CSB); Integrated degree in engineering, arts and sciences (IDEAS)), applicants may choose an alternative university for admission consideration if they are not accepted to IBH. Jones also said IBH's intercollegiate program incorporates a general seminar available to first-year students, which helps them imagine different connections and career paths they could pursue.
The fourth-year integrated capstone experience provides students with a hands-on opportunity to connect the business side of health care with society's efforts to improve the health of its members through both government and community-based initiatives.
The new IBH Intercollegiate Interdisciplinary Program will enable students to earn degrees that will help them succeed in the increasingly complex health and healthcare environment.
“Our highest and best goal is to provide our students with a knowledge set that allows them to apply critical analysis to world problems, including the health sector,” Professor Jones said.
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