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Department of Health Policy and Management Challenges Students to Solve Real-World Problems
The Department of Health Policy and Management, in partnership with the Columbia Alliance for Healthcare Management, has thrown down the gauntlet to graduate students across the University with its inaugural Healthcare Delivery and Management Challenge.
Open to those enrolled at the Mailman School, Columbia Business School, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons, students have taken up the challenge by forming teams within or across programs to address a "real-world" healthcare case. Today, on November 2, teams will present analysis and recommendations to an expert panel of faculty and industry professionals who will act as judges. Winning teams from preliminary rounds will advance to the Championship Round, to be held on that same afternoon.
Says Tom Ference, PhD, clinical professor of Health Policy and Management and one of the Challenge's creators, "This contest is the 'Iron Chef' of Columbia's healthcare policy and management world. Our goal is to throw students into a real-world scenario and see how well they use their analytical skills to address strategically a complex situation within the healthcare industry."
In 2006, Dr. Ference and Paul Thurman, MBA, a lecturer in the Department and co-creator of the Challenge, received a Dean's Award for Innovation in the Curriculum for their proposal to teach a new seminar, Comparative Strategic Analysis. Similar to the Challenge, the course-presently offered each fall-exposes students to the interplay of strategic issues that touch health policy and the full array of healthcare sector participants. "The premise of the Challenge is the same as in our class," said Dr. Ference. "Students are able to 'test drive' their skills to think critically about issues, perspectives, and potential strategic options, by using sophisticated analytical and problem-solving tools."
For more information about the Challenge, please contact Paul Thurman at Paul.Thurman@columbia.edu.
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