Jun 21
A Unique Track to Medical School
The Master of Leadership in Health Systems Science program in the College of Graduate Studies helps students develop professionalism and leadership skills while learning to analyze the way care is delivered within a health care organization to improve patient care and maximize health. Students of the first graduating class of the MLHSS program were invited to share their reflections on the program.
Rising first-year College of Medicine student Marian Wagieh Khalil shared the following reflection on her experience in the program:
When did you first consider applying to the Master of Leadership in Health Systems Science degree program?
I first considered applying to master’s programs during my fall semester of undergrad. At that time, I was not aware of the Master of Leadership in Health Systems Science degree program. However, once I found out about this great opportunity laterin the summer of 2021, I did not hesitate, and I immediately applied.
Why did you initially think the program sounded interesting? Did it end up being interesting or helpful in another way you hadn’t expected?
I initially thought the program was interesting because of its unique track to medical school. Unlike the majority of guaranteed tracks to medical schools that are science-based, this program focuses more on teaching students about the different health systems, their components, how they are managed, and how they may affect the care provided to the patient. Thus, this program plays a huge role in building competent physicians who are not only aware of the clinical aspect of care but also how the system is run. Therefore, creating transformational leaders in the long run.
I did not expect all the great interactions and opportunities this program has provided me. For example, I did not expect to directly interact and be taught by professors who play a huge role as leaders, givers, and are at very high positions in our community or even society. Additionally, I did not expect to be able to participate in such major capstone projects that contribute to major health systems such as the Cleveland Clinic Akron General and help our community.
Describe an aspect of the program in which the learning especially came alive for you.
One aspect of the program in which the learning especially came alive for me was during my Lean Six Sigma and capstone courses. The Lean Six Sigma has taught my colleagues and I many business management and leadership concepts that we were not aware of before. However, as we learn about these concepts during our second semester of the program, we were able to simultaneously apply these concepts in our separate capstone projects. In addition, each week we reported to our Lean Six Sigma and capstone instructors who checked up on our progress in a consistent way and provided such great help and feedback to us which helped with our projects and performance significantly.
