Widener’s MBA in Health Care Management Gives This Medical Doctor a Leadership Edge
A unique partnership allows future physicians like Jason Beiriger to earn a medical degree and master’s degree in five years.
- School of Business
Jason Beiriger wants to improve lives – both as an emergency room physician and as a health care administrator.
That’s why he took advantage of a unique five-year dual program to earn a medical degree from the Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and an MBA in Health Care Management from Widener University’s School of Business Administration.
The partnership is designed to train physicians like Jason to lead in the thriving health care industry and to make decisions that balance quality, access, cost effectiveness, and efficiency.
I love patient care and want to be a frontline worker in the emergency room, but I realize I can only see so many patients in an eight-hour shift. Having an MBA from Widener and being exposed to health care management will allow me to help even more patients than I would in an eight-hour, in-person shift. — Jason Beiriger
The MBA fit seamlessly with Jason’s medical school plans and prepared him to lead in the broader health care system. He conducted research alongside Widener’s expert faculty, presented with peers at a national conference, worked as a graduate assistant in the dean’s office, and served as a consultant for a Philadelphia hospital.
“The program helped me look at the collective system and not just the patient in front of me,” he said. “I think most doctors are trained to be good at their job of delivering quality care to patients, but having extra exposure to management and leadership practices gives me an edge and a skill set not taught in medical school.”
Jason learned from Widener faculty like Drs. Danielle Durant, Jose Proenca, and Claudia Young – all of whom bring extensive industry and academic experience into the classroom. These faculty are now part of Jason’s lasting professional network.
Working closely with Durant, he served as a founding member of the Widener University Healthcare Consulting Team and led the early stages of a project to institute an electronic hand-hygiene monitoring system at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Jason competed at the UAB Health Care Case Competition in Birmingham, Alabama, where a team of peers mentored by Young presented recommendations for policy changes related to access for the Veterans Affairs.
Through the partnership with Thomas Jefferson University, Jason completed the MBA in Health Care Management in only one year, allowing him to finish medical school and setting the foundation for his residency at Broward Health Medical Center’s Emergency Room in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
