For Alumni

MHCI Alumni Engagement

Upon graduation, MHCI students attain alumni status of the University of Pennsylvania, becoming part of the tradition of a university that was founded in 1740. 

Penn Alumni enjoy access to benefits such as QuakerNet (Penn’s networking platform for alumni from across all Penn schools), career services platforms, select library resources, continuing education opportunities, and more.

How our alumni stay connected

MHCI alumni are very active and maintain contact with the Master of Health Care Innovation in a variety of ways, including:

• Participating in and facilitating sessions during the annual seminar and reunions
• Sharing skills during MHCI Speaker Series webinars and attending Series events
• Presenting during Virtual Info Sessions for prospective students
• Answering questions in Alumni Ask Me Anything sessions
• Serving as course assistants and alumni tutors for MHCI courses
• Connecting on the alumni LinkedIn group
• Founding, leading, and contributing to the Society for HealthCare Innovation
• Serving on the MHCI Admissions and Curriculum Committees
• Interviewing MHCI applicants
• Keeping up-to-date on program news with a quarterly newsletter
• Acting as alumni ambassadors for the program

Penn’s Master of Health Care Innovation program celebrated the graduation of 36 students with a ceremony and brunch on May 15, 2023. With the addition of 29 new alumni who completed degree requirements in the Spring semester, the MHCI alumni network of innovative thinkers and leaders now includes 129 health care professionals. In just 6 years, the MHCI has risen to graduate one of the largest classes for a professional master’s program at the Perelman School of Medicine.

Graduates, family members, and friends heard remarks from Penn Vice-Provost for Global Initiatives and MHCI Faculty Director Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD, and from Anand Shah, MD. Dr. Shah is an operating advisor at the private equity firm Clayton Dubilier and Rice, adjunct professor in the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, and adjunct senior fellow at the Leonard David Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. In his remarks, Dr. Shah urged graduates to address the challenges of health equity and access and play a role in combatting misinformation in health care.

“Embracing technology will be essential,” Dr. Shah said, “for enhancing the efficiency, accessibility, and quality of care for patients while making care more affordable. You will be leveraging advancements in areas such as telemedicine, artificial intelligence, remote monitoring technologies that in many cases were not in our daily lives just a few years ago. With these new paradigms, we can deliver more personalized and timely care, improving patient outcomes and satisfaction."

This rapid shift in health care delivery, prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, surrounded students throughout their MHCI journey. Most of the Class of ’23 began their MHCI studies with a virtual convening in August ’21, rejoiced at an in-person gathering in August ’22, and celebrated their graduation on campus just days after the public health emergency was lifted in May ’23. All are better prepared to lead changes that can increase access, develop remote services, improve patient and provider communication, address EHR usability, and more.

The MHCI Class of ‘23 is a blend of established and aspiring leaders. They work as

• executives
• physicians
• nurses
• innovation and business directors
• product managers
• consultants
• researchers
• pharmacists
• analysts
• oncology faculty, and surgeons

MHCI alumni work for academic medical centers, health networks, private practices, consulting firms, pharma companies, and startups.

The MHCI has already had an impact on the professional sphere of many graduates. Some began implementing their innovation projects at their workplaces. While still students, several received promotions, added responsibilities, or transferred to new organizations. Others received awards, published articles, or presented at conferences. Several are already giving back to the MHCI by connecting with prospective students and preparing to serve as course assistants.