Johns Hopkins Medicine Leaders Discuss Value of Business Education at Carey School Panel

Three physicians with leadership roles at Johns Hopkins medical school, all of whom also have MBA degrees, discussed the value of business degrees when targeting leadership positions in their profession at a recent panel discussion hosted by the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.

“The Value of a Business Degree”included Gene Green, an internist and president of Suburban Hospital in Bethesda; Steven Kravet, an internist and president of Johns Hopkins Community Physicians; and Redonda Miller, vice president for medical affairs and chief medical officer for Johns Hopkins Hospital. Kevin Frick, professor and vice dean for education Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, moderated the discussion.

Here are a few excerpt from the discussion, featuring advice and reasons for pursuing a business degree as a health care professional. You can also watch a video of the complete panel discussion.

How will a business degree will separate you from the pack?

Green: “I think every degree comes with its own language and skill set. When I had to start doing budgets as a physician, I found I didn’t have the right language. The MBA gave me that language.”

Miller: “One thing I’ve heard from most types of mentors is the degree is not what makes or breaks the person. But if they have two equal candidates and one has shown a commitment to the career pathway by going for the extra degree, that’s the person they’ll go with. … I’ve heard that over and over.”

How can a business degree teach you valuable skills, like leadership, networking, negotiation and conflict management?

Kravet: “From the day I started, I was able to use the tools and skills from my education. … I’m a framework person. When I learned the Baldrige framework in the MBA coursework; that was really pivotal. That balanced model of how to lead an organization, remembering to focus on the entire framework. … Is one I’ve come back to many, many times.”

Miller: “The one course that has served me the best has been negotiation. … We negotiate every day, all of us ― whether it is negotiating with our 10-year-old on what time homework is going to be done, or part of a meeting where there may be dissenting views on how to handle something. Having the tools and the knowledge to use negotiation in everyday life, even when you don’t thing you are negotiating, is invaluable.”

While having a business degree will separate you from others in the healthcare field, it shouldn’t be your lone motivation for seeking it.

Green: “I didn’t want to learn something I wasn’t interested in. … Most of our jobs found us, and it continues to happen like that. So make sure you are doing what you want to be doing.”

Kravet: “For the first time ever, I was able to choose what to learn as an adult learner with a little bit of perspective. And I have to say, I think it was the most fabulous education that I had, for that reason.”

regions: Washington, DC

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