Joint Degree Spotlight: Bringing Business Tools to Healthcare
After enrolling at the Yale School of Public Health, Casey Ma ’26 decided to expand her skill set by combining the MPH with an MBA at Yale SOM.
Hometown: Guangzhou, China
Education: Business psychology, marketing, and education, UC San Diego
Internships: Ascension, IQVIA, BGI Genomics
Why did you decide to pursue a joint degree at Yale SOM?
When I began my master of public health program at the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH), I was focused on understanding the structure and function of healthcare systems. However, the more I engaged with the field, the more I recognized the need to strengthen my business skill set. Conversations with alumni working in healthcare organizations showed me the importance of financial literacy, value-based care models, and market strategy—areas that led me to pursue the MBA.
What has been particularly valuable at SOM is the strong network and the opportunity to work on hands-on projects. Through student organizations, I’ve contributed to pro bono consulting engagements that addressed local healthcare challenges in Connecticut. The joint degree has provided a well-rounded foundation: my public health training offers a systems-level perspective, while the MBA equips me with the tools to develop strategic, data-driven solutions.
What have been some of your favorite classes or campus groups?
One of my most impactful SOM courses has been Healthcare Policy, Finance, and Economics with Dr. Howard Forman, which I currently support as a teaching assistant. The course combines economic theory, policy analysis, and current healthcare trends in a highly practical and engaging format.
I also found the core course Customer, taught by Professor Jiwoong Shin, to be particularly insightful. The class deepened my understanding of consumer behavior and emphasized how organizations—including those in healthcare—must continuously adapt to meet evolving customer needs. Another standout was Innovation, Investments, and New Frontiers in Medicine, taught by Stephen Knight ’90, which integrates perspectives from biotech, finance, and entrepreneurship and encourages critical thinking around the future of healthcare innovation.
Outside the classroom, I’ve enjoyed being part of the Healthcare and Life Sciences Club, through which I participated a trek to Boston to connect with alumni in startups and established pharmaceutical companies. I’m also active in the Greater China Club and Yale Ventures Club, and I participate in the game-playing group Pumpkin House Murder Mystery Club through the Association of Chinse Students and Scholars at Yale. Additionally, I help support annual events such as the Yale Healthcare Conference, Yale Ventures Innovation Summit, and Startup Yale.
Have there been any unexpected benefits from the joint degree?
One unexpected benefit has been how complementary the two programs are. Initially, I thought I’d be navigating two separate academic environments; instead, I’ve found that the communities, course content, and career resources reinforce each other in meaningful ways. SOM encourages structured, strategic thinking, while YSPH brings a strong focus on public impact and systems-level solutions.
I’ve also been surprised by how organically perspectives from one program can enhance classroom discussions in the other. For example, I’ve introduced public health viewpoints in strategy case discussions and applied business tools in health policy classes. On a practical note, I’ve learned how to manage my time more effectively and appreciate the dual access to events, speakers, and recruiting opportunities.
What professional opportunities are you hoping to pursue as a result of the joint degree?
The joint degree has opened doors to healthcare strategy roles that blend business, policy, and science. I’ve worked on projects involving provider experience, payer strategy, and operational transformation. Moving forward, I’m pursuing opportunities in biotech business development, market access, and commercialization strategy—roles that allow me to leverage my business training and public health foundation.
How has your MBA enriched your understanding of public health and healthcare management?
My MBA has exposed me to both the operational and strategic dimensions of the field. One of the most transformative experiences has been helping to organize the Yale Healthcare Conference, where I collaborated with an advisory board and speakers from hospitals, biotech firms, nonprofits, and payers. Through those interactions, I learned how leaders at organizations approach resource allocation, regulatory uncertainty, innovation pipelines, and system-wide transformation. Hearing directly from people in the field allowed me to connect classroom frameworks with real-world decision-making.
Even seemingly unrelated courses at SOM have shaped how I think about healthcare. In the MBA core class Operations Engine, I learned how to apply supply chain principles to hospital systems in order to streamline patient flow and address bottlenecks in resource distribution. In Competitive Strategy, we focused on tech and retail case studies; but the frameworks around differentiation, market entry, and pricing strategy helped me think through challenges I had seen in the healthcare provider and payer space. These classes gave me tools to analyze healthcare organizations as dynamic systems influenced by incentives, constraints, and competitive forces.
Equally important have been the peer and alumni networks. Through countless conversations, I’ve been able to explore diverse career paths I’d never considered. Yale’s tight-knit community makes it easy to connect with people who are generous with advice and actively shaping the future of the society. They’ve helped me decide what kind of impact I want to make at the intersection of strategy and healthcare.
