Empower your organization with MHLP talent

Employers in the health-care sector are navigating a period of profound change and complexity. From workforce shortages and staff burnout to shifting models of care and constrained budgets, the sector needs leaders who can confidently guide teams to think strategically and collaboratively.

Since 2015, UBC’s Master of Health Leadership & Policy (MHLP) has been developing the next-generation of health-care leaders. Designed for experienced professionals in nursing and allied health, the MHLP equips graduates to step into roles as clinical educators, project leaders and innovators with the skills to lead teams, shape policy and implement innovative solutions.

Two industry leaders who’ve seen this impact firsthand are Simmie Kalan, Director of Learning and Development at the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), and Kathy Kennedy, Associate Dean in the School of Health Sciences at BCIT. 

Clinical educators catalyze change

Kalan says she became more aware of UBC’s MHLP program when she moved into a director role at PHSA and was building out her team. She has since hired three graduates of the MHLP in Clinical Education.

“When we’re looking for people to be part of an education team within a clinical health care context, we are looking for people with clinical experience who have actively sought out education in education,” she says. “We need people with knowledge about how adults learn and who understand curriculum development and learning design – along with an understanding of the health care context.”

She notes that strong clinicians often move into education and leadership roles, but excelling in these areas requires more than clinical expertise.

Kalan highlights the work of one of her team members, MHLP alum Lisa Jang, who is leading the implementation of PHSA’s New Graduate Transition to Practice program. It’s a position that requires a wide range of skills, from curriculum development to coaching, and from facilitating preceptor competency development to marketing the program.

“It goes beyond supporting the people on our team across the province who are doing the work, to building relationships with operational leaders, HR, talent acquisition and more,” says Kalan. “The program is looking at the whole system to find ways to increase the retention rate of new graduates.”

Business skills support new initiatives

One distinguishing feature of the MHLP is its interdisciplinary curriculum, which includes courses taught by UBC Sauder’s Robert H. Lee Graduate School of Business, with students taking these courses alongside engineering students in the Master of Engineering Leadership. Students gain foundational knowledge in finance, sustainability, strategy, project management and change leadership – skills that don’t always receive the same attention in other master’s programs.

“I’ve noticed my MHLP-trained staff are strong project managers,” says Kalan. “This includes a facility with budgets and financial considerations, as well as understanding change management and even marketing. It’s one thing to develop a new program, but you need to let people know it exists. MHLP grads bring these questions up early in the planning process rather than at the end, which can be critical to program rollout and success.”

Kennedy concurs that the people on her team at BCIT who have pursued the MHLP benefit from the program’s broad business perspective.

“They were already strong leaders, and being part of the MHLP made them stronger from a leadership and change management perspective,” she says. “I’m thinking of one project, in particular, where they completed an extensive environmental scan to gather research and then came back to the group with concrete ideas for how they wanted to move this forward. They also focused on the follow-through piece, which is very important for generating tangible results.”

Applying learning in real time

Many MHLP students continue to work while completing the program (which can be taken full time over 12 months or part time over 24), enabling them to apply new skills immediately in the workplace.

Kennedy has had several accomplished clinical educators on her staff pursue the MHLP while continuing to work at BCIT teaching students in specialized nursing and allied health care professions.

“I’ve worked closely with a number of our faculty employees before, during and after they’d taken the program and was able to witness the continuum of their growth as leaders,” she says. “They were already excelling as industry experts and educators. I saw their development as leaders – their willingness to bring ideas forward and to test out the skills and tools they were learning in the program.”

As an employer, Kennedy also appreciates the program’s adaptability. “The way UBC schedules the course is flexible enough that I can accommodate my staff’s academic schedule,” she says.

Bridging clinical education and leadership

The MHLP is helping to build a new generation of professionals with frontline experience, leadership ability, and business acumen—qualities that are increasingly essential in today’s complex health-care environment.

“I have a lot of respect for the program’s integration of health-care and business courses,” says Kalan. 

“This is what we need more of in our sector – after all, health care is a publicly funded business that we all pay into. The more health-care leaders we have who understand both business and education, the better positioned we’ll be to deliver sustainable, high-quality care.”

Connect with us to connect with new talent

Whether you have an in-house project that could benefit from the contributions of motivated practicum student or are interested in building out your talent pool, MHLP students and alumni have the frontline experience, understanding of best practices in clinical education and business savvy needed to guide teams and projects.

Get in touch with us to attend a networking event, propose a practicum project, or connect with recent grads or alums who can add value to your team.