Where is the best physician entrepreneurship program?
Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA
President and CEO, Society of Physician Entrepreneurs, another lousy golfer, terrible cook
Once again, U.S News has published its list of the best entrepreneurship programs in the US. While the criteria they use is as opaque as what it will cost you to have your appendix removed, Babson, once again, rose to the top of the list.
Physician entrepreneurship is not yet a developed, recognized academic discipline and different kinds of entities, ranging from hospitals , to accelerators, to academic medical centers , to business schools to integrated delivery networks are offering their versions. So, it's too soon to know which are the cream of the crop. But, how should we measure them moving forward?
We should measure and , eventually, accredit them by their structure, process and outcomes and how they conform to clearly defined standards. Here are some suggestions:
1. They should have sufficient resources and a demonstrated sustainability model that can be scaled.
2. They should be interdisciplinary mixing physicians with other healh professions, business, engineering, law and science students and faculty and encourage open innovation and participation by those outside of sick care.
3. They should offer mandatory experiential learning and well developed knowledge transfer programs with entrepreneurs and industry.
4. They should be coordinated across multicampus systems
5. They should have clearly defined learning objectives , courses and curriculum that are desingned based on market needs assessments
6. They should offer state of the art teachning technologies designed to meet the needs of physicians at all levels of training and experience
7. They should demostrate diversity in the student body
8. They should offer the spectrum of resources, networks, mentors, access to capital and infrastructure necessary to get an idea to patients.
9. They should offer education and training as it pertains to drugs, devices, digital health, care delivery and business process innovation.
10. They should be tightly ingrated into the regional biocluster and ecosystem
11. They should have measurable outcomes as they relate to value creation for end users, entrepreneurs and the regional economy.
12. They should fill the gaps needed in regional workforces.
Where is the best program in the US and world? I don't know yet. But, things are moving quickly so don't be surprised if your candidate in the physician entrepreneurship beauty pageant wins next year.
Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA is the President and CEO of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs at www.sopenet.org
Minimally Invasive Surgeon, Bariatric Surgeon, Director of Trauma Surgery, Chair of Surgery and Medical Staff President
9 å¹´Great article. The only things I would add is: encouraging professional develoolment in the public sector. A lot of the game is played on their turf under their rule book. Thabks for the post. Jeff Eakin
President and CEO, Society of Physician Entrepreneurs, another lousy golfer, terrible cook
9 å¹´Agree. We have a way to go to get there.
Consultant histopathologist || Co-founder / diagnostics lead VUSdx
9 å¹´Nowhere...