The Business Side of Medicine
The Class of 2028 will make its formal entry into the medical field at the John G. Clarkson White Coat and Freshman Pinning Ceremony on August 23. Follow along as we highlight members from the incoming class.
Alexandra Debure, B.S. `23, always wanted to be an M.D. But it wasn’t until COVID-19 shut down in-person classes at the University of Miami during her freshman year that the St. Petersburg native realized she wanted an M.B.A., too.
“During COVID I worked in Kentucky at a testing center,” Debure said. “A friend’s family members worked there and they needed help.”
Medicine’s Business Aspect
The experience shifted Debure’s priorities. She realized that while an organization may have medical capabilities, it also needs people with a mind for business, for inventory, for infrastructure and for the people required to make the organization run.
“I rethought my experience, having seen the business side,” she said.
After Debure returned to campus, an introduction to health sector management and policy class demonstrated the sometimes dysfunctional relationship between business and medicine.
“There’s a disconnect between the business side, the people who practice medicine and the insurance structure,” she said. “Physicians working in a hospital may be shielded from the business side.”
Debure wants to avoid that disconnect. The health policy class was taught by Steven Ullmann, Ph.D., professor and executive M.B.A. and M.D./M.B.A. program director at the University of Miami Herbert Business School.
“He’s a big advocate of the business side of medicine,” said Debure.
While working part-time as a scribe at South Miami Hospital, Debure saw the things that Dr. Ullmann spoke about in class. The experience of working in a hospital while taking electives in business convinced her that a business degree would go hand-in-hand with medical training.
M.D./M.B.A. Program at the Miller School
The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s M.D./M.B.A. students start their school year one month earlier than medical students. The dual-degree students take two business classes the first semester and two more the second semester.
“Our class is the biggest one ever,” said Debure, now a member of the Miller School’s Class of 2028.
Growing up in St. Petersburg, the only child of college professors, Debure was encouraged to strive academically.
“My parents are proponents of graduate school,” she said.
But she is the first in her family to attend medical school. Debure is looking forward to the Miller School’s white coat ceremony on August 23.
“We get these coats to show we are entering the world of medicine and to help us understand the significance of our chosen path,” she said.
Debure hopes one day to run her own practice.
“If all goes according to plan, I’ll be working in a private pediatric practice in Florida, serving my community,” she said.
Her business degree, Debure added, will equip her to know what is going on in the back office and with the practice’s management and marketing.
“In a regular M.D. program, you become aware of all the medical aspects,” said Debure. “I am going for being a well-rounded physician.”
Tags: alumni, dual degrees, M.D./M.B.A. program, medical education, medical students, white coat ceremony