Drs. Liu, Jorn receive awards to pursue MBAs

Vincent Jorn, Pharm.D.	Howard Liu, M.D.

Howard Liu, M.D., assistant vice chancellor for faculty development and director of the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska (BHECN) at UNMC, and Vincent Jorn, Pharm.D., community based services pharmacy director at Nebraska Medicine, have been awarded scholarships to pursue executive M.B.A.s in health administration.

Dr. Liu is the 2017 recipient of the Canedy Award, established by orthopaedic surgeon Jim Canedy, M.D. Dr. Jorn’s award is through Nebraska Medicine.

The two-year program at the University of Colorado-Denver’s business school is primarily online, although there are two weeks annually that the program will require Drs. Liu and Jorn to go to Denver.

Both leaders said the management training will help make them more effective administrators.

“Part of Faculty Development’s work is to help design the leadership training for UNMC faculty across all of our colleges,” Dr. Liu said. “Our strength areas have been in teaching project-based leadership and management skills. But increasingly, people have to have some systems understanding and also be conversant in health care economics, especially as things are changing both in Nebraska and in Washington, D.C. I’m hoping to gain some of that systems knowledge and a more sophisticated understanding that we can then translate to our leadership program.”

Dr. Jorn said he hoped the program would enhance his ability to deliver better business analysis and planning.

“I recognize that I need to continue to learn to be as effective as I’m going to be,” Dr. Jorn said. “I’ve reached a point where additional experience will not accelerate me to the extent that I need to — I need more formal academic training.”

Dr. Liu said he has long wanted an M.B.A., but needed a program that would fit into his day-to-day responsibilities.

“There are combined M.D./M.B.A. programs, but I think having real leadership experience shows you your own gaps in performance, so you’re more mindful on how to apply the principles of the program,” he said. “I think this is timely in both my roles, faculty development and BHECN.”

Dr. Jorn, as well, feels the business degree will have a positive impact in his current role.

“Throughout my pharmacy career, I’ve been successful at recognizing opportunities in pharmacy, and developing the strategies, processes and people to capitalize on those opportunities,” he said. “This has resulted in continually advancing leadership positions despite very informally developed business knowledge — from watching and emulating others, learning from experience, reading and leadership programs. Denver’s Executive MBA program is exciting because it will give me the other side — the theory and current best practices spanning both business and health care.”