Scheller College Students Gain Experience in Partnership with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

The Georgia Institute of Technology – Scheller College of Business is expanding its long-standing partnership with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to discover new ways of improving business practices and management.

This November, nine students at Georgia Tech—four from the Scheller College of Business—presented a semester’s work on the future of pediatric primary care in Georgia to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta CEO Donna Hyland and her executive team.

The work was the result of Dr. Dan Salinas, the Chief Medical Officer at the organization, who suggested a special senior level inaugural elective course which could examine the potentially fragile world of pediatric primary care and how it impacts the hospital’s mission: “to make kids better today and healthier tomorrow”.

In addition to the four students from the Scheller College of Business, four came from the College of Engineering and one from the College of Sciences. The diversity among the group allowed for a rich interdisciplinary experience both for the students and the resulting work.

Students in the Healthcare Management Practicum had to approach the world of pediatrics, which can vary widely from adult medicine. Most pediatricians are organized in small private practices rather than large groups, resulting in tremendous pressure on small organizations. In their presentation, students in the practicum recommended a suite of consulting services which could be “offered within the construct of a management services organization to small pediatric practices.”

The new course was an outgrowth of the Management in the Healthcare Sector class, created in 2012 by Scheller Professor Bill Todd.

“We are so grateful to Children’s for this wonderful learning opportunity,” Professor Todd said. “The students fully embraced Children’s noble mission and were pleased to contribute to solving a significant strategic challenge.”

regions: Atlanta

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