New York University is teaming up with Manatt Health to launch a new master's degree course that aims to teach the next generation of healthcare industry leaders.
NYU recently established a master's course in health law and policy that is jointly presented by its law school and the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, according to an announcement provided exclusively to Fierce Healthcare. Manatt has signed on to assist in designing the curriculum and to teach a three-credit course on the health law and regulatory sphere that incorporates its partners' expertise.
Bill Bernstein, leader of Manatt Health, told Fierce Healthcare in an interview that there is a "thirst" in healthcare for midcareer education. For example, physicians rising through the ranks into leadership roles come armed with a bounty of clinical knowledge but may need additional training on more administrative topics.
He said the program has been in the works for about two years as experts on both sides honed the material.
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"The focus was how could an educational platform like NYU’s be used to tap in and train future leaders of the healthcare industry," Bernstein said.
The overall course is 30 credits and runs for one year; it is largely online, though it does offer some in-person residency segments. For example, through Manatt's class, students will come to Washington, D.C., for an in-person segment focused on national policy and the White House led by the firm's Cindy Mann, who managed the Medicaid program under the Obama administration.
Charles Klippel, NYU law professor of practice and co-director of the new course, told Fierce Healthcare it was designed to fit into the schedules of people working in the healthcare industry, allowing them to keep up with the course more easily.
He added that NYU has had a long history of promoting diversity and inclusion in education, and that extends to this new course. So far, he said, the university has seen a mix of applicants of different races and genders as well as from different sectors of the healthcare industry.
"I think that is something we absolutely want to encourage going forward and it’s nice to see," Klippel said. "Hopefully we can keep that up."