Amit Sanyal, MD, MHCDS

Amit, please tell us about yourself

I wear many hats for my employer, SSM Health in Madison, Wisconsin.  I serve as Division Chief of Medical Oncology, the Director of Oncology Clinical Research, and as the System Physician Champion for Beacon Chemotherapy Governance.  

Why did you choose to take on the MHCDS program? 

As a physician aspiring to change aspects of health care delivery, I felt that I needed to understand the  language of management to be credible and have a seat at the table.

I choose the MHCDS program over an MBA or MPH because of its' emphasis on value-based health care and the need for transformation in health care delivery aligns with my interests as well as needs of the day. I also felt that the MHCDS curriculum better serves a health care professional’s needs.

What has been the best part of the program for you? 

The very carefully curated course material that teaches management skills but maintains a sharp focus on health care. Everything is viewed through the prism of a health care professional.   You can start to use the skills you have learned from Day 1. 

Speaking of which, how have you used the education or the skills you've acquired?

I have used the insights from the health economics and finance classes to justify ROI and gain approval for two value-based oncology projects at my institution. One pertains to novel oncology clinical research and the other will trial a mobile app to reduce chemotherapy complications.  The latter is part of my group’s Action Learning Project (ALP) for the program.