First dental student accepted into dual DDS-MBA program with Ross School of Business4 min read

Ann Arbor, Mich., April 6, 2018 -– A third-year dental student who researched and advocated for a joint DDS/MBA program at the University of Michigan will be the first student to take that academic journey.

Jae Young Han has been accepted into the U-M Ross School of Business full-time MBA program. He will begin classes at Ross in September while continuing his classwork and clinical requirements at the School of Dentistry.

Ross announced creation of the program last October after working for more than a year with administrators at the School of Dentistry. Han lobbied for the dual degree after he entered the School of Dentistry in 2015 and conducted a nationwide needs-assessment survey among dental students. Administrators studied the idea, determined there was significant student interest and solved the many problems that come with joining two unique and challenging courses of study. Fulfilling curriculum requirements for two programs, while navigating two sets of course schedules, means the dual degree will take five years instead of the normal four years for the DDS degree alone.

“I am honored to be part of the Ross MBA community,” Han said. “One of many things I have learned from the admissions process is that the worlds of business and healthcare could not be any more different. I am ecstatic to be involved in both, and I look forward to creating exciting ventures that reflect the best of both worlds.”

In developing the dual degree program, dental school administrators emphasized that a Master of Business Administration degree from Ross is less about helping dental students learn how to manage their dental practices, and more about gaining in-depth leadership training for those who aspire to management or executive roles in dentistry and related fields.

Expertise gained in the program will be applicable for those interested in dental careers in public health, or transforming health systems and corporate dentistry, said Dr. Carol Anne Murdoch-Kinch, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, who worked with the business school and university administrators to establish the curriculum requirements. “We wish Jae the best as he becomes the trailblazer for this demanding academic path. His advocacy for this opportunity was remarkable, and we expect he will develop a creative and innovative career path through this dual-degree experience.”

Han said a variety of career options and scope of dental leadership will be enhanced with an MBA. “My motive in creating and partaking in this program was never rooted in wanting to become a good dental practice owner. An MBA is not necessary to do that,” he said. Instead, he envisions that completing the additional degree will help him create “positive disruptions in the evolution of dentistry in the state of Michigan, the U.S., and around the globe.”

“I aim to utilize my MBA training to innovate the steps leading up to the point of care by increasing competition in the dental industry, creating more jobs and strengthening the non-profit sector of dental healthcare with a robust and sustainable model of care,” Han said.

For more information about the DDS/MBA program, read the story posted on the dental school website when the program was announced in October 2017.

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The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is one of the nation’s leading dental schools engaged in oral health care education, research, patient care and community service.  General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the school to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan.  Classroom and clinic instruction prepare future dentists, dental specialists, and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia and public agencies.  Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide.  For more information about the School of Dentistry, visit us on the Web at: www.dent.umich.edu.  Contact: Lynn Monson, associate director of communications, at dentistry.communications@umich.edu, or (734) 615-1971.