Spotlight On: Dr Jennifer Egbunike, Programme Lead for MSc Global Healthcare Management

Tell me more about your background – it would be great to find out more about your education and career so far.

I have nearly 20 years work experience in the academic research, teaching and consulting space. My first degree is in Clinical Biochemistry where I majored in Oncology. 

My career began in the Oil and Gas sector in Nigeria as a Trainee Environmental and Public Health Officer with Royal Dutch Shell. A work rotation to Forcados Terminal (a major crude oil storage facility in the oil-producing Niger Delta) roused my curiosity about health policy formulation and implementation with respect to the living conditions of host/indigenous communities from which vast resources are extracted for exportation. I decided to embark on a journey to Oxford in 2002, to study Public Health at the postgraduate level.

Following my MSc, I secured a job as a Research Officer at Cardiff University's Department of Population Medicine. My first project explored the GP (Primary Care) out-of-hours service in South Wales. After this, I went on to lead a successful grant application to the Welsh Government where I worked as a Principal Investigator on a national study to identify service improvements in evaluating primary care service provision across all of Wales. I worked collaboratively across academic institutions and government departments and in the process developed a breadth of understanding of the UK Healthcare policy landscape; including formulation, commissioning, funding, implementation, service organisation, pathway, relationships, dependencies, touchpoints, patient literacy and experience as well as the knock-on effect on emergency/unscheduled care and hospital services. 

It is worth stating that I commenced my teaching career alongside these healthcare research projects involving the aforementioned specialties. I worked alongside my colleagues to publish academic papers as well as developing case studies and teaching materials that I used to engage students at undergraduate, postgraduate and professional levels. 

I went on to work in healthcare consulting; rotating on various projects and healthcare specialities across the UK and in Europe. It was at this point that I secured a PhD scholarship to study at the University of Bath. I also gained sponsorship from the Health Foundation to develop my PhD whilst working on The UK Safer Patient Network Project. My research explored Strategic Intentions and Organisational Adaptations to Networks by Healthcare Organisations across the UK.

Before joining UCL, I worked at Kingston and St George’s Joint Healthcare Faculty, delivering specialist teaching on organisational aspects of healthcare including implementation and improvement science, research methods, complexity and health systems, diffusion of innovation and leadership implications. I also carried out various administrative roles as Deputy Research Ethics Lead for the faculty as well as faculty representative at the University Senate and Academic Committees.

Why are you excited to be joining the UCL Global Business School for Health?

Both the vision and mission of the GBSH deeply resonate with me. Our mission is to engage in health and healthcare management research and to graduate interdisciplinary, ethical professionals who are prepared to improve outcomes across many different healthcare systems.

It was also a very easy decision to join a top-rated, world-class university to build this new and exciting programme. We have global representation in our first cohort that starts in September. Diversity of expertise, skill mix and representation are also mirrored in our staff who I believe are some of the very best from around the globe. I think the possibilities are endless.

What are you most excited to teach the first cohort of UCL GBSH students?

In the opening module of the MSc Global Healthcare Management 'Leadership and Management for Global Healthcare', we will be providing a foundation that objectively looks at the dimensions of quality in healthcare and the implications for leadership globally. This promises to be exciting. I will be keen to share knowledge and evidence, whilst exploring healthcare delivery across geographical regions.

Is healthcare management an area more business schools should be exploring? If so, why?

The short answer is yes.  

There are significant observations in global health trends which have huge implications for healthcare provision globally. With more people living longer, there is a need to support an ageing population, increase in chronic illnesses and significant co-morbidities. Finite resources which include finance and human resources constantly need to be stretched to cover an increasing demand for healthcare. The adverse effects of climate change and the covid pandemic is causing policymakers and healthcare leaders around the world to look at these factors through new lenses. There are also rapid advances in technological innovation, which improves efficiency and patient outcomes, with a need to accelerate knowledge sharing of information and best practices. Healthcare Management provides a confluence of insights into healthcare and the application of leadership and management principles. It is in a sense, that ‘sweet spot’ in that it provides future leaders with the requisite skills and expertise to lead the development of efficient and improved healthcare systems

What contribution do you want to bring to the school and future students?

I bring a wealth of experience gained from the cross-fertilisation of evidence-based research, consulting and contemporary academic delivery concepts, to develop pedagogy on the Global Healthcare Management MSc. This is against a backdrop of understanding of research methods, evaluation and implementation strategies used in Medical, Nursing and Public Health settings in the UK and internationally.

Learn more about the MSc Global Healthcare Management with routes