Spotlight on MBA student Han Liew: journey and career prospects

Student Name: Han Liew

Programme: MBA Health
 
Nationality: Malaysian

Education: BSN, MBA Health

Work Experience: 8 years of clinical and operational experience in healthcare, both acute care and population health settings

How did your studies at GBSH contribute to your ability to secure your current position?

MBA Health at GBSH has allowed me to build a robust professional network; interacting with peers, industry experts and professors during my studies expanded my professional connections. This has helped me gain insights into various industries and opened doors to collaboration and partnership. 

Specifically, I collaborated with a UK-based digital healthcare company to understand how such companies could strategically position themselves within the upcoming NHS England Integrated Care Systems (ICS) through co-creation principles. This collaboration expanded my understanding of the digital health ecosystem, allowing me to see the industry's intricacies, the key players involved, and the interactions that shape its landscape. 

As I delved deeper into this project, I became more passionate about the potential for digital healthcare to transform the healthcare industry. 

Can you share a specific course during your MBA that you feel was instrumental in preparing you for your current role?

The health consultancy project I undertook at GBSH was pivotal in readying me for my upcoming role. It gave me a deep understanding of the challenges faced by digital health companies and the motivations behind adopting health tech products from a societal perspective. This knowledge forms the basis for my ability to bridge the gap between technology and patient care in a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, where digitalisation fundamentally changes how we deliver care and manage populations. Furthermore, it emphasised the pivotal role of preventive care as the key to improving health outcomes in this evolving healthcare paradigm. 

Could you share any memorable experiences or projects from your MBA programme that have impacted your career?

It would be the Global Health Challenge that my team and I spent two weeks in Egypt. It was a transformative experience that opened my eyes to the importance of global health equity, social determinants, and the role healthcare planning in responding to the implication of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) burden innovation can play in addressing pressing social issues.

This experience gave me a unique perspective on the critical link between business, healthcare, and global development. Moreover, it deepened my commitment to contributing to SDG 3's mission of ensuring good health and well-being for all. It has broadened my career horizons and inspired me to use my business knowledge to make a tangible difference in global health outcomes.

How did your MBA degree from GBSH give you an edge in the competitive job market?

My career substantially benefited from the MBA Health earned at UCL GBSH, the first institution globally dedicated to health-related business education. Besides that, insights from healthcare experts who served as guest speakers also broadened my global perspective. Furthermore, I had classmates working in marketing, health policy, epidemiology, pharmacy, medicine, dentistry, finance, and pharmaceutical. Everyone brings a distinct perspective to the coursework and discussions. This will be my network beyond the healthcare industry for my next career phase. I enjoyed this kind of cross-collaboration in the future job market. In addition, the personalised guidance from career coaching sessions and the connections I've established with industry leaders have collectively given me a distinct advantage in the competitive job market, making my MBA Health an invaluable asset in my professional journey.

How has your career trajectory been influenced by your time studying at GBSH?

The MBA Health program has equipped me with leadership and valuable skillsets (strategic thinking, analytical skills, communication, decision-making, etc.) As a result, this opened up a wide range of possible career options for me, and I am now venturing into HealthTech, where innovation and technology intersect with healthcare. 

In this role, I can leverage my strategic thinking to identify opportunities across different projects, my analytical skills to develop data-driven solutions, my communication skills to collaborate with diverse groups of stakeholders, and my decision-making abilities to learn and contribute to society in this ever-changing landscape.

Could you share the types of career support you received while at GBSH? Were there any particular resources, networking opportunities, cities or services you found beneficial?

I had the opportunity to benefit from a variety of career support resources. These included workshops by Impact Factory, personal branding, ongoing personalised career guidance, and networking events. These resources significantly contributed to my professional growth. The personalised career coaching sessions at GBSH were highly beneficial as they were tailored to meet my needs. These sessions included crafting a job search strategy, conducting mock interviews customised to the role I applied for, and thorough CV reviews. This personalised approach ensured that I received guidance directly relevant to my career goals, allowing me to navigate the job market more effectively and increase my chances of securing the specific role I was targeting.

These resources are precious for my personal and professional development.

Can you describe any challenges you faced during your job search and how your MBA training helped you overcome them?

One of the key challenges was having "irrelevant skills" during my job search as I transitioned to my upcoming role. Here are some valuable tips I received from my career coach:

1)    Tailor Your Resume: Customise your CV for each position or role you apply for. One size doesn't fit all. Highlight the skills and experiences most relevant to the specific job
2)    List Your Skills: Create a clear list of your hard and soft skills. Make these skills stand out on your resume so potential employers can see your strengths and abilities.
3)    Believe in Yourself! (and also, expect disappointment, then you can never really be disappointed)

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently at GBSH to improve your career prospects further?

One thing I would have done differently was stay actively engaged with industry experts, discover job opportunities, and maintain long-term professional connections.

What are your long-term career goals? How do your GBSH MBA and current work align with these goals?

Today, we live in uncertain times. Though, I do not have a concrete plan for the next decade. I would continue to 'stay curious, keep learning, be kind, take leaps, and then leap again and leap again!' As I transition into the health tech sector, my goal is to achieve better health outcomes through digitalisation, making life easier for healthcare professionals, improving outcomes and adding value for patients, families and the community.