Heather Webster 鈥� Alumni
Juris Doctor/Master of Health Administration (Dal 鈥�19) 鈥� Alumni
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (鈥�15)
鈥楨ssential experiences for future health leaders鈥�
Dalhousie鈥檚 four-year Juris Doctor/Master of Health Administration (JD/MHA) program is a perfect fit for Heather Webster, allowing her to combine her passion for healthcare with her interest in policy and leadership.
Heather鈥檚 interest in health administration blossomed during her undergraduate psychology degree. While her honours research focused on transportation and quality of life for seniors in rural communities, she was also inspired by her time as president of the Mount Allison Students鈥� Union.
Tight ties between law and health
鈥淚 am interested in health system reform, health governance, and comparative health law and policy,鈥� the third-year student says. 鈥淭he JD/MHA program has made me increasingly interested in health organization leadership."
鈥淎lso, I spoke with a couple of health executives who encouraged me to do the combined program because they encounter law so frequently in their work.鈥�
The value of residency
Heather says the MHA classes are giving her the skills for a successful career in health administration鈥攂ut the best part of the program so far has been the 4-month residency, which allowed her to work alongside senior executives at the Nova Scotia Health Authority.
The experience was 鈥渋nvaluable,鈥� she says, and connected her with a strong mentor.
An essential interprofessional experience
By its very nature, Healther points out, the JD/MHA program
鈥渙pens doors to a wide variety of diverse career paths鈥攖o work as health administrators in health care settings, with government entities, with regulatory bodies, with big law firms and boutique health law firms, and in research, to name a few.鈥�
The MHA component is particularly focused on collaboration, Heather continues.
鈥淚t has allowed me to work in interprofessional teams with students from a variety of health professions. These are essential experiences for future health leaders.鈥�