Immersion ExperiencesImmersion ExperiencesImmersion Experiences

Online programs from the Milken Institute School of Public Health feature immersion experiences where students can connect with their peers, professors and health care experts in person. In-person immersions are held on the George Washington University campus in Washington, D.C., and around the world.1 Some immersions are also held virtually.

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Hear from guest keynote speakers

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Network with peers, professors and industry executives

Apply leadership and communication skills

Network, Connect, Collaborate

A major component of the immersion experience is the opportunity to create meaningful relationships that will be beneficial to your professional development. The connections you make with your professors, peers and health care leaders will be one of the most valuable takeaways of the program.

Engage Active Leaders in Health Care

Immersions create opportunities for students to spend time with GW’s well-respected faculty members who are known in the health care field as active, leading experts. You’ll also hear from guest speakers representing prestigious health care organizations who will share their knowledge and experience.

Develop Relationships With D.C. Influencers

You’ll have access to the professionals and institutions that comprise the center of health care policy and legislature — Washington, D.C. Some in-person experiences will bring you to GW’s D.C. campus, where you’ll meet with health care influencers at networking receptions, roundtable dinners and Q&A panels.

Collaborate With Peers

Immersions empower students to collaborate with their peers in real time to work on projects, analyze research, create action plans and more. 

Discover the Value of In-Person Experiences

When our graduates look back on their program, they often cite an immersion course as the most memorable or valuable aspect of the program.

Our Admissions Counselors are available to answer your questions and discuss your program further. Request information below.

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MHA@GW Immersions

As an MHA@GW student, you’ll investigate the structure and operations of high-performing health care systems in the United States and abroad. Leadership, communication, business enterprise and management ethics are just a handful of the topics you’ll explore during your immersion experiences.

  • 1.5 Credits
    Location: The George Washington University Foggy Bottom Campus

    Developing leaders who can excel in high-performing health care organizations requires a combination of theory and practice. Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, students uncover their leadership style and practice the skills of highly effective leadership principles. In addition, students examine ethical principles and learn how leaders use these practices.

  • 3 Credits
    Location: The George Washington University Foggy Bottom Campus and various Washington, D.C. sites

    This is a continuation of Leadership and Ethics – 1. Students use principles such as emotional intelligence, servant leadership and transformational leadership to further explore and develop their leadership attributes. This immersion emphasizes leadership during organizational change.

  • 3 Credits
    Location: Various health care organizations around the country and world

    This immersion asks MHA@GW students to spend a concentrated period of time studying a prestigious health system in the United States or an international health system outside the U.S.. The objective is to critically examine and assess the structure, function and operations of a domestic or international health system.

    Past Health Systems Analysis Immersion locations include:

    • San Antonio, Texas
    • London, United Kingdom
    • New York, New York
    • Toronto, Canada
    • San Juan, Puerto Rico
    • Los Angeles, California
    • Miami, Florida
    • Amsterdam, Netherlands
    • Honolulu, Hawaii
    • Toronto, Canada
    • San Diego, California
    • Phoenix, Arizona

    Past Health Systems Analysis Immersion host organizations include:

    • Methodist Hospital, San Antonio TX
    • University Health, San Antonio TX
    • Northwell, NY
    • NYC Health and Hospitals
    • Veteran Affairs of NY, New Orleans, Seattle,
    • Ochsner, New Orleans
    • Children’s Hospital of New Orleans
    • SickKids Hospital, Toronto, CA
    • Amazon
    • Google
    • Kapi’olani Women and Children’s Medical Center
    • Tripler Army Medical Center

  • 1.5 Credits
    Location: Virtual

    MHA@GW students present the findings of their organizational research projects and leadership portfolios during this immersion. Feedback is provided by peers and a panel of health care leaders.

“The MHA@GW program provides you with the tools needed to lead and manage others inside a health care organization. This program exposes you to Capitol Hill and other key players in the health care industry.”

Jesus Rodriguez,
MHA@GW ’18

MPH@GW Immersions

As an MPH@GW student, you’ll learn from health care experts who actively design and implement policies for national and international health initiatives, and who serve on influential health agencies, congressional offices or committees in Washington, D.C. Prepare to become a public health leader by hearing firsthand from those who have paved the way.

  • 1 Credit
    Location: The George Washington University’s Foggy Bottom Campus 

    This course applies a population health framework to the US health system, focusing

    on going upstream to improve individual and community health, foster collaboration between the health care and public health systems, and advance health equity. It builds on topics covered in the MPH@GW program’s core courses and focuses primarily on using the policy analysis skills gained in the fundamentals of health policy analysis. 

    In addition to preparatory Zoom-based sessions, the bulk of the work is covered in residence at GW in Washington, D.C., during two consecutive in-person days. Students will be briefed by a series of D.C.-based former and current decision-makers. They will then work in groups to present to a panel of experts at the end of this two-day period. A final paper will be prepared after the immersion. This paper will be based on the group project and reflect the experts’ input.

    In addition to GW faculty, past guest speakers include:

    • Karen DeSalvo, Chief Health Officer, Google, and former Acting Assistant Secretary for Health by Zoom
    • Peggy Hamburg, Chair of the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a National Public Health System and former Commissioner, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
    • Joshua Traylor, Executive Director, Center for Health and Research Transformation
    • Chris Jennings, Founder and President, Jennings Policy Strategies

  • 2 Credits
    Location: The George Washington University Foggy Bottom Campus and various Washington, D.C. sites

    The objective of the analysis is to critically examine and assess the “art of what is possible,” using data and health IT structures, functions and operations for health care policy, delivery, administration, population health and oversight. Students select from the options offered each year. Subsequently, they use appropriate health IT, informatics and data terms and techniques to achieve optimal individual and population health outcomes, especially in the context of health care delivery, administration, oversight and improvement.

    Students will apply concepts of health informatics to areas of public health, clinical care and research. These concepts include the use of health care terminology, computer concepts and application, various data sources to facilitate organizational change, organizational and clinical excellence, and population health.

    Students will develop and demonstrate strategies that apply health IT structures, policies and processes to support health care delivery and services that impact health care transformation, public health modernization, social determinants of health, health equity and payment reform, and translate the strategies into an operational “roadmap.” 

    Students will seek to solve health care issues through the optimization of health IT, related data and business processes accommodating human behavior and available/usable information. They will assess the implications of health information technology and related health care data and processes, including data sharing, on health policy, delivery, administration and oversight, including the use of virtual care.

    Past immersion DC site Visits include:

    • Children’s National Hospital

    In addition to GW faculty, past speakers include:

    • Dr. Carolyn Clancy, VHA Deputy Under Secretary for Health for the Office of Discovery, Education and Affiliate Networks 
    • Jude Soundar, Microsoft, US Government Affairs, Federal Health Director
    • Elizabeth Fowler, Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation
    • Steven Posnack, Deputy National Coordinator at Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
    • Matt MacVey, Executive Vice President & Chief Information Officer at Children’s National Hospital

  • 2 Credits
    Location: The George Washington University Foggy Bottom Campus 

    This immersion provides an overview of the DrPH Program with a focus on competencies, courses and a dissertation portfolio. Developing public health leaders who can operate in high-performing health care organizations requires a combination of theory and practice. Working with leadership experts, Doctoral students will uncover their leadership style and practice the skills of highly effective leadership. 

    Concurrent with this is an examination of ethical principles and practices and how those practices are used by leaders. Students will discuss the determinants of health — social, commercial and political — and work in teams to address a pressing public health challenge via case studies and presentations.

    In addition to GW faculty, past guest speakers include:

    • Admiral Rachel L. Levine, MD, Assistant Secretary for Health, US Department of Health and Human Services
    • Louis Agnello, JD, MPH and Dr. Mario Ramirez, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
    • Dr. Tiffany Gray, Public Health Analyst, D.C. Department of Health

Expand Your Career and Your Network

Gaining an edge in health leadership requires advanced skills, experience and strong professional relationships. Find out how our online programs can prepare you to make an impact as a leader in health care.

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  1. Our team is actively monitoring the ongoing pandemic and is following CDC guidelines to make the necessary adjustments to our in-person experiences. ↩︎