Chicago City Wire

Benjamin Gonzalez San Martin, an alumnus of Rush University’s health systems management (HSM) program, reflects positively on his educational experience. Gonzalez San Martin chose Rush for its personalized attention, which he says distinguishes it from larger universities. He graduated in 2017 and is now a senior financial analyst with Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Rush's HSM program has achieved a top 3 ranking nationally according to U.S. News & World Report. This ranking is attributed to the program's focus on leadership and the excellence of its faculty members who actively participate in healthcare transformation. Wayne Lerner, DrPH, FACHE, a longtime faculty member and former chairperson of the Department of Health Systems Management at Rush, exemplifies this leadership. In 2013, Lerner received the American College of Healthcare Executives Gold Medal Award.

Lerner emphasizes that students learn leadership not only through traditional coursework but also by observing faculty who are practicing professionals. “We’re teaching students how to be leaders not only through our discipline-based material like economics or finance, but also by example because our faculty themselves are practicing," Lerner explains.

The curriculum includes group work where students develop skills such as collaboration and crisis management. “A good leader recognizes when they should step into a leadership void during an emergency,” Lerner adds.

Beyond classroom learning, students benefit from mentoring relationships with advisors and peers. First-year students receive guidance from second-year peers and career advice from alumni working in their field of interest. Gonzalez San Martin notes the lasting impact these relationships have had on him: “These people have made such an impression on my life.”

The strong support network extends beyond graduation for many alumni like Gonzalez San Martin, who currently serves as president of the HSM Alumni Association.