Q&A with Kristiana Raube, faculty lead for the RAPS Executive Development Program at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley
Kristiana Raube, PhD, is an adjunct professor at the Haas School of Business and the executive director of the Graduate Program in Health Management at the University of California, Berkeley, a program that prepares students for leadership roles in the health services and health technology industries. She is the faculty lead for the RAPS Executive Development program at the Haas School. She took a few moments to answer questions about the rapidly changing world of healthcare, important business skills for regulatory professionals to learn and the RAPS Executive Development program at UC Berkeley.
How is the global healthcare environment changing and what impact will these changes have on regulatory professionals?
A couple of big things are happening in healthcare: costs are rising everywhere and the global economy is in trouble. Many people are either not getting adequate healthcare or they are at risk of not getting it. Many more may not be getting healthcare services at the level they once had. Providers and healthcare product companies must adjust. Employers are not able to afford to pay for everything and more of the burden may be passed along to the patient, at least in the short term. In the US, President Obama has put healthcare on the agenda for his administration and change is likely. Regulatory professionals need to keep an eye on these trends as they unfold. Companies in the healthcare product sector will need to adjust rapidly for both the short- and long-term.
How will the RAPS Executive Development program at Berkeley help regulatory professionals to adapt and react to changes? How will it help them increase their value to their employers?
It’s very important to learn to think strategically and one key component of this program will focus on developing those strategic thinking skills as well as decision making in an uncertain environment. The global healthcare sector will continue to evolve and change. If you don’t know how to think strategically about the direction your organization is taking––internally and externally—you will not be a leader in the organization. Regulatory professionals have important expertise to offer, and those that can combine that regulatory knowledge with strategic thinking and business skills have opportunities to set themselves apart. This program may not change what you do on Monday morning but it will change what you do for the next month and year because it will change your viewpoint and your approach to problems.
What other business skills are most important for experienced regulatory professionals to acquire and cultivate?
One of the risks of being a regulatory professional is being seen by others within the organization as more of an obstacle than a collaborator. Other people in the company may be more focused on just getting the product out the door. But being able to see all sides of an issue and to have productive, strategic conversations with others in the organization can help place you in position to be a leader and a collaborator. You need to get out of those old silos and to understand more about other areas and roles within the organization.
What can attendees expect from this program and its faculty that is unique?
One of the things I feel Berkeley does best is cross-disciplinary teaching. Bringing different disciplines’ philosophies and cultures into a classroom and being able to talk about things from all perspectives is magical. We have assembled an impressive group of thinkers and educators for this program. They are all cutting-edge research leaders in their respective fields and also great teachers. Every one is a highly respected business scholar and they also share the gift of being able to bring relevant ideas and concepts alive in the classroom.