The Higher Education Review

In today's world, health management education has to be relevant and constantly improvised with the changing markets and environment. Management education cannot be 'knowledge transfer' through rote learning since students may end up not being in-sync with the demands of the healthcare industry in a highly competitive world. Parents of management students naturally expect high returns on their investment and tend to focus more on future prospects and placements. Teachers might be affected or wary of changing environments and stress. It is also true that current management teachers may not always be well-trained, updated or adequately rewarded for their roles.

It is in the backdrop of all these that the Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR) Bangalore strives to make learning interesting and provide a competitive thrust to health management education. IIHMR provides a vibrant academic environment backed by well-experienced faculty and staff, supportive alumni, strong industry networks, invited experts, guest faculty, collaborative interactions, and excellent summer training and dissertation placements. The smart learning systems, rich and relevant evidence-based content and well-grounded faculty are geared to respond to the challenging needs of the healthcare industry. The rest is all practical in nature in healthcare organizations including hospital observership, summer training, dissertation, internships, and field visits.

IIHMR Bangalore is the South Campus of IIHMR Group which started in 1984 under genesis of the Indian Institute of Health Management and Research (society), a non-profit organization registered at Jaipur. The management research institute seeks to accomplish this through training, consultation and institutional networking on a national and global perspective. Its long term vision has been to become a leading healthcare management education and interdisciplinary research institution.

Healthcare research and training were key approaches to improve efficiency, managerial capacities and overall impact of the health system. "In 1996, with more than a decade long journey in the backdrop, a formal postgraduate programme exclusively in healthcare was initiated. This programme was the first of its kind in India. IIHMR's national and international collaborations, network at local levels and dedicated multidisciplinary teams helped the institute to post

its name on the international stage. At present we offer postgraduate diploma in management (hospital and health management). This degree is equivalent to an MBA degree that aims to develop bachelor degree holders ­ Doctors (MBBS/BDS/AYUSH Doctors), Physiotherapists, Nurses, Biotechnology/IT/Computer Science Engineers, Pharma/Life Science and Social Science graduates or individuals with work experience into healthcare management professionals," says Dr. Usha Manjunath, Director and Professor, IIMHR Bangalore.

"IIHMR's national and international collaborations, network at local levels and dedicated multidisciplinary teams helped the institute to post its name on the international stage"

Bringing in Remarkable Healthcare Changes
IIHMR brought in management principles into the health sector which was hitherto not explored in India. Even though many healthcare B-Schools have mushroomed in the country at present, IIHMR holds its forte as the pioneer and continues its efforts in developing futuristic course curriculum by actively engaging in research projects and studies and excellent training programmes at the national and international levels. IIHMR has to its credit more than800 and above health research projects focusing on Health, Economics, Education, Communication and Nutrition. In India when there was less focus on Management Development Projects, in consideration, IIHMR Group has completed 1000 MDP programs for the students, faculty and others. This legacy sets the institute apart and it has been listed in most of the national level educational institutional listings. The PGDM in Hospital and Health Management is AICTE approved and the institution is accredited by NBA and NABET. The Association of Indian Universities (AIU) has awarded MBA equivalence to the PGDM programme. IIHMR-Bangalore is also NAD compliant and registered with NIRF. IIHMR-Bangalore boasts of strong 3000 alumni bases who are working in India and abroad in a variety of challenging positions. IIHMR-Bangalore's cutting edge communication technologies such as web-based recruitment announcements, case studies, industry-based learning and expert visits have been very much helpful in making timely selection criteria very objective and transparent.

"International collaborations and partnerships with top hospitals and healthcare organizations such as Maastricht University, University of Mysore, Piramal Swasthya, Sri Rajarajeshwari Medical College and Research Center, B.N.M Institute of Technology, etc. have provided the network and bandwidth to expand the research and healthcare consultancy offerings for IIHMR-Bangalore". Management professionals graduating from the portals of

this institution are trained as go-getters and are in tune with the needs of the healthcare industry. Our reputation reflects the strong contribution of the faculty, mentoring programme, industry specialists, alumni, guest faculty, industry visits, live project offerings, and the strength of our dissertation program," opine Dr. Usha Manjunath, Director, and IIHMR-Bangalore. Various healthcare projects supported by agencies such as ICMR, HCL Foundation, Akshaypatra Foundation, various State governments Health Departments (Karnataka, Orissa, Gujarat, and many others), UNICEF, WHO, World Bank and others have given IIHMR unique stature.

The curriculum at IIHMR is designed with a holistic approach to confront the existing and emerging challenges the healthcare industry faces today. As per AICTE guidelines, adjunct faculty and industry experts are also hired to update the curriculum and impart their knowledge every year. IIHMR puts great efforts for ensuring a dynamic as well as progressive curriculum, technological orientation and exceptional commitment to quality education. Academic advisory and research committees constituting senior academicians, senior researchers, industry experts, and others are 'Case In Point' that demonstrate the commitment to constant upgradation. Healthcare is a 'sun-shine' and 'recession-free' sector. Hence a model of care delivery that is ever-evolving and connected to the sector is very critical. With that in focus, IIHMR introduces faculty level FDPs, Seminars, Research Projects. At the institutional level, IIHMR collaborations and partnerships with CII, AIMA, FICCI, Govt bodies/BBMP, Private Hospitals and Nursing Home Association, Academy of Hospital Administrators, Industry Experts, and more across India and abroad.

Dr. Usha Manjunath, Director & Professor
M.Phil (HHSM) Ph.D. from BITS, Pilani, Rajasthan, Dr. Usha Manjunath is the Director and Professor at the Institute of Health Management Research, Bangalore. Usha comes with the unique experience of academics, programme management, communication and health system research/management. She has completed projects in fields such as formative research, impact evaluation and implementation research in the area of Primary Healthcare, Reproductive and Child Health, Programme Management, Process Evaluation of Universal Immunization Program and more. She has successfully worked with agencies such as GoK, Unicef, GoI, WHO, PiramalSwasthya and others alike. She has published a book titled 'Total Quality in Healthcare-An Empirical Investigation' based on her Ph.D. thesis, supported by ICSSR Grant and she has been conferred with the 'Outstanding Editor' award by AIMS International.