Just got back from my trip to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Istanbul as part of SOM’s mandatory International Experience for first-years. The journey combined sightseeing with business meetings during the work week, during which representatives from various companies, nonprofits, and government agencies presented to us about their work and the environment in which they operate. The trip was primarily focused on healthcare, but we had a number of meetings covering other subjects as well. Highlights for me included MSR, a not-for-profit simulation research center that’s had an enormous impact in reforming medical training procedures in Israel; a meeting with a start-up producing healthcare IT solutions along with the company’s primary venture capital funder; a “Palestine Day” focusing entirely on the less-often heard side of the Israel/Palestine conflict; and presentations on Turkey’s healthcare system and political relations with the US and its neighbors. Some pictures below for your pleasure…
Market in Old City Jerusalem Shopping mall in Tel Aviv Skyscrapers in Istanbul
4 Comments
Health care, wow! Would have loved to be there considering my work in health care policy. Looks like you had an amazing time. Welcome back to the Haven.
If you’re a healthcare policy wonk, this was the trip for you. We had a number of really interesting discussions on the two countries’ different approaches to state-sponsored universal health care and how their systems might be relevant to the United States. Both countries are WAY more cost-effective than us in providing healthcare, with Israel in particular able to achieve better results (as measured by things like life expectancy and infant mortality rates) at around half the cost per capita. This is not to say that either country is free of problems; Turkey is struggling with how to care for its poorer citizens in the Eastern part of the country, while Israel’s system is constantly being squeezed by the national security budget. Furthermore, Israel’s universal coverage is pretty basic and about half of the citizens buy additional private health insurance to bolster their “basket of services” as they call it. However, officials in both countries were politely but firmly dismissive of the US’s “system,” one even saying that he doesn’t consider it a system at all.
Also, among my trip mates were several Executive MBAs in the healthcare program here, one of whom was the head of marketing for one of two divisions at Aetna and another who worked at Pfizer in research. Pretty interesting mix of people!
Thanks for the response. I guess they didn’t mention Canada.
No…