Newswise — BINGHAMTON, NY – Bucking the national and historic trend of disproportionately low female enrollment in STEM disciplines, Binghamton University announced this week that its new Executive Master of Science in Health Systems program based in Manhattan has so far enjoyed a consistent 50 percent female enrollment as it moves into building for its third year of operation. By comparison to national averages, this is more than double the available figures for STEM overall and specifically higher than the roughly 24 percent of female students reported in engineering coursework nationwide.
The first-ever cohort of the Executive Master of Science in Health Systems – Manhattan program finished with a 54.8 percent female representation. In the current academic year, female students comprise 48.3 percent of the class. Successfully admitted applicants for next year’s program now measure 50 percent, creating a 50 percent average overall.
"There is no reason women cannot excel in this field, nor rationale for why they should currently be so underrepresented – except that not many individuals yet have this specialized training, despite the need at the national level to transform our healthcare system,” said Mohammad Khasawneh, professor of systems science and industrial engineering and graduate director for this new program. “In fact, studies have already proven that gender equity will add greater benefits to our engineering profession by providing a more comprehensive approach to complex problem-solving strategies. We are proud that our classes are so diverse and can also improve that aspect of health systems in addition to healthcare process reengineering and systems design."
“The Executive Master of Science in Health Systems program is geared toward exceptional students, no matter their gender,” said Hari Srihari, dean of the Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science. “I’m thrilled to know that this program is not only groundbreaking, but inclusive.”
“Healthcare is a complex arena that benefits from multiple perspectives. It is important to have this diversity reflected in our classes,” said Nagen Nagarur, chair and professor of the department of systems science and industrial engineering.
Amrita Oberoi, who completed her undergraduate studies in engineering at Binghamton University, works as a systems engineer for IBM and is participating in the current program this fall. As a result of her studies in industrial and systems engineering, Oberoi was given the opportunity to participate in a project to aid efficiency and inventory control of a pharmacy department in Utica, N.Y., and intern at IBM, both of which helped to solidify her passion for healthcare systems.
“The Systems Science and Industrial Engineering department turned into more of an engineering family, always readily available to offer advice and resume feedback,” Oberoi said. “At any stage within the program, I never felt undervalued and was always treated equally as an aspiring engineer amongst my peers.”
Binghamton University offers graduate coursework in Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) with a Health Systems concentration and Systems Science (SS) with Health Systems concentration as an executive one-year program in Manhattan. The more traditional Health Systems concentration of the ISE or SS programs can also be challenged in Binghamton, N.Y., and there is ability to take courses for this program online. Students of the program gain sufficient knowledge and skills for modeling, analyzing and/or designing healthcare delivery systems and processes. The University is making dedicated efforts to continue making STEM education accessible to diverse student populations.
For more information, contact Erin Hornbeck at [email protected].
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