Julia Kaliba studied at the university in the program Supply Management in Healthcare - Health Care Management (HCM) and successfully completed her master's degree at the beginning of 2019. For her master's thesis entitled "Direct access to physiotherapy in Germany - status quo as well as necessary prerequisites and changes", she was awarded the Health Economics Promotion Prize last year. Still during her studies and also afterwards, Julia Kaliba worked as a research assistant in the Controlling, Management, HealthCare department. Since February 2020, she has now been a junior product manager at Angio Consult GmbH, a management consultancy in Speyer specializing in the field of medical devices.
You completed your master's degree at the university with flying colors and worked with great enthusiasm in your degree program as a research assistant during and after your studies. Do you have fond memories of your time at Ludwigshafen University?
Julia Kaliba: Definitely. I found studying here very pleasant. This was mainly due to the small group size and the resulting very good supervision ratio in the master's program. I also found the support from the full-time lecturers and the lecturers to be above average. The program also appealed to me in terms of content, as the topics are broad and actually cover all aspects of healthcare. In the summer semester, the courses were more research-oriented, while in the winter semester they focused more on management topics and networks in the healthcare sector. As a result, you have a very wide range of professional opportunities after graduation.
And your time as an employee?
As a research assistant, I also felt very comfortable in the department and at the university as a whole. I was very well received and despite my initial dual role as student and staff member, I was immediately a full member of the team. Working together was very pleasant and the decision to switch to business was not easy for me either.
What made you decide to study at the University of Applied Sciences in Ludwigshafen?
I had previously completed my bachelor's degree in health economics in Wiesbaden and - quite honestly - I wanted to return to my home region of the Palatinate. It was a happy coincidence that the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences offers a master's degree in health care management, because there are only a fairly limited number of master's programs in this field in Germany. And in terms of content, it was also a very good fit.
Why did you switch to management consulting?
The job description really appealed to me. It's a chance to apply the specialist knowledge I acquired in the master's program, and it also seemed important for my personal development. The reason I switched at the present time is that in my new job you generally have to travel a lot - that's exciting, but it also requires a lot of flexibility, energy and strength. And it's precisely this flexibility that I'm more able to provide at the moment than perhaps in ten or fifteen years' time.
What are your tasks there?
Among other things, Angio Consult GmbH supports companies and start-ups in the field of medical products - from the idea to the market launch. We provide advice, conduct studies on behalf of the companies, support the approval of new products or present them at trade fairs on behalf of the companies. In doing so, we also work together with cooperating institutions from the healthcare sector - such as hospitals. For many years, Angio Consult has been an important cooperation partner for the bachelor's degree program in health economics in practice at the university - I would like to intensify this partnership between the university and management consultancy even further in the future and also network it further with the regional and supra-regional healthcare industry.
Which skills from your studies will be of particular benefit to you?
Basically, the ability to view the healthcare sector from the perspective of different stakeholders, as well as the ability to work precisely and scientifically. A lot of emphasis was placed on this during my studies, as well as on interdisciplinary projects. Solving complex tasks in an interdisciplinary team is certainly also one of the skills I bring from my studies and my work at the university. And then also the tendency to question things and be curious - but these are perhaps also more personal characteristics (laughs).
Do you want to keep in touch with your "old" university in the future?
Definitely, that's very important to me! I had to make a firm promise to my colleagues in the department to drop by for a coffee every two months at the latest and report back (laughs). I also plan to attend the Health Economics Talks at the university, which take place once a year and have become a real institution. I would also like to take part in the graduation ceremony at the Pfalzbau and keep in touch with the alumni association.
Thank you very much for the interview!
