M.A. International Healthcare Management

Monika Suryavanshi PhD

"The blend of applicability, quality and internationality at IU is just right."

In a time when success is frequently determined by unrelenting comparison and tireless hustling, it can be refreshing to find a story that is based on uplifting others, putting your own needs first by being clear about what you want, and keeping a humble attitude. Such a story can be found in the inspiring journey of Dr. Monika Suryavanshi who is originally from India.

Before delving headfirst into her management career, she worked as a doctor. Having achieved her professional goals in India, Monika decided to move to Germany for further studies and take on a new challenge: working in a leadership position abroad and gaining international experience. Given that IU is a quality-assured institution and one of the few universities in Germany that offers English-language studies in the field of healthcare management, she decided to pursue a master's degree at IU with a focus on international health care management.

Getting a jumpstart into management at Europe's largest healthcare provider

"My studies at IU have often been extremely useful here; for example, I can rely on knowledge of strategic management or models such as Peter’s five forces, which I use for competitors’ analysis and to develop new business models. I would highly recommend studying at IU to anyone."

Monika opted for executive business development field as it gave her an overview of the healthcare market in the DACH region. Through IU's Career Office, she applied for an internship as a "DACH Healthcare Consultant". After earning her master's degree in International Healthcare Management from IU, Monika decided to join a management trainee program at Helios Kliniken, Europe's largest private healthcare provider with over 145 hospitals in Germany, Spain and Latin America.

As a trainee at Helios Kliniken, she worked closely with Helios Group's top management on various projects across Germany, which helped her gain insights into various health regulations in the individual federal states. After completing her management trainee program, she was offered a permanent position as Executive Assistant to the Management Board, with a focus on strategic development, process optimization, and innovative business models. Since the beginning of May 2022, she has been working as Executive Director of Helios Healthcare Architects, where she is responsible for a business unit that provides advisory and healthcare partner services to various stakeholders, ranging from Ministry of Health to healthcare providers in international market at Helios Health International.

Hard work pays off

Monika recently won the IU alumni award for Professional Success. Her courage in venturing onto the international professional stage after a successful career in her home country and having worked her way up to a top position in an internationally operating company in the healthcare industry makes her a well-deserved recipient of this award.

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