1. Visit our website, call us at 604.827.4136
Monday – Friday 8:30am – 4:30pm Pacific Time
or email apscpp@apsc.ubc.ca
mel.ubc.ca · mhlp.ubc.ca
UBC School of Nursing
When we were developing the Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) and Master of Health
Leadership and Policy (MHLP) degree programs, we asked our industry partners what skills they
felt their employees most needed to develop. At the top of the list were skills in communication,
leadership and change management.
This led to our decision to build the Professional Programs using a common platform: a series of
courses focused on the skills our industry partners highlighted and material on visual analytics,
project management, organizational behaviour and sustainability. These courses will be delivered
by instructors from both the Faculty of Applied Science and the Sauder School of Business and
will give students a working understanding of these topics.
Individuals in technical positions often transition into management or leadership roles without
having all the background or skills they will need for these positions. The platform component of
the MEL and MHLP degree programs lays the groundwork to make this transition easier. Students
will become very familiar with the language of business and will develop a range of skills that
today’s employers are seeking.
The platform courses will also bring together students from all of the MEL and MHLP programs.
Being part of a larger cohort is an excellent opportunity for students to build their professional
network with people from different backgrounds and industries.
I came to UBC in 2014 after completing my PhD in environmental engineering at Oxford. I’m also an entrepreneur and am very involved in the tech
start-up industry. I was the first winner of Singularity University’s (SU) Canadian Global Impact Competition, which allowed me to spend 10 weeks
in Silicon Valley developing a start-up through SU’s Graduate Studies Program.
At UBC, I continue to bridge the gap between engineering and business: I am the first person to be co-appointed to both the Faculty of Applied
Science and the Sauder School of Business and I teach in both faculties. This speaks to how highly the two faculties value the interdisciplinary
approach that is the foundation of the MEL and MHLP degree programs.
Dr. Tamara Etmannski has worked in the oil and gas industry in Canada, reverse-engineered water filters using user-centred design principles and
sustainability metrics in rural India, facilitated start-up boot camps in the UK, and completed Singularity University’s exclusive Graduate Studies Program
at NASA Ames in Silicon Valley. She has also owned a motorcycle training school, done independent technical consulting and was the founder/co-founder
and CEO of three tech start-ups.
UBC’s new Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) and Master of Health Leadership and Policy
(MHLP) degrees are one-year, full-time programs enabling mid-career professionals to enhance
their technical expertise while developing business and leadership skills. The MEL and MHLP
degrees are built on a common platform of professional and leadership courses, enabling students
to broaden their business knowledge and skill set. The platform courses are collaboratively delivered
with the Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration.
DR. TAMARA ETMANNSKI Platform
FACULTYPROFILE
PLATFORM
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