After working in the biopharmaceutical industry for a decade, Sarah Emond, MPP’09, realized that, of the many hats she had worn throughout her early career—public relations, corporate communications, investor relations, public policy work—it was the latter that most intrigued her. As she began seeking out graduate degree programs, the newly launched Master of Public Policy at Heller struck her as the perfect fit. Unlike other programs that focused on either health or public policy, the Heller MPP would give Sarah a comprehensive public policy education while allowing her to concentrate in her specific area of interest, health policy. “I was so impressed by how Heller does such a good job of making sure that we’re talking about evidence, data, and facts as a way to inform policymaking. That’s becoming a rare commodity in this day and age, and I think it’s still so important.”
Fifteen years after graduating, Sarah is the newly appointed President and CEO of the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), where she puts her Heller skills into practice every day. It’s this lasting impact that keeps her enthusiastic about supporting the school and its students past, present, and future. “The community that Heller represents is even more important now than it was in 2007 when I started, in terms of being able to be in a space where there’s a collective understanding of the importance of justice in the work that we do.”
Knowledge That Goes Beyond the Classroom
During her time at Heller, Sarah learned about social policy from some of the preeminent experts in the industry, including the late Stanley Wallack, former executive director of the Schneider Institutes, and Stuart Altman, current Sol C. Chaikin Professor of National Health Policy, and gained the skills necessary to conduct policy analysis. Sarah has continued to draw upon her Heller education since joining ICER after graduation in positions that require her to take an evidence-based approach to thinking about drug pricing and access. During her impressive 14-year tenure, she has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, leading strategic operations of the organization and working to improve access and affordability to high-value care for all patients.
Sarah credits the classroom dynamics at Heller that empowered students to think critically and communicate effectively as being instrumental to her success. She recalls debating different ideas in class and trying to see different perspectives when thinking about policy solutions: “Those skills serve me now as well: how to bring a cogent argument and have a disagreement in an agreeable way, how to think about the unintended consequences of a potential policy solution. What does it mean to step into a leadership position and how do you learn from missteps when you are in that leadership position that makes you then a better leader? Those opportunities all presented themselves in the safe space of graduate school and were things that I definitely drew upon as I advanced in my career.”
Connections That Are Built to Last
After graduating in 2009, Sarah served on the Heller Alumni Association Board for several years before transitioning to the Heller Board of Advisors: “It was really important to me to stay involved and to give back because I felt like I gained so much from my experience. I gained a lot from the network that existed and I wanted to make sure that I stayed connected.”
She notes that Stuart Altman, who taught her about the history of the American health care system, served as an advisor to ICER in their early days. “I run into Stuart at meetings to this day and it brings me a big smile.” The history of social welfare policy class with then-Master of Public Policy program director, Michael Doonan, PhD’02, current Professor and Director of Brandeis Heller Online Innovation and Programming and Executive Director of the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum, in her first semester had a tremendous impact on her Heller education, as both an introduction to graduate study and a lasting connection. “Mike Doonan and I remain dear friends,” she said. ”I think him being the founding director of the program and we being the founding class, there was for sure a great bond between him and the first cohort.”
As Heller continues to evolve, the Heller Alumni Association Board and the Board of Advisors serve as voices of the community who love Heller and want to see it continue to be successful. “How we think about higher education and what we’re delivering through a program can benefit from the perspective of people who are out using the degree in the real world,” Sarah said. Plus, “it’s also just a lot of fun to develop friendships and relationships with people on the board who had as positive an experience in graduate school as I did.”
Advice for Graduating Students
Never say no to an informational interview: “I did an informational interview with the neighbor of my classmate’s dad, who ended up introducing me to Steve Pearson, ICER’s founder. And the rest is history, as they say.”
It’s okay if you don’t land in your dream job right away: “I feel very fortunate that I did end up somewhere right after graduate school that ended up being a version of my forever home from a career perspective. I’ve been here over 14 years, but I know that isn’t always the case and that’s okay. So take the pressure off if it’s not the first thing.”
Advice for Prospective Heller Students
Whether stepping out of the workforce entirely or partly, deciding to enter a graduate program is a big commitment. “You want to make sure it’s worth it,” Sarah said. “What Heller offers is intangible, beyond the concrete information you’ll learn in class about policy analysis and history. The network, the community, and the collective commitment to social justice Heller offers are not something you’re necessarily going to find in every graduate program. Think hard about how important some of those intangibles are to you as you’re thinking about where you want to go to graduate school.”