First year MHA student Danny Plooster is president of the University of Minnesota’s first healthcare consulting club. This fall he and several classmates established the University of Minnesota SPH Consulting Club with the goal creating opportunities to explore the field of healthcare consulting.

“As an undergrad at UW-Madison, I had an interest in the career so I joined their consulting club.  Through involvement and site visits to various firms, my desire to enter the field grew,” states Plooster.

The club got help from faculty advisors Greg Hart, MHA (‘76), senior lecturer, and Darren Kaltved, SPH career counselor.

Hart has extensive consulting experience and helped develop the club’s mission criteria. Kaltved sparked the idea during a career services meeting with Plooster. He remains a vital partner in driving recruitment, funding, curriculum and alumni engagement strategies.

Daniel Zismer, MHA program director, was also instrumental in conceptualizing the idea of a club. He serves as the club’s program director officer and provides ideas for engagement activities.

Plooster says he may opt for an administrative fellowship after graduation, but eventually wants to enter the healthcare consulting field.

“My goal is to replicate my experience at UW-Madison but focus on the healthcare sector. Club members plan to reach out to consulting firms, create networks, and help prepare students for consulting jobs. Consulting is a giant profession with so many different possibilities. Even within health care, there are endless opportunities for different niches and specialty firms. Our goal is to explore any and all that our SPH members want to know more about.”

The club is currently reaching out to students in other graduate and professional degree programs at the School of Public Health and the University of Minnesota.

Pictured first row: Danny Plooster, Chelsea Burton; second row: Nils Johnson, Prathyusha Vangala; third row:  Jenny Pandl, Jesse Eikenberry, Derrick Maidl; fourth row: James Wittenborg, Nicholas Migliore, Sumukh Sathnur

Posted by Mona Rath