Health Economics alumna My Fridell embraces opportunities in Management Consulting

Tell us your story!

I completed my Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health, with a minor in Psychology and Management at the University of Miami, Florida, USA. I returned to Sweden for my Master’s degree at Karolinska Institutet in Health Economics Policy and Management. Additionally, I had an Internship at the European Commission in Brussels at the Unit for Performance of National Health Systems.

The main reason I chose to study at KI was that I really wanted to do this specific Master’s programme, since the combination of health economics policy and management sounded attractive to me. Furthermore, the international environment at KI was a very important factor for me, and it is something I really enjoyed. Finally, KI has a good reputation, with a great network of professors and colleagues.

I enjoyed the programme a lot, and part of that was because of the diversity. For example, in the context of group work, we often had people from 5 different backgrounds combined with different nationalities, which is something unique and a valuable experience. I think that having this exposure has also helped me a lot in my working life. A great memory I have is a Potluck dinner, where everyone in the class had to bring a dish from their own country, so we ended up with an international buffet!

I was a Management Consultant at Sirona Health Solutions which is a management consulting firm specialized in healthcare. After I finished my studies, I started directly working at Sirona. I found this opportunity after I went to one of their case nights, and it felt like a great way to combine my interests.

As a management consultant, you always work in different projects, longer or shorter ones. The day to day work can look quite different depending on the project, but it always includes some kind of problem solving. You always work together with your client and try to tackle their problem. You give them recommendations based on the analysis and research you have made, and in some cases, you help the client to implement these recommendations. During my time at KI, I developed more of a researcher’s mindset and improved my critical thinking, which has helped me during my career as a consultant. During my studies, we often worked with cases, where we tried to solve the problems within the group, which is quite similar to the work as a management consultant.

What I’m really passionate about is the preventative aspect of public health, and the gap between scientific evidence and the policies implemented by government. I want to continue to work towards minimizing the gap between the research and policies, not only in Sweden but also on an international basis. Also, I could definitely go back to doing research some day.

What is your advice to students

I would advise students to try and find what you are really passionate about, because then you feel driven, motivated and enjoy what you are doing, instead of doing things just because you have to. Also, I think it is important to work with things that make you feel of value, and that you are contributing to something good.

The programme I studied really set a good base for me and the things I learnt are very applicable to what I’m working with now. I liked that my studies were quite research oriented, and they also helped me build a very good network internationally, with people that share the same passion as me.