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Jason Kay

Jason Kay

What is your hometown?
Chicago, IL  

What are your interests/hobbies?
Watching movies, playing baseball and basketball, drinking wine, visiting wineries, chess, shooting pool.

What are your favorite Chicago activities?
Watching the Cubs and Hawks kick butt! Also seeing the Bears (when they win, which is rare), attending a show at The Second City, and walking around Downtown, visiting the lakefront, and my favorite museum, The Art Institute.

Did you work full time through the program?
I did work full time every week while in the program.

Was time commitment reasonable?
I thought at first this may be a problem. However, I never had trouble balancing work and life with the time needed for assignments or projects.

Were you able to balance work and school?
It was more than reasonable.

Professionally, what are you doing now?
Thanks to the program, I am now the Director of Pharmacy Initiatives at Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. My overall job is to help create and implement goals and strategies as well as be a support for all 36 Blue Cross plans through the country in terms of reducing cost and improving the quality of care associated with pharmacy benefit management.
                 
Tell us about a “Northwestern moment.” More specifically, was there a moment either in class or otherwise associated with the program where something really clicked for you?
When I attended the initial gathering at the John Hancock building to first meet my classmates and faculty, I knew right away this would be a special group of people. Now, I have made great new friends and colleagues that I want to keep in touch with for the rest of my life.

How has the program changed the way you view healthcare?     
The program opened my eyes as to not only the immense challenges that await us, but also that we have the ability to tackle them head on. What seemed to be impossible at first doesn’t seem so anymore after completing the program.

Did you discover anything new or unexpected at Northwestern?
Just that Northwestern was everything I expected to be from a world-class institution…and much more!