Meet MSM's faculty members: introducing Dennis Christmas

MSM’s faculty members are passionate about what they do and tenacious in finding solutions to the toughest business challenges. Each month MSM will highlight one of its faculty members and this month the spotlight is on Dennis Christmas.

Let me introduce myself…
My name is Dennis Christmas and I am Senior Lecturer / Head of Healthcare Innovation at MSM. In this position I am responsible for the healthcare modules of the MSM Executive MBA program and MSM’s short executive programs in the field of the international healthcare industry. I hold an MSc degree in architecture and behavioural science of the Eindhoven University of Technology. Later in my career I graduated from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam where I received a Master degree in Management Consultancy. My expertise lies in strategic thinking, business development and investment management in Health Care.

Besides my part-time position at MSM I work as a consultant for a broad range of Dutch organizations in the Health Care area. My main goal is to coach CEO’s as well setting up self-steering teams. Furthermore I am a managing partner in Health Care at Twynstra Gudde where I have a leading role in creating the international health practice. I am also very proud to mention that I have been a founding board member of the Princess Máxima Center for Childhood Oncology in Utrecht. As a father of a child who survived cancer in her early childhood my contribution to the start of this research hospital gave me the unique opportunity to combine my professional knowledge and personal experience.

My professional basis lies in Health Care because it is all about working with people for people…
When I was in 6th grade of primary school the head master of the school asked me what I wanted to become. “Professor”, I answered. Since then I have been aware that my goal in life is to learn through people I work with. In my opinion this is the most important task of academic learning: new knowledge being distilled from the minds and lives of people from different generations and from different backgrounds. Creating success together with people. Making change happen in groups. Working with young people. Individual mentoring. Discussion. I have found my professional dream in Health Care because it is all about working with people for people. You can only learn if you open up to the needs of the patient or client. In education this is the student and I very much enjoy working with them. My best experience was the MSM MBA Health Care Specialization program that has run last July as part of MSM’s yearly Summer School offer. Although there were only a few months to set up the program, the students were very enthusiastic because we succeeded in organizing workshops, work visits and guest lectures in such a way that the students were able to take a deep dive into health care.

I hope to be able to contribute in creating an environment where thought leadership is induced…
In my position at MSM I have the ambition to bring even closer together the newest insights in learning, change and cooperation, on the one hand, and academic education and working practice, on the other hand. Building up a series of high-end courses where theoretical learning is replaced by action learning. Courses that will have a subtle layering of concrete cases, theoretical foundation and philosophical thought. I hope that my intuitive thinking will contribute in creating an environment where thought leadership is induced and where students feel they are part of an excellent community of learning.

My dream for the future as lecturer at MSM is..
As mentioned before, I always wanted to become a professor. Therefore my dream for the future is to set up a research program that will lead to a PhD on the long run. I have been working on a PhD proposal on the role of intuitive thinking in knowledge creating. This is a project I hope to finalize in the next two decennia. So no hurry, as I have to combine this with my busy teaching and consultancy work. I would like to join minds with other faculty, staff members and students to find out how to set up a new course which is relevant for MSM, the students, but above all for our society!

In my spare time you can often find me…
Listening to music! I have always admired Philip Glass. For me his music is a combination between mindfulness and mathematics. I especially like his work being performed by the Cello Octet Amsterdam. This performance has inspired me to start playing the cello at the age of 45.

Just recently my daughters introduced me to several YouTube celebrities. I was impressed by James Charles, a young make-up artist, who made me realize how fast the world is changing. To understand the world of tomorrow we need to learn and understand the disruptive changes going on in society. See and learn how value can be created from almost nothing into a worldwide virtual hype, in just a couple of months, has been a dear learning to me.