Alumni Snapshot: Dane Jacobsen

In 2016, Dane Jacobsen moved with his wife and two-month old son from Utah to Ann Arbor to pursue a dual degree that had never been attempted before at the University of Michigan. 

He enrolled in both the Master of Health Informatics at the School of Information and the Master of Health Services Administration at the School of Public Health.  

“I wanted to combine the two fields,” Jacobsen says, “having previously worked in health care and seen the power that comes when someone in a leadership position, an administrator, understands data and technology.”

After graduating in 2019, he went on to work at Optum in their medical group business, OptumCare. There, Jacobsen led a wide range of services, including primary care, pediatrics, medical and surgical specialties, urgent care, telehealth, radiology, a laboratory, a close observation unit and an infusion center. He started as a director in Las Vegas, NV, which eventually led him to Colorado Springs, CO, where he served as associate vice president. 

Now with Boston Consulting Group, Jacobsen is a consultant for the Military Health System’s Enterprise Intelligence and Data Solutions Program Office. He leads teams responsible for a centralized repository of all military health data. He says his UMSI education has enabled him to bridge the gap between clinical, business and technical domains. 

Jacobsen believes the health care field needs more people who can work across functions and who are not afraid to challenge the status quo. In this Q&A, he offers more insight into his unique role and explains what makes information graduates stand out. 

UMSI: Can you give us a glimpse into your current role? What does your day-to-day look like? 

Dane Jacobsen: When I was in graduate school, I never imagined I would be working alongside the federal government to improve the health of our armed forces and their families, but it is so rewarding. BCG recruited industry experts like me to modernize the Military Health System’s technology and data ecosystem. In my position, I lead a team of government contractors to implement the Scaled Agile Framework to develop and sustain data products for the MHSI’s information platform. I advise government leaders on their strategic objectives, and then translate those objectives into tactical steps and deploy resources for operational execution. I use both my informatics and administrative education on a daily basis as I interface with technical teams, business leaders, executives and clinicians.

How else do you find yourself applying the skills that you developed at UMSI?

I will never forget the fundamental theorem of health informatics: a human plus a machine working together is a better outcome than either alone. That principle has really stuck with me. 

Knowing how data is structured and how information flows through the system helps me understand processes, workflows and where the value lies in our care delivery operation as we track the information. There's a lot of data in health care, and we have a lot of room to improve in how we use it and manage it. I’m not quite as experienced with the clinical applications themselves, but I enjoy working with the data that the applications produce. That's where I am most effective. So, as part of my role, being able to speak to programmers, IT applications specialists, and knowing how to engage with clinicians who are the frontline users of these applications, has been very helpful for me. I’m grateful to my education at UMSI for equipping me with those skills.

Can you share some advice for current students and new graduates, especially from the perspective of someone who manages people?

The first thing that I’d say to new graduates is to recognize the value of all the skills and knowledge gained from the education that they’ve invested in. UMSI graduates bring a lot to the table, and while this applies across different industries, it’s especially true in health care. We need people who are trained in this way. We need people who think through an informatics lens, because there is so much complexity in IT infrastructure, data and clinical work. Having that kind of training is powerful. Approach opportunities with confidence and understand that the skills and knowledge you’ve acquired are very valuable.

To demonstrate your value, when it comes to applying for jobs or starting in a new position, focus on quickly understanding the business needs of the organization, and translating your skills into outcomes that support those needs. This is going to look a bit different depending on the position and industry that you’re in. I'm speaking more specifically to health care. 

Show the organization that you understand their objectives and goals, and that your skills can achieve those goals, because some leaders may not even understand the power an informatics perspective can have on their day-to-day operation.

— Sept. 26, 2025