“Pay It Forward Referral Program” geared toward leveraging IHP’s greatest ambassadors – students, alumni and employees

For years, the MGH Institute of Health Professions’ reputation has generated a healthy “word of mouth” campaign that’s led to a steady stream of students eager to enjoy the same quality academic experience as the person they spoke with. Now, the MGH Institute is formalizing things with its recent rollout of the Pay It Forward Referral Program, one that awards a tuition reduction to anyone who is referred to the IHP and enrolls through the program. 

President Paula Milone-Nuzzo says referring prospective students to the MGH Institute plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of healthcare and contributes to the expansion and diversification of our community.

“The referral program is designed to connect talented individuals with a passion for healthcare education to the exceptional opportunities available at our institution,” said Milone-Nuzzo. “We recognize that our greatest ambassadors are our own faculty, staff, and alumni. Their firsthand experiences and insights about the IHP are invaluable, and we want to empower them to share their enthusiasm with others who may benefit from our programs and offerings.”

Here's how the Pay It Forward Referral Program works: Anyone can refer a student to the IHP and there is no limit to the number of referrals one can make. If you nominate someone, and they enroll through the referral program, they will receive a $500 tuition reduction. The award can be put toward any program except for the PhD in Rehab Sciences degree, Nursing Education grant recipients, and non-degree offerings such as online prerequisites.

“There were so many positive parts of the program that I feel like if people are looking to do it somewhere, why not do it there?” said Colleen Craven, a Class of 2022 Post Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (PP-OTD) graduate who recommended two of her colleagues at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “The support of the people involved is incredible. The camaraderie is great. It was a program that I felt fit this post professional lifestyle.”

Craven referred two of her colleagues at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center: Melissa Williams and Casey Hynes. Williams was the first, taking the plunge because she trusted Craven and saw what she was getting out of the program. 

“It was just the confidence in how Colleen spoke about ineffective work strategies that were in the workplace - how can we break down the problem? How can we address it from like a system wide issue?” recalls Williams. “She had the confidence and the knowledge behind it to speak up for herself, and advocate for things that work in the interdisciplinary communication, knowing how to advocate for ourselves as a profession to other people. Her confidence and leadership skills were the biggest things that I was inspired to get involved in.” 

Not long after Williams enrolled, so did Hynes, who had been out of college for five years and was looking to develop her leadership skills.

“Colleen and Melissa’s recommendation definitely was a pretty heavy weight,” said Hynes, who will graduate in 2025, “because they were having a good experience and achieving their goals.”

two women pose in a hospital room
Jessie Franco (right), a 2022 Post Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy graduate who works at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, recommended the program to colleague Lisa Cohen, who graduated in 2023.

It’s a similar story for Lisa Cohen, a Class of 2023 PP-OTD graduate who was referred to the IHP by her Brigham & Women’s Hospital colleague Jessie Franco, who graduated from the same program the year before. 

“I would say Jessie’s recommendation was pretty significant,” said Cohen. “If I didn't have that input, I'm not really sure if I would have done it. Just knowing someone that had gone through it was key.” 

“I'm glad that it worked out for Lisa,” said Franco. “Anytime I hear someone is interested in going further - post professional - I try and convince them to go to the IHP, especially people who have a lot of other life stuff going on because not every program is set up for people to work and have a life and return to school.”

Niki Fogg, a graduate of the Health Professions PhD Program, is another disciple who’s more than willing to spread the word. Now an assistant professor at Texas Women's University College of Nursing, Fogg has spoken to prospective students over the phone and at conferences in Dallas. 

“If you've got people looking for programs, this is one to check out,” said Fogg, who earned her terminal degree in 2023. “If you have an interest in simulation at a higher level, it's one of the few programs that offers a track for that at the doctoral level. The expertise of the faculty, and their backgrounds, that they have teaching in the program, really lend itself well to that. I'm excited about the program. I think it would be a fantastic opportunity for someone.”

The legion of those referring others to the IHP isn’t limited to clinical practice. Just ask Casey Rabideau, who needed to obtain an advanced degree when she took on a faculty role at the University of New Hampshire. That’s when she spoke to a few people about graduate programs they were enrolled in. One of those connections was with Haley Matuszek, who had graduated from the IHP in 2022. 

“Haley was the proof in the pudding - I saw her success,” said Rabideau, who will graduate from the IHP in 2025. “I could see what she was doing. She was using her degree in academia, which is what I wanted to do. She had done actual implementation of this project at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, where she was before, and I liked that. She was presenting at AOTA - our conference. And it was related to her involvement in the OTD program. I could see that the program had set her up for success, so it wasn't just her word of mouth.” 

Matuszek, whose doctorate at the IHP helped her move from clinical practice into academia, says it was her own experience that was the tipping point for Rabideau. 

“When you can speak to someone who's been through it, it really makes a difference,” said Matuszek, now an assistant professor and academic field work coordinator at the University of New Hampshire. “Think back to being in school yourself. If there’s a hard course, you're going to look to somebody who already took it and say, ‘Hey, what were strategies? What was the professor like?’ Personal student feedback and experiences are unlike anything else because they're the ones that lived it. “

For more information, visit our Pay It Forward Referral Program webpage. 

two women stand in front of a brick wall
Haley Matuszek (right), Clinical Assistant Professor and Academic Field Work Coordinator at the University of New Hampshire, is a Class of 2022 graduate of the IHP’s Post Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy program. She recommended the program to Casey Rabideau, a Clinical Assistant Professor at UNH; Rabideau will graduate in 2025.