What are your short and long term career goals, and how will an MBA from UCLA Anderson specifically help you achieve these goals?

Upon receiving my MBA at Anderson, I will assume a managerial role at XYZ (XYZ), where my mother has been the President and CEO since she took it over from my grandmother in 1996. As a leading managed care company in Southern California, XYZ provides billing and quality oversight services for 7,200 physicians and their practices. Eventually, as XYZ’s President, I seek to expand its success by addressing the fast-changing management dynamics of medical groups; an Anderson MBA is critical to this career path.

To ensure an efficient transition to my managerial role at XYZ, I will enter the Anderson program with knowledge from my public health masters program and preceding consumer-oriented work. Through my public health masters program, I have developed an innovative masters thesis that evaluates Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), the latest healthcare delivery model put forth by President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Through this project, I have become savvy in the ACO model and furthered my understanding of XYZ’s current and future potential clients, many of which are already ACOs in the Southern California region. My preceding work in connecting to the consumer mindset through marketing programs and, before that, through internships at XYZ, will also contribute to my informed managerial role.

I have a unique opportunity to create a vision for our company that leverages the new paradigm shift, where the industry is moving away from a system of “sick care”—or acute care for diseases and illness—to a focus on preventing chronic disease. In the long-term, I intend for XYZ to set the industry standard for coordinating care and evaluating the effectiveness of provider networks under this new model of care. I will be responsible for a growing client-base, successfully capitalizing on preventative services. I intend to enable the company to thrive in the next era of provider services.

My visions will be only realized if I fuel them with the critical leadership skills and functional knowledge of the Anderson MBA. Healthcare issues require a fusion of socially-conscious planning, which I already have studied through my masters program, and also the rigorous business principles that an MBA education will afford. In concert with my public health background, an Anderson MBA will provide me with sustainable tools to succeed with the changing business models, strategies and financial frameworks. Only at Anderson could I fill this gap—through its curriculum and Applied Management Research (AMR) program—to become an innovative leader in my industry. Anderson’s new curriculum will allow me to be career-focused from the start. I will choose the consulting track to hone my skills in management and team building and will then specialize in healthcare management to learn the specific business principles that guide my industry. The AMR Program provides a uniquely valuable opportunity that will allow me to partner with fellow healthcare students to work on a strategic project for XYZ. I will seek out an AMR faculty advisor whose engaging oversight would inspire my team; I would approach Dr. Antonio Bernardo as his well-known charismatic style and economics expertise would provide great synergy with the healthcare complexities that we would address in this AMR project.

Anderson’s team-based learning approach will give me the networking opportunities that are vital to my career, as healthcare is quickly evolving into a collaborative, interdisciplinary field. Anderson’s closely-knit culture will reinforce the values that I will need as a healthcare leader, as I create lasting bonds and potential business partnerships through its many student-led activities. To further create connections with peers, I will be an active leader in the Healthcare Club and star player in Challenge for Charity, where I will use my passion for soccer for philanthropic benefit.

After my MBA and several successful years working in a managerial position at XYZ, I hope to inherit my family’s business with a strong sense of duty and capability that I will gain from my education. Only an education from UCLA Anderson would give me the integrated foundations and networks to take our business to the next level. In turn, I intend to support future graduates by establishing an annual AMR project and also an ongoing recruiting program to retain top talent. My legacy will be fully realized through expansion of not only XYZ but also of its relationship with UCLA Anderson.