After years working as an independent contractor in pediatric gastroenterology and servicing several healthcare institutions, Sonal Desai, MD, MBA’22, knows how to integrate quickly into new situations, build relationships, identify resources, and achieve what her patients need. Often supplying pediatric GI services for organizations with limited subspecialty access, Dr. Desai knows how to find solutions quickly.
“Whether the organization is restructuring, reorganizing, or expanding, my role helps them avoid disruption in patient care. By experiencing healthcare in different venues, I’m able to realize the solution that worked for me in Texas is not working for me in New Mexico to support these families,” Dr. Desai said. “I would address the same issue for multiply families in clinic and recognized the need for a broader change. I think about how I could do this as an independent contractor. Eventually, I realized I needed to expand my skill sets.”
Dr. Desai enrolled in the Physician MBA Program at the Kelley School of Business to advance her leadership and business skills. She was attracted to the program’s combination of in-person and online learning, and she calls the trips to campus in Indianapolis the “highlights” of her experience.
“It was impactful to meet my peers and learn concurrently,” she said. “One physician might say, ‘Hey I’ve experienced something similar at my organization, and this is how we addressed it.’ You get to learn from your peers who are at different levels in their leadership journey. The Physician MBA isn’t just didactic learning or case-based learning, it’s real-life learning. That is invaluable.”
As the only physician-only MBA from a top-ranked business school, the Kelley Physician MBA meets physicians where they’re at by connecting the business of medicine to their extensive knowledge of healthcare. The courses focus not only on the medical industry, and the lessons are hands-on. At multiple points in the program, physicians bring real-world challenges from their workplace into the classroom.
“Everything we learned in the Physician MBA Program was an opportunity for immediate application in my work. After an assignment in creating process flows and calculating demand, utilization, capacity, and throughput in my operations course, my professor reached out to ask if I’d like to develop my assignment into a case study,” Dr. Desai said. “Now, that case study has been taught in the operations class. A student in another cohort said the case helped him resolve his own situation. The goal of the Physician MBA is to teach us how to use new tools and skill sets, and our goal is to apply them.”
Dr. Desai also recently used her MBA as she applied—and was ultimately selected—as a fellow in the Presidential Management Fellows Program through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. This competitive leadership development program invites finalists to apply for two-year, full-time, paid fellowship opportunities at various federal agencies, and if selected, become a fellow. Dr. Desai says she used communication skills from the Physician MBA during the interview and prepared for the process with her Kelley executive coach.
“I connected with my executive coach and asked for additional insight to prepare,” she said. “We set up a Zoom session to discuss. That was helpful to have a familiar face I could reach out to as I pursued new opportunities.”
Dr. Desai recently began working as the Presidential Management Fellow in the Office of the Director at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas.
“In my role, I get the opportunity to apply various skillsets that I learned in the MBA program, from negotiating and change management to operations and strategy, while working on a variety of projects,” Dr. Desai said. “I can bring new perspectives to clinical operations and apply my Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training to streamline operations and improve process efficiencies.”
The lessons from the Physician MBA have broadened Dr. Desai’s perspective beyond the silo of gastroenterology. When she’s had the opportunity to teach residents and medical students during rounds and didactic sessions, the MBA is shaping her approach.
“Now when I teach, I teach from a different angle. I’m teaching them pediatric GI, but I’m also teaching them how to find resources to achieve what they need to do for patient care,” she said. “If you know your resources, you know how to get things done.”
She also feels more empowered to lead change. Dr. Desai says the program has helped her to evolve as a leader. She calls herself “an introvert who’s a budding extrovert” because she is a confident advocate for patients and feels more comfortable diving into new situations.
“Now, when I enter a new organization, it’s not just ‘Show me how you do it here, and I’ll work through it.’ I take a broader view, look at the process, and share insights like, ‘This is interesting how you do it here, but this is really slowing you down. Here are your potential bottlenecks, and here are some best practices as possible solutions to consider as you review the process.’ Before, I didn’t have the ability to impact others. Now, when I apply what I’ve learned through operations, Lean Six Sigma, and strategy, we improve it for everyone,” Dr. Desai said.
“You can get an MBA anywhere, but this is the MBA program that adds value through achieving certification as a Green Belt in Lean Six Sigma and experience in Global Healthcare delivery models.”
Since graduating in 2022, Dr. Desai has returned to the Kelley School to speak to physicians who are considering the MBA program. She says simply having an interest to pursue an MBA to create change means a physician is in a unique phase in their career and ready for the next step.
“The added value of attending a top-tier program is that you learn from professors and colleagues from diverse backgrounds, levels of leadership, and expertise who help you build your foundational business skills,” Dr. Desai said. “This is an opportunity to invest in yourself, both in professional growth and personal growth. It’s an opportunity to make an impact for yourself, your organization, and your community while you connect with peers on a similar mission to improve healthcare.”
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