August 2016 Student Spotlight

Why did you join the Executive MPA program? What have you learned thus far? What are you hoping to learn more about leading up to your expected graduation in 2017?
I joined the Executive MPA program because I was seeking a program that would work hand in hand with a full time career, but allowing me to broaden my knowledge and leadership skills in administration. What drew me to Baruch’s Executive MPA program were the instructors that were chosen to teach the courses. They are so knowledgeable within their specialty field. Baruch provided great internship, fellowship opportunities and provided a week long Washington DC seminar that other graduate schools do not provide.

What I have learned thus far and would hope to learn more about leading up to graduation in 2017 is the ability to learn interdisciplinary approach, which will allow me to implement policies, solve problem, lead and improve efficiency in my current organization and in government.

Your professor in Communication in Public Settings, Dean Birdsell mentioned that you advocated for leveraging new regulations on hospital reimbursements to increase the use of IUDs at clinics associated with Montefiore in the Bronx. During the class, the program you advanced was actually adopted for deployment at scale throughout the hospital and its affiliates. That’s a great accomplishment – congratulations! How would you like to further this initiative? Are there any other initiatives you’d like to see executed?
Under the auspice of the Department of Health and in collaboration with the Quality Improvement Network for Contraceptive Access (QINCA), Montefiore and 9 other NYC hospitals are in the first phase of initiating IUDs within the hospitals throughout NYC. The goal of this initiative is to allow patients to have access to affordable IUDs throughout the clinics and hospitals in NYC. The corollary to this project is to create awareness and decrease unintended pregnancy rates in NYC.

Other initiatives that I would like to see executed or be a part of the execution would be providing reproductive health care and different forms of contraception in all school based programs and Catholic based colleges. Furthermore, I would also create awareness regarding the Family Planning Benefit Program (FPBP), which is a free and confidential NYS programs that provides family planning services for teens, women and men that are not enrolled in Medicaid. Students in the Catholic based colleges do not have easy access to contraception or reproductive health care. With a busy college life and lack of access to contraception, students might not seek for reproductive health care when needed. It is known that adolescents rarely seek reproductive healthcare because they fear that their parents would find out. By creating awareness regarding FPBP, more teens might be more confident with seeking family planning care for their free and confident services.

You’re an Administrative Supervisor at Montefiore Medical Center but I understand you’re looking for a position in Practice Management. Can you tell us more about the type of position you’re looking for and what you hope to offer your employer? What you hope to gain from them?
With my broad experience in the medical field and starting up the Division of Family Planning at Montefiore Medical Center as an Administrative Supervisor and with the knowledge that I will gain with the Executive MPA degree from Baruch, I feel that I am fully prepared to move to the next role in my career and run my own practice. I would like to work with the Chair of the Department or CEO of the hospital and develop business strategies, formulate budgets, and continue to deal with daily operations of the practice or hospital. I would like to continue to ensure the practice is operating smoothly and think of ways to expand the practice.

My dedication is focused on providing exceptional care for women of reproductive age and exceptional Family Planning training for future doctors.