MBA Health Student Spotlight: Mai Ibrahim

Tell me more about your background – It would be great to find out more about your education and career so far.

I excelled in my career as a doctor and became fully trained by receiving my Master’s degree in Internal Medicine- Rheumatological and Immunological Diseases from Alexandria University-Egypt.

I had the opportunity to work for public and private healthcare sectors; however, I always wanted to have a bigger impact on patient care than I could have as an individual doctor, therefore I was spending a lot of my spare time attending in-house courses and learning about the strategic leadership and process improvement. It was not long before I realised that I was motivated to do managerial kind of things and decided to do it full-time. As a first step, I became Certified as a Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) in 2016 by NCCA.

A new chapter in my life began when I moved to England and started my journey with NHS. I worked with Health Informatics as an ED clinical coder, and then as a Multi-disciplinary Team (MDT) Coordinator in Cancer Services for UHMB.

Another chapter in my life began when my passion for quality made me pursue a new career opportunity at CUH. My role with the patient safety team allowed me to closely monitor and analyse the whole organisation's incidents, regularly assess the efficiency of patient safety measures, and ensure that the whole institution embraces the culture of safety.

Why did you choose to apply for the UCL MBA Health?

Working at the NHS is incredibly satisfying, and I appreciate what the NHS offers us as workers and as patients. After four years working for the NHS, I wanted to develop my skills in business management and leadership to work my way up the business management side of the healthcare system. MBA Health not only provides a solid foundation in healthcare management, strategy, and practice, but also incorporates broader training in finance, economics, marketing, and accounting to provide a comprehensive business education.

What aspect of the UCL MBA Health programme are you most excited by?

The Global Health Challenge Project in January excites me the most, particularly considering Egypt is one of the nations where we'll be able to engage as a team to address and solve numerous health concerns.

Is healthcare management an area more business schools should be exploring? If so, why?

The healthcare environment is complex and riddled with issues that should be solved. It is now more important than ever to maintain or manage costs through business practices. The longer-term success of the healthcare sector is entirely reliant on how quickly the market embraces new technologies and innovations and adopts a data-driven, patient-centric, and results-oriented approach to the industry. The healthcare industry will undergo a revolution over the coming years, which will necessitate more than ever enterprise leaders with extensive business expertise.

Is there a particular area of global healthcare management that you are interested in? If so, why?

MBA Health would help me strengthen my strategic decision-making skills, ensuring high-quality patient care and directing the strategic and financial vision of healthcare organisations. Adding an MBA to my medical degree would enable me to advise healthcare organisations on ways to optimise their practices and provide me with additional skills to make decisions that impact the entire organisation and respond to unanticipated financial or operational crises.

What value do you feel a UCL MBA Health will add to your career moving forward?

The practical science and the on-the-ground experience from MBA Health will enhance my ability to deal directly with the fallout around regulation in healthcare. I will be better able to encourage different ways of thinking about how we receive, interact with, and pay for healthcare. Moreover, it is on how to run businesses more efficiently, discover new and different uses for assets and human resources; and quickly and vividly navigate a regulatory system that is constantly evolving.

What advice would you give to prospective students thinking about applying for the UCL MBA Health?

I would advise anyone to pursue their dreams. GBSH encourage passionate people; who are committed to excellence and making a difference in their communities from different work backgrounds and skills to apply for MBA Health. It is a privilege to become a member of UCL alumni.

Learn more about the UCL MBA Health