Suvi Neukam '07.5

My summer shadowing doctors at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center

and the four semesters I volunteered at Porter Hospital, greatly complicated my simple aspiration to become a physician. I quickly learned that, similar to how it takes a “village to raise a child,” it took many people, in many different roles, to run a hospital. I began to question - was the role of physician the best way for me to have an impact? Later, in my senior year, I began to research the field further by exploring MiddNet. I was astounded by the diversity of hits returned by a search as simple as “healthcare”. It struck me again that contributing in this field wasn’t limited to being a doctor; healthcare could be approached from many different angles. Networking conversations exposed me to the novel policy and business sides of healthcare. From one alum in particular, I learned about the Advisory Board Company, a firm based in Washington D.C. which conducts best practice research and consulting for hospitals and health systems. Following from this networking conversation, I had an interview with the Advisory Board; and the rest - as they say - is history! I joined the company as chief of staff in the department that conducts the analyses and short-term research required to develop strategic advice on the important questions that plague hospitals. This prepared me for my current responsibility of managing all of the research and expertise that the Advisory Board has acquired over the past thirty years. In doing this, I supervise a team of research associates and oversee the process of connecting hospital executives with our content experts. Through this position, I get to have a direct impact on the organizational health of hospitals and, at the same time, employ and further cultivate my analytical skills and leadership skills. It is both rewarding and exciting to help hospitals improve their clinical operations, strategic planning and business development. Turns out, healthcare is not just about doctors! There’s so much more to healthcare systems than I ever realized when I was a student. So, I challenge each Middlebury student to think outside the traditional silos of their industry of interest. As Middlebury grads we are equipped to affect change through avenues we may not know even exist!