Ife Morrison is proud of making the journey that took her from her native Nigeria to the United States, where she realized her dream of becoming a cardiologist. She also realized she wanted to do even more than care for people with cardiovascular disease.  

“I want to expand my reach by becoming a healthcare leader,” Ife says. A physician colleague and alum of the Vanderbilt Master of Management in Health Care program recommended it to her. “I felt it was the perfect bridge between the clinical and business management side of medicine.”

Everything about the program, she believes, contributed to her growth as a leader. “The faculty are amazing and committed to your learning,” Ife says. “The Leadership Development Program paired me with a great coach, and the personality assessment was a great starting point to learn more about myself; it helped guide meaningful conversations about growing in areas where I identified weaknesses. My cohort was a fun and down-to-earth group, and I feel like I made great connections for life.”

As one example of how far she’s come, Ife cites Professor Larry LeBlanc’s class. “I had zero [Microsoft] Excel skills prior to starting the program,” she says. “I’m proud of what I’ve learned.”

More broadly, Ife is excited about how she now feels prepared to lead where healthcare and business increasingly intersect. “For healthcare professionals,” she says, “having business training is essential for the complexity of today’s healthcare system. The approach that a clinician would take is slightly different from the approach that a finance or business administrator would take. It’s important for there to be collaboration between the two entities for healthcare to be more impactful.

“The degree and what I have learned will open opportunities for me in clinical leadership and help me achieve my aspirations of impacting healthcare in Nigeria.”

Now, she passes along advice to other prospective students, just as a colleague did for her: “Take the step,” she says. “Invest in yourself. You won’t regret it.”