Our Stories

Getting a Transplant of Business Skills

Nikita Wilson was ready to move into a broader health care role

Nikita Wilson PharmD, BCPS, DPLA
Clinical Pharmacist Specialist, Solid Organ Transplant, VUMC

Vanderbilt MM Health Care 2021

If she had to do it all over again, Nikita Wilson would still choose being a transplant pharmacist as her clinical specialty. In her role at VUMC, she has responsibilities that encompass clinical work, research, teaching, and administration, and she coordinates the solid organ transplant residency program.

As much as she loves her work, Nikita also found herself in what she calls “a pivot phase.” As she explains it, “I felt I had somewhat outgrown my job, but with all of the pharmacy training and experience I have, I believed I could move beyond that.”

Her long-held interest in business led her to explore the MMHC program. “Vanderbilt’s status as a top-tier business school in the city where I live made it an obvious choice,” Nikita said. “There is also an impressive alumni network to draw on.”

Midway through the program, Nikita believes that her experience has only validated her decision “to expand my skill-set into the business setting and my desire to pursue a more business-oriented role in the future. One obvious point that stands out is how much I have learned in such a short period of time—and one of the best things I’ve learned is a different thought process and approach.”

Nikita also appreciates how the faculty and staff have made it easy to go back to school. “I never feel as if I cannot ask a question or for help,” she says. “Nothing is off-limits. Everyone is very supportive and invested in our progress and the program.”

So far, she says she has just one regret about her decision to join the program: “I wish I had done it earlier.”

My only regret is that I wish I had done [the Vanderbilt MMHC degree] earlier.