Student Spotlight: Lauren Byrd, MS, MBA
The Value Institute for Health and Care is interviewing students of the Master of Science in Health Care Transformation Class of 2022 to learn about their experience and discover how the program can help health professionals #TransformHealthCare. The MSHCT Class of 2023 begins on August 16. Learn more about the program online and reach out to recruiting director Brendan Hardy with questions.
This interview spotlights Lauren Byrd, Chief Operating Officer for the U.S. Air Force’s largest ambulatory surgical center, Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center.
How has your experience in the MS Health Care Transformation program changed how you approach your work?
The MSHCT program has taught me to both start and end with the patient in mind. Prior to starting this program, my problem-solving was always very process-focused. Now, when making a decision, I think about how that decision will impact the patient, not how it will impact the process. At times, I still arrive at the same decision, but those times when I don’t are powerful and help me see the transformation we need in health care.
The MSHCT Class of 2023 begins on August 16. Do you have any advice to help them gain as much as possible from the year-long program?
Take the time to invest in relationships with the people in your class (especially those in your study groups and ELP groups). They will challenge and encourage you to stretch outside of your comfort zone. Many times, I’ve learned more from my classmates than I have from the formal instruction.
What was the most distinct aspect of the program from your experience?
The focus on what matters most to the patient. It may not always align with what matters most to the care provider, but that is okay, and the patient’s perspective deserves to be acknowledged, respected, and built into the plan of care/health solution design. (Close second: the ability of the faculty to design the program in a way that allows the students to have such close relationships despite it being a hybrid program, especially during COVID)
What types of professionals do you think would benefit most from the MS in Health Care Transformation program?
Professionals looking to disrupt the health care system the way Apple disrupted the cell phone market should absolutely enroll in the UT MSHCT!
December 2021