Owen Ellis                         

University of Massachusetts Amherst, Isenberg School of Management

“Golf Fanatic who supports his habit (and family) as a practicing Anesthesiologist and Medical Director.”

Age: 55

Hometown: Boulder, Colorado

Fun fact about yourself: In residency, we supported Sea World and the San Diego Zoo. I have provided anesthesia for gorillas, parrots, and dolphins to name a few.

Undergraduate School and Degree:

• University of Colorado Boulder, BA in Computer Science and Economics.
• University of Colorado School of Medicine, Doctor of Medicine

Where are you currently working?

• Boulder Valley Anesthesiology-Anesthesiologist

• Boulder Community Health-Perioperative Services Medical Director

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I helped create the Medical Director job at BCH 7 years ago when none of us had a clear idea of what the job would entail. I am now in the same job and the longest-tenured member of management with significant operational control.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? I was looking for a high-quality MBA which I could do mostly online. U Mass has a connection to a physician leadership program and was highly recommended.

What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? The interaction between professors and students was greater than I expected for being online. This vastly increased the learning potential while enabling me to still be able to work full time.

What was the most surprising thing about an online learning environment? The level of class interaction and discussion was much higher than I expected for an online environment, which is critical to learning business skills.

How did your online experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student? It provided increased freedom to get the work done at the best time for me, which was critical at this stage of my life. It also requires significantly more self-discipline to stay on schedule, which might have been a challenge for me as an undergraduate.

What would you change about an online MBA Program? More group projects would be a help in preparing for the business world of teamwork.

If you had to do it all over again, would you? Why? I would definitely do it over again, although I would do it 6 years ago when I first thought about it. I really enjoy learning new things and many subjects in the MBA curriculum were very new and very interesting to me. It has also made me much better at my current job.

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? To do what every job I have to the best of my ability, which is why I got the MBA. Now having a greater understanding of how businesses function I am looking for a role with greater operations, strategy, and leadership responsibilities.

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