Shivali Barot

Ivey Business School at Western University

“A clinician (RN) turned digital healthcare analyst with a passion for business & technology.”

Hometown: Vaughan, ON

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’ve acted in an IMDB-credited independent feature film that played at TIFF. I love cooking and have a vegetarian cooking blog. I’ve published research papers in radiation oncology, and co-founded a matchmaking tool for South Asians during the pandemic.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Toronto (Human Biology, Psychology, Accelerated Nursing)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Digital Health Consultant (Application Lead), University Health Network

How has the case method enriched your learning?  The case method has greatly enriched my learning by enabling me to understand the perspectives of the decision-maker. This changes your thinking because it makes decision-making much more real. It goes one step beyond theory, because you apply what you know and think about potential consequences or effects based on your actions. We learn better from real examples and go through the step-by-step process of what information you need first to solve the problem, what to determine, and how to assess success.

Aside from classmates and cases, what part of the school’s MBA programming led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? One of the reasons I chose Ivey was because of the 1-year program. I think the rigorous level of academics prepares you well post-MBA. I also heard great things from previous graduates; they’ve all landed in great places and the Ivey alumni network is a very large, talented and supportive organization that I wanted to be a part of.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: It has been an extraordinary journey to lead one of the largest clinical digital transformation projects for a multi-hospital implementation in Toronto and being at the cusp of merging technology with medicine to digitize healthcare. I also worked on the frontlines as a nurse during COVID-19, in the largest organ transplant centre in North America which had many of its’ own mental, physical, and emotional challenges.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far: Overcoming the extremely steep learning curve in business school, especially in quant-heavy courses. I come from a completely different non-traditional business background, from healthcare and the life sciences but have managed to successfully rise to the challenge (after working very hard). I’ve also been involved in school-wide initiatives through my position as Vice President Internal of the MBA Association, which has also given me the opportunity to work on social impact activities (such as supporting 11 new Ukrainian students who recently were welcomed to Ivey) and community events for my classmates.

Where is your favorite hang-out in London (Ontario)? Why do you (or your classmates) gravitate there? Zen Gardens is my favourite hang-out/restaurant in London. They serve vegetarian Buddhist food with the best dishes, exotic teas, and an overall amazing atmosphere. I take my friends often and we always celebrate milestones there!

What is one thing you have recently read, watched, or listened to that you enjoyed and would highly recommend to prospective MBAs? Why? The Freakonomics podcast has a lot of great current topics about economics, and “The Goal” is a popular book for leaders (assigned to us in Operations class) that elucidates the main messages of family, how to run a business, and technicalities of operations.

What did you do during the application process that enabled you to get accepted into Ivey? Attended Ivey events (in-person events or webinars, workshops, information sessions), networked with the recruitment team, and spoke with Ivey alum and asked questions. I prepared my application well, practiced interview questions, and highlighted my goals and achievements. I put my best foot forward, was myself, and developed genuine connections and the rest is history!

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