Daniel Novak

University of Massachusetts Amherst, Isenberg School of Management

“I was born in raised in Brooklyn, NY. I currently live in Long Island with my wife, newborn, and golden retriever. I strive to always be a leader in whatever I involve myself with. I would describe myself as dedicated, compassionate, and caring.”

Age: 30

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

Fun fact about yourself: I am a huge hockey fan

Undergraduate School and Degree:

Undergraduate: Brandeis University Major in Health Science Society and Policy and Biology

Medical School: Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Graduate School: University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Isenberg School of Management, MBA

Where are you currently working? Maimonides Medical Center, Currently Administration & Operations Fellow, Incoming Assistant Medical Director

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career?  I am most proud of achieving my goal of becoming an emergency physician and now on a path to be a leader in the field. I was fortunate enough to match into my first choice residency program after medical school and now have continued to grow with the same organization

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? I chose UMass MBA online program because several of my colleagues had also completed this program and spoke very highly of it. I wanted to be able to have a flexible learning environment. At the same time, I wanted to have the opportunity to engage and learn from others in the field of medicine who are looking to pursue leadership opportunities and UMass has a strong cohort of students from the medical field.

What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? The flexibility that the program provides for professionals with full time jobs.

What was the most surprising thing about an online learning environment? I was surprised at the amount of collaboration and networking we were able to do with a fully virtual program. I got to meet, speak and learn from many like-minded professionals and share ideas and process improvements that I was able to bring back to my own organization.

How did your online experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student? I would say it was very similar. I did not feel like I missed out on anything and was able to actually dedicate my time better with the online platform.

What is your best piece of advice to an applicant for thriving in an online MBA program? Make sure to engage in the discussion boards and reach out to your classmates to further talk about topics that are of interest to you. All of the resources you get are valuable, so make sure to always save all your slide decks and readings as you may want to refer to them again in other classes or in the future.

How has your online education helped you in your current job? Being from the medical field, business school was a whole new language for me. The material I learned in the MBA program helped me get a strong foundation to be able to speak up at meetings, meet with various other leaders at my institution, and be a better leader.

Did you earn a promotion while in the program or immediately after graduation? Yes. After I finish my MBA in the next month, I will also be graduating from my Admin & Operations fellowship and will be staying at my institution to be an assistant medical director.

Why did you pursue an online MBA program instead of a full-time residential program? I work full-time in emergency medicine which requires me to have a very flexible schedule and as part of my fellowship have various administrative roles within our department. As a result, flexibility was key and a full-time residential program would not give me that.

Number of Hours Per Week Spent on an Online MBA: 10-12

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? I am very passionate about the fact that we need more healthcare professionals to be leaders within the medical field. As of now I am very happy with my new role as assistant medical director. My goal is to continue to grow within my department and even maybe one day move on the executive positions within the hospital to make sure that the change we make is all patient-centered.

DON’T MISS: BEST & BRIGHTEST ONLINE MBAS: CLASS OF 2024