Therese Donnelly

Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management

“Homebody who loves documentaries, ice cream, fall weather, and time spent with family.”

Hometown: Havertown, Pennsylvania

Fun fact about yourself: I love documentaries.

Undergraduate School and Degree:

Undergraduate: Drexel University, Bachelor of Science

Graduate: Drexel University, Master of Health Science – Physician Assistant

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? U.S. Digestive Health – Physician Assistant

Where did you intern during the summer of 2023?  Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN

Where will you be working after graduation? Ernst & Young – Healthcare Consulting – Senior Consultant

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

Vanderbilt Business Healthcare Association – President

Honor Council – Vice Chair

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Having the opportunity to serve as President of the Vanderbilt Business Healthcare Association (VBHA) stands out as my most significant achievement. I chose to pursue my MBA to merge my clinical knowledge with a deeper understanding of the business side of healthcare. I see the integration of these two as critical in today’s healthcare landscape. Serving in this leadership role helped me to strengthen my leadership skills and provided me with the opportunity to bring together individuals from diverse backgrounds interested in healthcare. Most importantly, it allowed me to offer resources and networking opportunities. In the process, I was able to help students better identify their interests within healthcare and guide them in pursuing meaningful healthcare careers that align with their strengths and interests. I’m grateful to have had this role that helped provide aspiring healthcare leaders with the knowledge and understanding necessary to navigate the complexities of the healthcare industry with confidence.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I’m most proud of my clinical career as a physician assistant where I had the privilege to provide direct patient care. I would also say that I’m proud to have recognized opportunities for personal and professional growth and pivoting to the business side of healthcare. This has broadened my skillset and provided me with a deeper understanding of the healthcare industry to effect change on a larger scale.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose Vanderbilt because of its location in Nashville, TN – the U.S. Healthcare Capital – and its Healthcare concentration.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Rangaraj (Ranga) Ramanujam. Ranga is undoubtably my favorite professor and an overall exceptional human being. He has remarkable expertise in the healthcare industry, particularly in high-risk work environments, and effortlessly commands the room with his poise and insights. I truly admire Ranga’s leadership, dedication to research, and contributions to the healthcare industry. He’s an exemplary educator and leader and I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to learn from him.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? Healthcare Delivery Organizations. This course focused on how to provide and improve value for patients from all perspectives and systems within the healthcare industry. It provided foundational knowledge of the systems, structures, processes, and outcomes in healthcare delivery while teaching students how to identify and implement strategic and organizational changes to improve value. As a prior clinician, this course helped to bridge the knowledge gaps between the larger healthcare operations and systems and bedside care.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? The professional club symposiums are great events that occur in the beginning of the academic year. These symposiums offer great networking opportunities between the first- and second-year students and play a crucial role in educating students and setting the tone for their MBA journey. The symposiums serve as a foundation for students to dive deeper into specific industries that align with their goals and interests.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? If I could do one thing differently, I would have dedicated more time to exploring industries beyond healthcare such as marketing and finance.

What is the biggest myth about your school? I’m not familiar with any specific myths about Vanderbilt, but prior to attending many students praised the small class sizes and tight-knit community, which became one of my favorite aspects of Owen.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? I love Nashville’s friendly and welcoming atmosphere plus the opportunity to see live music virtually anywhere you go.

What surprised you the most about business school? I was pleasantly surprised to see a strong emphasis on soft skills and the intricacies of managing people.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? A classmate and friend who I admire most is Mason Alford. Mason is an ambitious MD/MBA student who embodies an incredible work ethic, authenticity, and integrity.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

1) Contribute to Healthcare Policy – I’d love the opportunity to be a part of initiatives to improve healthcare access and quality to patients.

2) Mentorship – Mentoring advanced practice professionals looking to pivot into the business of healthcare or students/current professionals interested in pursuing a career in the healthcare industry.

What made Therese such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2024?

“Therese adds so much to the class of 2024 by being who she is and by how she goes about getting things done. She brings a distinctively caring and thoughtful approach to her work and social interactions. Through her soft-spoken and highly effective style, she serves as an example of an uncommon but yet much needed way of leading. As the president of the Healthcare Business Student Club, she displayed tremendous initiative and action-orientation in a manner that was understated but produced results that were hard to miss. She and her team organized several events that helped students develop stronger connections to Nashville’s dynamic healthcare ecosystem. Some of these events were organized at short notice. At other times, there would be student conflict.

Perhaps it is because of her prior experience as a physician assistant, Therese has a remarkable ability to convey calm assurance in stressful situations, which can have a soothing effect on those around her. I also know from talking with students that Therese is very generous in sharing her time and network of contacts with other students. Therese has also been very intentional in creating project-based learning opportunities for herself in settings as diverse as hospitals, healthcare startups, and consulting. I see this is as great example of a student-initiated approach to learning about the complexities of the healthcare industry. I think this has not only enriched her own education but also serves as a terrific experiential learning model that I have started to recommend to other students.”

Rangaraj Ramanujam
Richard M. and Betty Ruth Miller Chair, Professor of Management
Faculty Director of Health Care Programs
Professor of Health Policy Secondary Appointment

DON’T MISS: MBAS TO WATCH: CLASS OF 2024