Alan Vu

Rice University, Jones Graduate School of Business

“Avid runner, compassionate physician and math nerd in no particular order.”

Age: 29

Hometown: Houston, TX

Fun fact about yourself: I am ambidextrous, but unfortunately I inherited “doctor’s handwriting” in both hands.

Undergraduate School and Degree:

• Rice University, B. in Mathematics with a minor in Biochemistry and Cell Biology
• McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, Doctor of Medicine
• University of Houston College of Medicine/HCA Healthcare Houston Clear Lake – Internal Medicine Residency

Where are you currently working? HCA Healthcare Houston as Internal Medicine Chief Resident

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I am most proud of the work I have been able to contribute towards my residency during my tenure as chief resident. HCA Clear Lake is my local hospital — I’ve known and shadowed many of the physicians I currently work with for decades. It has been amazing to be able to start from the infancy of our residency and see the long-term vision we have for my community.

I’ve been able to see and experience the personal growth from my fellow co-residents. From the imposter syndrome on day one to each resident growing into his or her own style of medicine, I cherish the leaps everyone has taken to reach their true potential. And in this process, I have been humbled, educated and have grown into my own leadership style — and continue to grow — throughout my journey in management and medicine.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? Rice University was always my dream school growing up. I applied early decision for my undergraduate and thoroughly enjoyed my years on campus. When it came time to decide on my MBA degree, Rice Business was immediately on the top of my list. I had previous experience working with Rice Online as both a student and eventually as a Canvas designer/TA for the BIOC300 massive open online course (MOOC) taught by Professor Kathy Matthews, so I was already well versed in the quality and effort put into Rice’s online courses. I trusted that I would receive a valuable education from the MBA@Rice program, which has rung true for me.

With the proximity to the Texas Medical Center, the MD/MBA partnership with Baylor, and the STEM focus of the MBA program, Rice Business has always produced quality healthcare candidates. We have seen plenty of growth in this industry, including the inaugural Rice Business Healthcare Conference hosted this year which tackled the intersection of AI and healthcare by uniting healthcare executives, clinical leaders and AI innovators under one forum.

What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? My favorite part of being in the MBA@Rice program was the people I met. You wouldn’t necessarily expect that from scheduled Zoom sessions twice a week, but I’ve made plenty of friends who have continued to do amazing things after the program. Nothing was better than meeting everyone for the first time at the in-person classes hosted on campus and feeling like we’ve known each other for decades. Or the fact that we were able to travel together as a group to Colombia for our Global Field Experience (GFE), where we participated in various consulting projects for companies based in Bogota.

How did your online MBA experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student? The MBA@Rice reflected the same quality of education I received for my undergraduate at Rice. The professors involved with the in-person classes are also heavily involved in leading and teaching the classes for MBA@Rice. I’ve even gotten to meet many of them in-person during our intensive learning experience (ILE) or other activities on campus.

The main difference I find is the timing of classes, which now occur exclusively in the evenings to account for my work schedule versus the all-day undergraduate schedule. Homework and group projects in the MBA typically meant managing team members’ busy calendars to squeeze in time to meet.

Overall, I find the experience of the MBA@Rice comparable to the in-person MBA, offering access to the same clubs/activities, resources and recruiting opportunities. I would like to give a shout out to the Career Development Office, especially Rayna Anderson-Crier and Amy Pan, who supported me through both healthcare and consulting recruiting. They ensured I received the same quality experience as in-person MBA students.

What is your best piece of advice to an applicant for thriving in an online MBA program? The first year of the MBA may feel tough due to the coursework, but this is a great time to explore potential industries, participate in extracurriculars, and network. Although I was an online student, I was on the board for the Rice Business Healthcare Association as a first-year representative, then as co-president the following year, and I served as a committee member of our online student association (RBSAO). Through these activities, I was able to have conversations with community leaders and c-suite executives I would not have had prior access.

How has your online MBA education helped you in your current job? The soft skills I’ve learned from the online MBA have been essential to my role as a physician and chief resident. Communication and change management are paramount to patient care and healthcare organizational behaviors. Understanding motivations and interests can help us find a middle ground, whether that is encouraging healthy behaviors or developing systemic changes within the hospital.

Did you earn a promotion while in the program or immediately after graduation? I will graduate from my internal medicine residency at the end of this year and plan to enter a role as a hospitalist at my local hospital next year.

Why did you pursue an online MBA program instead of a full-time residential or executive MBA program? With my busy schedule as a resident, the MBA@Rice allowed me to pursue the degree at my own pace – from anywhere in the world – while still being able to further my medical education. I had classmates who would join their classes from Japan, Korea, Norway, Spain or Hawaii. Personally, I had multiple months where I was working the night shift — such that pursuing any in-person degree would’ve been impossible. The flexibility of the degree plan meant that I could maintain a healthy balance between clinical work, graduate education and life.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? I have been able to experience firsthand the evolution of AI in our programming. As a former Career Development Office (CDO) liaison for the RBSAO, I got to observe the major overhaul to the curriculum and course material to integrate AI directly into classwork. During this shift, AI became a tool directly embedded within courses such as our New Enterprises class, where multiple tools have been created to spitball problem statements, trial run ideas or develop a minimum viable product. I gained insights and learned that AI can be an amazing, albeit frustrating, tool. The true genius comes from using it as such and pruning the results to generate true quality.

Number of Hours Per Week Spent on an Online MBA: 16 hours

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? My long-term goal is to go into hospital administration and progress up to the chief medical officer position.

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