Elise Corden, MM ‘17
Pre-med student Elise Corden has bigger aspirations than just making diagnoses — she wants to make a difference. While she originally planned on attending pharmacy school at U-M, a research position at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital sparked an interest in combining medicine with business.
“My mentor was the director of the pediatric intensive care unit, and I could see the impact he had on patients not just through being a physician, but also through his administrative role. His leadership of other physicians carries over to patients and exponentially increases his ability to help others.”
Elise found the perfect intersection of her interests in business, healthcare, and environmental science (her undergraduate major) in Blueprints for Pangaea, which reallocates excess medical supplies to countries in need. Working for the nonprofit, which was created by a group of U-M students, provides a valuable opportunity to apply coursework from her technology and operations, business law, and world economy courses, just to name a few.
“While our team was brought together as a result of our shared goal of increasing access to healthcare, our organization would not be able to function without drawing on the skills and expertise of our diverse members with business, computer science, and communication backgrounds.
“The opportunity to make a significant impact in an organization, collaborate and learn from such a diverse team, and provide individuals abroad with lifesaving medical supplies has been an invaluable experience.”
Elise also enjoyed the camaraderie of her Master of Management classmates. “Our cohort has truly become our own family, with every individual encouraging and supporting one another as we work toward reaching our goals. Whether it be individuals offering to practice interviewing skills or celebrating a personal accomplishment, the sense of community is strong both within and outside of the classroom.”
Ross Career Services was another huge benefit to Elise, even though she’s not looking for work quite yet. “We would practice our interviewing skills, and Marla from Career Services would give us advice on how to properly present ourselves, accurately describe our skills and experiences, and engage in meaningful interactions with interviewers. This guidance and advice undoubtedly enabled me to perform at my best level during my medical school interviews.
“Regardless of what area of medicine I go into, I will be able to use my business skills from Ross to impact more patients in a positive way.”