1. Erica, will you please tell us about your career and life path since graduating from Fuqua in 2020? What have you been up to?

My life after Fuqua has been quite interesting and full of some phenomenal leadership opportunities! Shortly after completing the program, I was appointed as the inaugural chief medical officer of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for the Duke Health physician practice. In addition, my current role as the vice chair of diversity within my department was expanded. Collectively, these leadership promotions allow me to spend more time focusing on how to develop strategic initiatives for health equity and inclusion throughout our care delivery platforms. The combination of my experience as a surgeon and the leadership insights I gained from Fuqua has served me extremely well in these pivotal roles. I continue to practice hand surgery, my first love, which lends to the on-the-ground experience for thoughtful decision-making.

Additionally, I've been able to cultivate significant growth in the business I started during my MBA program. In 2020, I formed the Orthopaedic Diversity Leadership Consortium (ODLC), a membership-based consulting organization focused on providing resources for leaders of health equity and DEI in healthcare. Our mission is to optimize the sustainability and effectiveness of these roles and efforts. Taking a deep dive into entrepreneurship and innovation has been amazing! I have had the great fortune of presenting, teaching, and coaching leaders nationwide, and have partnered with major medical device companies and professional societies to facilitate the creation and elevation of their own health equity and DEI strategies.

Most importantly, our family grew with the addition of our son, who is now three years old. He adds an entirely different level of energy to our household.

2. You recently graduated from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. Congratulations! Will you please tell us about the program and your experience?

This program is an absolute game-changer! I was introduced to this opportunity by another Fuqua alum, and quickly discovered the impact that it was having on thousands of small businesses over the years. The purpose of the program is to provide dedicated business growth education, networking, and business advisement for small business owners who have a certain level of success and want to take their businesses to the next level. Goldman Sachs invests millions into this program for greater community and societal impact. Over 14,000 small businesses have graduated from these efforts. After applying and interviewing for the program, it became clear that this experience would be the perfect complement to my MBA education.

I was part of the 21st cohort of national small business owners, and we spent 12 weeks immersed in live and intensive education centered around the growth of our businesses. I was able to evaluate ODLC’s business model, our mission, vision, and competitive advantages. I also created a comprehensive growth strategy plan to maximize impact on the market and our communities. The modules covered everything from marketing, leadership dynamics, and business valuation, and the faculty members were top-notch. For the last week, our cohort visited Goldman Sachs headquarters in New York for a week-long in-person experience, where we completed additional modules, pitched our businesses, and interacted with our section mates on a deeper level prior to the graduation ceremony.

3. What was the most meaningful part of the Goldman Sachs curriculum for you?

The most meaningful parts of the curriculum for my stage of business growth were the marketing and financial forecasting modules. These intensive modules allowed me to not only drill down to the nuts and bolts of my customer/member offerings but also to understand the potential opportunities for additional revenue generation and innovative product design. Coupling the two together inspired me to continue thinking about how to grow ODLC to its optimal level.

To drive these learning points home, there were weekly small group sessions and paired partner exercises that facilitated feedback exchanges between all of us small business owners and entrepreneurs who have been successful in many ways. These relationships made the experience unforgettable and invaluable.

4. You previously mentioned that your entrepreneurship-based education at Fuqua has been a catalyst for opportunities such as the Goldman Sachs program. Will you please speak more about that?

During term three of the MBA program, I completed the entrepreneurship workshop led by Duke I&E Professor Jon Fjeld. We were asked to create a solution to a problem and to share it with the class. At the time, I had just started forming ODLC as an organization and when I presented it to the workshop class, the amount of interest was tremendous. That was the beginning of sharing an innovation with my colleagues, which we know is a critical early stage of entrepreneurship. The amount of support across various industries showed me that I created something very special.

The Fuqua program taught me the theories for understanding the business landscape and provided opportunities for identifying my own potential as an entrepreneur.

5. How do you aim to apply the information that you learned in the Goldman Sachs  program to your work as an Orthopaedic Surgeon and the Chief Medical Officer of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Duke Health?

There is no question that when you spend months immersed in a program designed and orchestrated by a leading global investment banking firm, you're going to walk away with some key skills and a one-of-a-kind network. Even though my focus of the program was on ODLC, we spent quite a bit of time understanding the impact of various inclusive hiring practices, the keys to creation of healthy and productive teams, and also the power of collaboration and communication. Those are skills we all need to refresh and solidify over time to benefit our immediate environments.

Furthermore, I have recognized many connections between leaders at Duke and the Goldman Sachs programming, and that has been extremely eye-opening. I developed a new level of expertise in entrepreneurship and small business development. At Duke, so many of our learners, staff, and faculty have a genuine interest in these domains. I’ve always prided myself in being a trusted resource in matters of health, but being able to serve as a collaborative resource in the domain of business strategy and development has been just as wonderful.

6.  As a Fuqua alumna who is almost five years out from graduation, what advice would you offer to current students and recent graduates?

Recognize uncommon favor when it presents itself. I can’t say this enough. It is easy to minimize the value of the pursuit of an MBA or the pursuit of innovation and entrepreneurship when you are part of an institution with so much brilliance and creativity happening each minute. Nevertheless, being connected to Team Fuqua and working alongside colleagues throughout this enterprise is an example of uncommon favor and uncommon achievement that should be valued and held in the highest regard.

Once that's recognized, I truly believe that graduates will make their experiences here count by utilizing the acquired skills and intrinsic passion to create pathways for those coming behind them – as well as those who may not have access to the same resources or experiences. Learning and engaging with Fuqua has contributed to my ability to design and implement strategy across multiple levels. It is not lost on me that this path is one that not many get to pursue, and for that, I am forever grateful.