Weekend Executive MBA
Top Areas of Career Focus
IT (16%)
Financial Services (14%)
Health Care/Health Services (10%)
Manufacturing/Operations (9%)
Sales/Business Development (8%)
Consulting (8%)
Erica Taylor
“I gained greater confidence in my ability to lead groups through challenging times in health care and inclusion efforts. I have become more assertive in my vision and more aware of areas in which strategy implementation can improve.”
Orthopaedic Hand Surgeon; Associate Chief Medical Officer of Diversity and Inclusion for Duke Private Diagnostic Clinic; Chief of Surgery at Duke Raleigh Hospital
Duke Health
Weekend Executive MBA
Class of 2020
Industry:
Health Care
Prior Education:
Duke University School of Medicine
Doctorate of Medicine, 2006
Doctorate of Medicine, 2006
Hometown:
Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina
Nationality:
USA
Reflections
I took the approach of integration of school, job, and personal commitments as opposed to a “balance” between them. My husband and I accepted the upheaval of routine and schedule before the program started. He got to know the majority of my teammates and enjoyed the stories of crazy ways we tried to meet project deadlines. My daughters were often visible during my team meetings, which helped them understand that I had school work to do, just like them. The material covered in class was directly applicable to parts of my work responsibilities and experiences, and I took every opportunity to put my new tools into practice.
Before Fuqua
I was a hand surgeon who wore two leadership hats: Vice Chair of Diversity for my orthopaedic surgery department and Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at Duke Raleigh Hospital.
After Fuqua
I still have the same roles but have also advanced into higher level positions: Associate Chief Medical Officer of Diversity for the Duke Health physician organization and Chief of Surgery for Duke Raleigh Hospital.
5 Best Experiences in the Weekend Executive MBA Program
- Orientation Week—One of the best weeks! The activities priming us to dare to recognize our leadership potential were amazing and empowering.
- OPEC Cartel Activity—This is an economics class activity you have to experience for yourself. It lets you know who you can and can’t trust in your class when negotiating oil supply and prices.
- Racial Equity Working Group—I was extremely honored to be selected to participate in this amazing group tasked with creating a strategic plan to address opportunities for racial equity across all aspects of Fuqua.
- Electives—I was excited by the ability to navigate my educational curriculum, choosing a combination of courses that were aligned with my industry and courses that would expand my way of thinking to bring unique value to my current environments.
- Residency Social Hours—There is something to be said about spending three days with classmates from sun up to sun down [pre-pandemic]. The memories and connections made during those times were invaluable.
Typical Class Demographics
Weekend Executive MBA
Age Range
28-45
Work Experience
5-20 years
Students with Advanced Degrees
32%
Countries Represented
19
Women
27%
