Dr. Joseph Sferra, MBA ‘16
Joseph Sferra, MBA ‘16, had held a number of formal and informal leadership roles as a surgeon, but a promotion to VP of Surgical Services led him to pursue business education. A number of his colleagues at ProMedica had come to Ross and spoke highly of the Executive MBA program.
He explains, “I wanted a robust experience that offered more than just three letters after my name. I wanted to be proud of my accomplishment, and Michigan provides that.”
Joseph considered some physician MBA programs, but preferred to be amongst a more diverse group of peers. “I didn’t want to be in an echochamber. At Ross, I worked with a leader of IT at Ford, automotive engineers, military veterans, and many others. It’s easy to get stuck in professional silos, but breaking out and forming new relationships is a good thing.”
His peers at ProMedica have noted the extra value he brings with the Ross MBA — and leadership skills were a key takeaway.
A leader’s job is to guide through change. The timing of my MBA was perfect because we were implementing change across our institution, and I applied what I learned at Ross.
Joseph also developed a higher-level perspective. “I received a promotion with a dramatic broadening of scope while I was still in the Executive MBA program. When I started I was responsible for Surgical Services at one hospital — a fairly narrow operations position. Now I’m informing the strategy and vision of a 12-hospital system, a $3 billion a year company.”
Clinicians and doctors tend to take it one day at a time and even one patient at a time. That’s great, but there’s very little long-term strategy. Now, I’m thinking about where the organization is going to be in 1, 3, and 5 years — and our CEO is thinking about the next 50 years!”
Joseph traveled to Ireland for his Executive Multidisciplinary Action Project (ExecMAP), where his team worked with a physical therapy and workplace wellness startup. “I really enjoyed the opportunity to travel internationally. It was a great thing personally, professionally, and socially. I’ve also become very well versed in workplace wellness. When the subject comes up in the boardroom I add a lot to the conversation. Overall, ExecMAP was one of the highlights of the EMBA program.”
He offers a bit of advice to prospective students. “You definitely need to be prepared for the intensity of the work. Pay attention to your mental and physical fitness and maintain your relationships. I have a colleague who is considering Ross, and he’s got the chops to do it. I just told him to be ready: It’s intense, but in a really good way.
“I’d like to express my gratitude to my family for their support while I attended Ross.”