Lauren LaMonica, MD/MBA '25
Originally from Boston, Lauren LaMonica, MD/MBA ’25, spent most of her life on the East Coast. She received her undergraduate degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology in the Global Health Scholars program at Yale University. During her undergraduate degree, Lauren became interested in specialty care pathways in resource-limited settings. This led her to pursue a Master of Public Health degree from the Yale School of Public Health.
After graduating with her MPH, Lauren worked as a data scientist at CVS-Aetna Health on their Clinical Analytics team. She served as the liaison between clinicians, data scientists, and business stakeholders and led clinical strategy for a portfolio of large-scale public health campaigns to close gaps in care for patients with complex chronic conditions. In her position, she quickly gained an appreciation for the role of business in improving clinical outcomes.
“I realized that I wanted to be able to speak ‘the business language’ and that this skill can have a very meaningful role in patient care and being able to advocate for patients,” Lauren said.
Integrating an MBA with an MD
Lauren later moved to the Midwest to matriculate in the Doctor of Medicine program at the University of Michigan Medical School. She had a strong interest in commercialization, medical device design, and the role that innovation plays in capacity-building globally. She felt that a dual degree in business would complement her interests, and she applied to the MD/MBA dual-degree program at the Ross School of Business.
Lauren was surprised by the different perspectives she was challenged to apply in her business classes but appreciated their discussion-based element and the relationship between professors and students.
“Learning from students with consulting, marketing, and finance backgrounds has allowed me to see the nuanced way that they approach business challenges and how I might think differently as a practicing clinician,” Lauren said.
Broadening Perspectives
Lauren says that one of her favorite aspects of the Michigan Ross Full-Time MBA Program has been participating in her Multidisciplinary Action Project, which sent her and her team of MBA classmates to the Technological Institute of the Philippines for two weeks. She had the opportunity to work with engineering students and craft a strategy for commercializing the technologies, including medical devices, they are developing.
While the project was very rewarding, Lauren was especially proud of the leadership skills she developed through the program.
“I initially approached the MBA Program believing that I would gain a very technical skillset in financial modeling and analyzing cashflow statements,” Lauren said. “But I think the element that I needed centered on leadership development and working with different stakeholders who have different perspectives than I do.”
Lauren further honed these skills in two of her favorite courses, “Comprehensive Healthcare Strategies” and “Strategic Management and Leadership for Physicians,” taught by Professor David Butz. In these courses, Lauren studied cost accounting, operations, and clinical strategy as they relate to our healthcare system.
“I feel that I am now leaving Ross with a clear understanding of the cost of an inpatient hospital stay…something that every medical student should learn upon graduating with an MD,” said Lauren.
Lauren says that her Michigan Ross experience has helped to broaden her approach to healthcare delivery, which she believes will be useful in her career as a clinician.
“Working with my classmates has challenged me to take a step back and recognize that clinical perspectives do not have to be mutually exclusive from business perspectives,” said Lauren.