When Dr. Olufunsho Ayo received his acceptance letter for one of the most prestigious management internships in the country, the Graduate Administrative internship at UCLA Health, he knew that he was finally on the right career path.
Ayo is a second-year graduate student at the Fox School of Business working toward his MBA. He received his master’s degree in public health at the University of Southern California and graduated from medical school at Windsor School of Medicine in the West Indies, both of which led him toward another career path in clinical medicine.
Ayo worked with hospital patients at an internship after medical school but soon understood that he was destined to help in a different way.
“I realized that in clinical medicine you see patients, but you can’t change policies, which is what interested me,” Ayo says.
He saw the problems of the healthcare system while working with patients who did not have healthcare due to social or economic reasons.
“One thing I realized is that healthcare has a lot of challenges,” Ayo says. “Access is one, quality is another one, and costs. Especially access for underserved population, the cost is very high, and the quality is sometimes questionable.”
Ayo understood that if he wanted to make changes, he had to get a foothold on the business end of healthcare.
“I knew I wanted to go more in the operations and administrative side of healthcare,” he says. “I just felt I'll be able to make more impact.”
He enrolled in the Fox School’s MBA program, concentrating in health sector management, where he was able to learn both in and out of the classroom through outside internships and Temple-affiliated organizations.
“I needed some kind of guidance, as far as to map out my career. So I reached out to the Center for Student Professional Development (CSPD) and they helped me apply for administrative fellowships in hospitals across the country,” Ayo says.
Janis Moore Campbell, senior director at CSPD, worked closely with Ayo to help map out the next course of action.
“My role is more of an advisor and coach, than a mentor,” Campbell says. “Our team enjoys helping students by leveraging their unique differences and adding value every time they communicate.”
Through their collaborative effort, Ayo was able to apply and eventually be accepted into the UCLA Graduate Administrative Internship, the most highly competitive and prestigious program of its kind in the country. This fellowship is a three-month project-based program that encourages learning and action across healthcare management and delivery.
Ayo is currently in Los Angeles with the internship program.
“It's been extremely eye-opening, quite frankly, I'm learning so much,” Ayo says. “I'm really excited about the program.”
Ayo plans on graduating with his MBA in June 2024 and planting his foot in the administrative operations side of healthcare.
He also offers some advice for those interested in pursuing a similar career path and earning an MBA.
“If you want to come to the Fox School of Business, do it,” Ayo says. “It's an amazing program, and it's worth the work, it's really worth it.”