“I always knew that I wanted to be a doctor,” says Dr Sameera Ali. A dental surgeon by training, she is now a programme manager at MFine working towards building a hospital-on-cloud.
Even after 13 years of clinical practice, she constantly felt the need to do something more. She felt this was possible only if she transitions from being a clinician to someone who understands the business of health. “When I saw ISB’s Post Graduate Programme in Management curriculum, I got excited at the prospect of being in this kind of eclectic classroom. I respect and adore the people I met during the PGP. The programme was extremely hectic and challenging. Everyday was new learning. This kind of intense training at ISB prepared me well for life,” she says.
At ISB, three things changed for Dr Ali. Her career pivoted from medical practice to a management role, she became more confident about her abilities and she realised the value of peer-to-peer learning.
She adds, “I had never questioned my abilities before, but had I not gone through PGP, I might have. Everything ranging from your language to perspective becomes much more chiselled after PGP. There has never been a time at my workplace when I have been asked to do something and I don’t feel ready for. This preparedness, learning and agility is the outcome of the rigorous one-year programme at ISB.”
On National Doctor’s Day, she says, “If you are looking to make a shift in your career as a doctor, pedigreed learning from a school like ISB is what I prescribe. Moreover, it is a fantastic learning experience to which the medical students may not have been exposed to, previously.”
Brief bio
Dr Sameera Ali is clinician-turned management professional. She holds a BDS from Government Dental College, Mumbai and has done the Post Graduate Programme in Management from Indian School of Business. With over 13 years of practice as a dental surgeon, she is now working in the healthtech sector as Program Manager with MFine – an AI-powered online doctor consultation app. She is a recipient of the National Award – “Times Now Amazing Indians – Urban Crusaders 2012″.