Projects

Thunderbird Emerging Markets Laboratory 

Consultant at African Development Bank - Souk At-tanmia (Oct 2014 – Dec 2014)

As part of my MBA program at Thunderbird School of Global Management, I had the privilege of participating in the African Development Bank’s Souk At-tanmia initiative in Tunis, Tunisia. Alongside two team members, I worked on designing the second edition of the project, which aimed to support female entrepreneurs in Tunisia as a tool for addressing unemployment. Over the course of three months, we mapped Tunisia's financial ecosystem, identified gaps, and developed a comprehensive business model to provide both financial and non-financial support to entrepreneurs. This hands-on experience exposed me to the significant inequalities in access to resources that many underserved populations face, particularly women in Tunisia.This project marked a turning point in my career, as it opened my eyes to the broader issue of inequality—not just in access to resources but also in access to critical services, including healthcare. After returning to the U.S. and working at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, I saw firsthand how similar disparities affect underserved populations in the American healthcare system. Long wait times, provider shortages, and barriers to care disproportionately impact racial minorities, individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and other marginalized groups. This experience inspired me to focus my research on healthcare operations and telemedicine, exploring how virtual visits can improve access to care for underserved populations. My first dissertation paper specifically evaluates how telemedicine disproportionately benefits racial minorities, males, and individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, highlighting its potential to reduce healthcare disparities.

Additional Projects

Intern for Future in Review Conference (May 2014)

As part of a 3-student team, I was selected to help organize and manage the Future in Review (FiRe) Conference—one of the leading technology conferences in the U.S. The event brought together then C-level executives from some of the world’s largest technology companies, including Ken Goldman (the CFO of Yahoo), Michael Dell (the CEO of Dell), and Shane Wall (then CTO of Hewlett-Packard). The conference emphasized the importance of technology as a transformative tool across various industries, including healthcare, which further fueled my interest in exploring how technological advancements, such as telemedicine, can address challenges in healthcare operations.

I have completed the Gallup Strengths-Based Business Development Workshop and earned a certificate of completion, which has significantly enhanced my approach to collaboration and leadership. This workshop, based on the CliftonStrengths® framework, helped me identify my key strengths and provided strategies to leverage them in professional settings. As an academic and researcher, these insights have been invaluable in fostering productive collaborations with fellow researchers and industry partners. By focusing on strengths rather than weaknesses, I can contribute more effectively to team dynamics, ensure alignment of goals, and drive innovation in research projects. This strengths-based approach will be especially beneficial in interdisciplinary research, where strong communication, strategic partnerships, and an understanding of individual strengths are crucial for success. It also equips me with the tools to mentor students and colleagues, enhancing both individual and collective performance in academic and industry-focused initiatives.