Nishi Rawat

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business

“Physician and builder.”

Hometown: Ottawa, Canada

Fun fact about yourself: I collect space debris.

Undergraduate School and Degree: McGill University (undergraduate) in Montreal, Canada; Queen’s University (medical school) in Kingston, Canada; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (residency and fellowship)

Where are you currently working? In 2018, OpenBeds, Inc. — the company I founded — was acquired by Appriss Health, a provider of data and analytics solutions that improve patient safety and outcomes. OpenBeds helps connect people to behavioral health and social service resources. Our state-wide treatment networks are helping state governments combat the opioid crisis. I continue to lead product and business development of OpenBeds for Appriss Health.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? The acquisition process of OpenBeds Inc. was grueling but rewarding in so many different ways. And what I learned at Georgetown helped me navigate the process.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Supporting patients and their loved ones through the process of death and dying in the intensive care unit.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? The quality of teaching at Georgetown is exceptional. I honestly can’t pick out a single professor as a favorite.

What was your favorite MBA course and what was the biggest insight you gained about business from it? Again, it is hard to pick just one. I learned a tremendous amount during each class and was able to directly apply my learnings day in and out. I look at the world in a different way now thanks to the faculty, program and my classmates.

Why did you choose this executive MBA program? I wanted to learn how to execute on my ideas and selected Georgetown because of its strong reputation for high-quality teaching. The campus is absolutely gorgeous, which doesn’t hurt.

What did you enjoy most about business school in general? The perpetual learning from the faculty and my peers. My class was very diverse and I especially enjoyed the challenge of working with different types of people on group projects.

What advice would you give to a student looking to enter an executive MBA program? Never forget that going back to school and having the opportunity to learn is a privilege.

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? Position my privilege to serve others.  

What are the top two items on your bucket list? Just one: Travel to space.

What made Nishi such an invaluable addition to the class of 2019?

“Nishi Rawat impressed me the first time I met her at an Open House for our Georgetown EMBA program in 2017. Typical prospects will listen and acquiesce to the information being shared and ask nice questions about the program. Nishi was different. She had inner energy that was palpable with a specific plan and set of questions that challenged our program’s objectives vis-a-vis her goals of running her own business. She was perplexed as to whether a Georgetown EMBA would equip her to be a successful entrepreneur.

When we received Nishi’s application, my first impressions of her were confirmed. A highly-trained doctor from a top school in Canada practicing at Johns Hopkins. A prolific researcher in her field of emergency medicine and critical care medicine, a recipient of a 2015 White House Emerging Global Entrepreneur Award and a Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Candidate who ranked 70 out of 5300 applicants among other things. Nishi’s intellectual curiosity and engaging personality made her an ideal student for our EMBA. She brought insights and lessons learned from the healthcare industries while gaining knowledge about business and being an entrepreneur. Fast forward to May 2019, Nishi is about to walk at graduation, and she is currently running the strategy and day-to-day operations of “OpenBeds, Inc.,” the company she built. One could say that Nishi realized her goals. She came to business school to learn how to grow her company and in the end, not only grew it but sold it to a large technology company. She was very focused on learning as much as she could from the faculty and her classmates – there was a clear goal and application for her learnings. Our EMBA community feels enriched to have had Nishi as a student and we look forward to engaging her as an alumna.”

Elie Farhat

Associate Dean and Chief Admissions Officer, Graduate Degree Programs

DON’T MISS: THE ENTIRE LIST OF THE BEST & BRIGHTEST EXECUTIVE MBAs OF 2019 or RANKING THE BEST EMBA PROGRAMS IN THE U.S.