Catherine Moya Krumenacker

Indiana University, Kelley School of Business

Age: 46

Hometown: I have lived in Zionsville, Indiana for the past 12 years. It is a charming town with beautiful green areas, and mature trees that invite you to relax and connect with nature.

I grew up in Santiago, Chile. During college, I often participated in missions, which led me to discover my passion to serve the underserved and wanting to further my education to help others. About 20 years ago, I moved to the U.S. to join a Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. degree program at the University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Family members:  While in Houston, I met my husband Josh, and my son Nicolas was born. The three of us then moved to Saba Island in the Dutch Caribbean for medical school. Josh and I then completed our clinical training in Brooklyn, NY, and then moved to Indiana for residency training. Since then, my husband and I have both been practicing family medicine in Indiana.

My parents Olivia and Guillermo live in Chile. I have three siblings, Fabrizio, Pilar and Alan. Our family is very close and talk every day. We have a group chat that helps us connect and share our daily experiences. My husband Josh loves golfing and gardening. My son Nicolas is 17 years old and recently graduated high school. My sister-in-law, Shelby, lives near us while my in-laws live in Florida. We have two rescue dogs, Ginger and Buddy, who are loving and brighten our lives every day.

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: I’m mission-driven, passionate, inclusive, positive, honest, innovative, adaptable, decisive, and effective.

Fun fact about yourself:  I love dancing and even auditioned dancing in a TV show for teens, when I was in high school.

Education:

• Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
• PhD degree in Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
• MD degree, Saba University School of Medicine, Saba, Dutch Caribbean
• Family Medicine Residency, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
• Executive MBA, Indiana University Kelley School of Business, Indianapolis, IN

Where are you currently working?

• Chief Physician Executive (CPE) at the Eskenazi Health Center Grassy Creek; and
• Assistant Professor of Clinical Family Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN

Extracurricular activities, community work and leadership roles: (Include school awards and honors)

• Chief Physician Executive, Eskenazi Health Center Grassy Creek. I lead a team of 13 providers including Physicians and Advanced Practice Providers to offer a variety of primary care services with a focus on patient access, patient safety and quality.
• Lead Physician for the Eskenazi Health Equity Zone in the Far East Side, Indianapolis, IN.
• Community leader, working together with the social determinants of health team and the Eskenazi health foundation in initiatives aimed to reduce health inequalities to improve the health and quality of life of our patients and the community. It included partnerships with local organizations, donor engagement, and speaking at community events.
• Lead physician for lifestyle patient groups for diabetes at Eskenazi Health Center Grassy Creek.
• Active in community outreach events for vaccinations and health fairs at Eskenazi Health.
• Physician MBA fellowship 2021, IU Kelley School of Business, Indianapolis, IN.
• 2012 Faculty of the Year Award, Fortis College, Indianapolis, IN
• Dean’s List 2008, Saba University School of Medicine, Dutch Caribbean.
• Schissler Foundation M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Predoctoral Fellowship in Cancer Research

2004-2005, Houston, TX.

• Harry S. & Isabel C. Cameron Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship in Alzheimer’s Research 2003-2004, Houston, TX.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? In September 2021, I began my role as the Chief Physician Executive at the Eskenazi Health Center Grassy Creek, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) which employs 60 associates. Around the same time, I began the Physician MBA program at the Kelley School of Business, Indianapolis. I did not have much formal leadership experience, but I have always led by example and strive to provide excellent care to patients. Some of the best advice I received when I took this new role came from Susannah Eastwick, the Physician MBA program director. She recommended the book, The First 90 Days to help me prepare for the position. The main theme from the book was the importance of building relationships to accomplish results, which I rapidly embraced.

By working together and collaborating, our team reached high performance levels and we were able to accomplish amazing things. For example, we were selected as one of three health centers across the Eskenazi Health organization to implement the Health Equity Zone, a pilot program to help address the social determinants of health affecting the community, including food insecurity and transportation. Our team also participated in local outreach events, volunteered in the community, and implemented innovative projects. For example, last year, we identified we needed to connect with the local, Haitian community, so we visited a local church as a group. After encouraging the congregate to visit our clinic, within a week the clinic saw a large influx of patients who only spoke Haitian Creole which presented us with another challenge. Patients were having issues getting registered in our systems, which not only helps a patient get an appointment but also explains the insurance process. A simple three-minute call was talking roughly 20 minutes to complete due the high volume for this interpretation. So, I wrote an email to Eskenazi’s leadership with our challenges and quickly we were able to get a second language line that it was exclusive for Haitian Creole interpretation. So now this line is available, and patients have immediate access to a Haitian Creole interpreter. That was a life changer for staff, providers and patients.

We celebrated small wins and showed up for each other and the organization has recognized our contributions. In 2022, our patient access (total number of patient visits) increased 25% compared to the prior year. We also increased OB and newborn access to help address maternal-infant mortality. Additionally, we were number one in the system for the Colorectal Cancer screening quality metric. Our performance has been maintained in 2023.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I am proud that in my current role I helped build a highly collaborative, high-performing team. By working together, we accomplished above the organization goals, which helped us increase access to our patients and make a positive impact in the community. We have a high level of employee engagement that leads to a fun and positive work culture and high retention. It’s important for us as we are undergoing construction for expansion, which has added another challenge. Working together has allowed us to continue to enjoy our jobs and navigate all the change.

As a physician, it is an honor to serve my patients and to gain their trust to help improve their health. I stayed in my current job for five years, and I got to know the people in the community. I’m leaving Indiana in July for a new position and my patients have expressed they are very sad about my departure; but I continue to assure them they will be in good hands with my coworkers, who are all excellent providers.

Before going to medical school, I was a scientist. During my Ph.D. thesis project, I discovered a peptide that when given intravenously selectively targeted glioblastoma, a highly malignant brain tumor in a mouse model. It has been studied for delivery of therapeutics and imaging of brain tumors. It makes me feel proud I was able to make some contributions to the advancement of science and medicine.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Associate professor of operations and supply chain management Amrou Awaysheh was my clear favorite. He has a strong passion for his industry and teaches practical concepts in a way that is easy to follow and to implement. I was able to incorporate what he taught us immediately at work, leading to great results. I believe that operations play a vital role in health care to be able to have streamline processes and resources to serve our patients with excellence and to help reduce burn-out among employees.

I also enjoyed the business analytics class with Phil Powell, especially the final project. Our classmates picked useful projects that helped with our peer learning and allowed for practical application in our professional environments. For example, for my final project, I used a regression analysis that showed the significant, positive effect of making confirmation calls on the clinic show rate, which is essential to increasing patient access and revenue.

Christopher Porter’s leading and managing human capital in healthcare class provided a space for self-reflection and leadership insights. We learned about what makes a team effective and how to apply these concepts at work. He empowered us to believe in ourselves and to become effective leaders.

In terms of career development, Susannah Eastwick’s Professional Development course was highly valuable to find my new job as a Chief Medical Officer (CMO).  She teaches how to write an executive resume, where to look for jobs, what to look for, and how to prepare for the executive interview.

The executive coaching class with Jennifer Robin had an impact on helping me grow in my role as a physician leader and how to successfully navigate different situations in the organization. She also taught me the importance of being present.

Why did you choose Kelley’s Physician MBA program? It has a comprehensive curriculum, excellent faculty, networking opportunities and reputation. Having a physician-focus made it relevant for career development, to learn from each other, and to provide support and advice. This program offers unique experiences. For example, there are Executive Coaching options, Global Health electives (this year, the group went to Paris and London), the Health Care Policy experience in Washington D.C, and the professional development course. Furthermore, I live in Indiana, which was great and accessible when attending the weekend residencies.

What is the biggest lesson you gained during your MBA and how did you apply it at work? I learned the importance of including everyone in the team to deliver amazing results. I often seek feedback from the people doing the work as they know first-hand what the opportunities for improvement are and already have an idea on how to fix it.  I learned that creating a positive work culture is crucial for employee engagement and retention, and to strive for excellence. It is also important to have team support to implement innovative projects that add value to the company and to the people we serve. Trust is also very important for a leader’s credibility. I consider myself a leader who “walks the talk,” which has helped me build trust, engagement and support from employees.

Give us a story during your time as an executive MBA on how you were able to juggle work, family, and education? My family is moving to South Carolina in June, with both my husband and I taking on new roles. Last week, we put our home on the market and stayed in a hotel while our dogs stayed at a pet hotel. The day prior to the home showings, we received a call that our dogs were rushed to the Urgent Care Vet because they were coughing and wanted to rule out kennel cough. We ended up picking them up and keeping with them with us in our hotel. The dogs were not sick and thankfully doing well.  On that same day, I had to virtually meet with my group to discuss a class project. When the Zoom started, my dogs decided to join, and jumped on my lap while it also held my laptop. The group all had a good laugh at it, and then moved on with our project discussion uninterrupted. During my time in the MBA program, I learned to make the most out of unexpected situations like this, and to move on and focus to get the job done. It has made me more flexible, and more efficient to accomplish results.

What advice would you give to a student looking to enter an executive MBA program? If you are interested in developing business and leadership skills, the program will provide you with unique experiences, and practical information that you can start applying immediately to your practice. Also, it will open new opportunities you did not know could be possible. Having a seat at the table is invaluable to make contributions that will positively impact your life and others, including your patients.

What is the biggest myth about going back to school? I actually love going to school and learning new things.  I found the business classes to be fascinating and wished I had learned business concepts earlier in my career. It should be part of the medical school curriculum. Physician leadership is highly needed, and the sooner the medical schools embrace it, the sooner we will be able to help fix the US health care system.

What was your biggest regret in business school? Not having enough time to participate in all the social activities. Seeing my classmates and networking were one of the highlights of the program and we enjoyed spending time with each other.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Haley Sauder, an Emergency Medicine physician, is an inspired woman who empowers others around her. She is direct with a great sense of humor. working together on different class projects allowed me to see she is always willing to help, very bright, and innovative. Most recently she came up with a Sleep App idea that we are now developing for our Venture Strategy class, entrepreneurship project.  Its similar in nature to the Calm app but with sleep tracking capabilities. is evidence-based, and it has unique features like being able to connect the user to a physician and incorporate more biometric data. I am excited to see the amazing things she will accomplish!

What was the main reason you chose an executive MBA program over part-time or online alternatives? I am old fashioned and enjoy human interactions. Having face-to-face conversations was important for me for learning and to feel comfortable participating in the discussions. The classroom provided a safe space to discuss difficult situations and to learn from each other’s experiences.

When I started the program in 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic was still present, and the first months of classes were held in an online format. I found it difficult to look at the screen all day without getting distracted and it difficult to fully engage in the discussions. Our class was excited when we were able to move to the physical classroom. It felt less tedious and more enjoyable.

The executive program has a good mix of opportunities. The residencies allow for face-to-face classroom discussions, and the live zoom sessions allow for learning from home in between residencies during a busy week of work.

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? In early July, I’m starting a new position as the Chief Medical Officer for the Health Care Partners of in South Carolina, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that employs 140 people. I am very excited about this amazing opportunity. One of my goals is to promote a positive work culture, which is important for employee engagement and retention, which are one of the major challenges companies are facing. Having a strong team makes it effective to deliver results. I want to continue to apply the business and leadership knowledge and skills I learned in the MBA program to improve processes, expand services, and to create new initiatives and programs to help increase patient access to health care.

I would also like to incorporate digital technologies to help improve processes and reduce the burden on providers and medical staff. For example, having AI to act as a scribe during the clinical visit to transcribe the notes would help with provider’s wellness by reducing the time needed to write notes and will improve the provider-patient interaction.

Quality improvement, patient safety, and compliance are all areas I want to continue to develop and focus on because of their importance to deliver high quality patient care.

What made Moya such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2023?

“All MBA students develop business acumen and leadership skills, and several say that have been transformed by the Physician MBA. Catherine is no exception, but what makes her unique is her ability to articulate the changes she has experienced in her professional life her ability to impact healthcare. Her MBA is amplified by her leadership philosophy and a stronger understanding of how to channel her values of transparency, collaboration, and dedication to continuous improvement. It has been exciting to watch Catherine develop while earning her MBA, and it will be even more exciting to see the positive impact she has on healthcare after graduation.”

Jennifer Robin
Associate Faculty and Executive Coach

“I am honored to nominate Catherine Moya Krumenacker as a candidate for the Poets and Quants Best and the Brightest MBA Students.  Catherine possesses all of the technical skills and abilities that come with the degree.  But she has much more.  She has the personal skills to bring others along with her.  She is vivacious, friendly, and inclusive.  I have watched as her classmates are drawn to her and pay attention to her viewpoints.”

Reed Smith
Professor of Accounting & Roger and Barbara Schmenner Faculty Fellow

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