Tim Schaub
Arizona State University, W. P. Carey School of Business
Age: 49
“Proud father and dedicated husband who believes in hard work, kindness, and quality of time.”
Hometown: Moweaqua, IL
Family members: Wife (Anne Marie), Daughter (Audrey, 18), Son (Ben, 13) and two golden retrievers: Lincoln and Gordon
Fun fact about yourself: I used to feed mosquitoes my own blood as part of my undergraduate research job.
Undergraduate school and degree: Undergraduate: University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (BS Biology ’98), University of Illinois at Chicago (MD ’02)
Where are you currently working? UCLA Medical Center Department of Orthopedics and Luskin Orthopedic Institute for Children
Extracurricular activities, community work, and leadership roles:
Chief of Pediatric Hand and Microsurgery at UCLA and Luskin Orthopedic Institute for Children
Dean’s Medal Recipient for Executive MBA, 2024
Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Dean’s Medal recipient.
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? As a first-generation college graduate, obtaining my medical degree is the achievement I have been most proud of.
Who was your favorite MBA professor? This is hard because there were so many! I would say Phil Drake was probably my favorite. His class was the hardest for me, and I watched his videos repeatedly, read the book chapters multiple times, and made note cards on everything. He was always so supportive and encouraging. He made a real impact on me.
Why did you choose this school’s executive MBA program? I knew several graduates of the program, and they had an incredible knowledge base. The program also had a schedule that seemed manageable with my work schedule. Finally, it has an excellent reputation locally, nationally, and internationally.
What is the biggest lesson you gained during your MBA, and how did you apply it at work? The biggest lesson I learned was how to work with teams with different backgrounds and personalities to accomplish time-constrained goals. Identifying, delegating, and owning aspects of an overall goal. It has been an invaluable tool that I have been able to apply immediately and directly. One example has been the delivery of a five-year build-out plan for our hand and microsurgery center at our Orthopedic Institute for Children.
Can you tell us a story about how you juggled work, family, and education during your time as an executive MBA?
Working full-time as a surgeon on call at a busy level I trauma center, my time in the evenings was not reliable. I found I had to cancel my participation in group meetings early on because of an emergency that came up. Also, I found that trying to have meetings in the evening often overlapped with what would have been my time with family in the evening. What I discovered worked the best was working early in the morning to get papers and presentations accomplished. Starting my day at 4 or 4 30 a.m., especially that first year, would allow me time to get a few hours of schoolwork done and still be able to see my kids for breakfast and make it to work on time. It also allowed me to get timelines accomplished reliably as I knew I was more in control of that time of day. I could then participate fully and more efficiently during evening meetings.
What advice would you give to a student looking to enter an executive MBA program? It is a commitment and a sacrifice, but it is well worth it if you can make the time. It is not something to do without putting in the time. You truly get out of it what you put in, and other people are dependent on your commitment to the program as well. The EMBA is a team endeavor, and it’s important to understand how much others depend on your engagement.
What was your biggest regret in business school? I wish I had taken the time to get to know classmates outside of class more. I made some truly incredible friendships through the program, and they were even more solidified when I was able to work with them. There were so many incredible and accomplished individuals in my cohort that I would have liked to get to know more.
Which MBA classmate do you most admire? I have to say the classmate I admire most is Tricia Magee. I admire her for her incredible resilience, grit, and talent. She arrived at our cohort battling a life-threatening and life-changing medical condition, but did not let it hinder her one bit. She always maintained an incredibly engaged and positive attitude and routinely contributed above and beyond in class and group efforts. She is a dedicated mom and coworker. I am very proud to have been her classmate and to be her friend.
What was the main reason you chose an executive MBA program over part-time or online alternatives? The format of the executive MBA program, having both in-person and the option for a synch weekend, made the program the best of both worlds. I was able to have in-person education but also not give up so much time professionally that I could not complete the program. I knew I, personally, would not be as engaged if my experience was all on line. The two-year timeline was also a time commitment I was able to make.
What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? Ultimately, I would like to be a voice for physicians in the administration of a large health system. Serving as a surgeon-in-chief or department chair would allow me to continue building teams, collaborating across specialties, and helping provide the equitable access to support necessary for the success of a dynamic and often difficult-to-navigate medical system. At the same time, I would still provide direct care at the patient level, which is something I love and hope to do for many years to come.
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