Albert (AJ) Tsai

Executive MSHM

Q: Where were you prior to MSHM? (Undergrad major, undergrad university, job?)  

A: I worked full-time as an Area Director at Sevita Health where I have the blessing of developing and supervising teams to make a daily positive difference in the lives of those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I have a passion for analyzing, understanding, and helping people so I pursued and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Indiana University.

Q: What inspired you to pursue the MSHM program?

A: I’ve been fascinated by the healthcare field since I was a child and have always been motivated to help people. I started volunteering at hospitals in high school for my first glimpse of what the life of someone who works in healthcare would be like, which sowed the seeds of me always wanting to be in a position where I can make a difference in people’s lives. The pursuit of this led me towards working with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and over time, hard work and dedication drew me towards a supervisor role where I can lead like-minded individuals toward the mission of helping people in need live full and joyful lives whether it is in their home or the community.

Q: What is your favorite part of the MSHM program thus far? 

A: I love how the MSHM Program gives you a variety of different courses that you can take, because who doesn’t like options? I also believe that all of the professors that I’ve been in class have been very kind and have a passion for teaching as well as pushing all of their students to improve and understand the material so they can be fantastic leaders in the healthcare field after graduation.

Q: What is the challenge part of the program? Do feel supported by program faculty and staff?  Do you feel connected to your peers (in your cohort) and the alumni?

A: The most challenging part of the MSHM Program for me is trying to juggle the responsibilities of being a full-time student in graduate school with the responsibilities of being a supervisor in the healthcare field while being on-call the majority of the time. Despite this being quite the challenge, most of my professors have been very understanding and strive to find every opportunity for me to succeed academically. I am very grateful for their support and commitment to their students. I also enjoy the friendships I’ve developed from the MSHM Program. I am part of a close-knit group that meets up for dinner monthly and also pushes each other to be the best students that we can be while also being able to joke around and not take things seriously when we need a break from our responsibilities in life.

Q: What career do you want to pursue after the MSHM program?

A: I pursued this MSHM degree so I would have the flexibility to be able to dive into a plethora of different healthcare jobs post-graduation. As of today, I’m still contemplating what I would like to do after I finish this program, but I am currently fascinated about Healthcare consulting, being promoted from my current position, or managing a nonprofit organization.

Q: Have you attended any career fairs/networking events? Who did you meet? What did you take away from this experience? 

A: I have not attended any career fairs or networking events yet but I do plan on doing more networking later this year so I can communicate with Healthcare providers and develop connections and opportunities in the future which will be crucial for my professional growth.

Connect with AJ on LinkedIn!