ABOUT THIS EPISODE
When your questions in cardiology go beyond the bedside and into healthcare innovation and transformation, is an executive MBA your next step? On this episode of BackTable Cardiology, Dr. Ankit Patel interviews Dr. Abdulla A. Damluji of the Cleveland Clinic about his journey from clinical cardiology to business school, and how an MBA empowered him to drive real change in healthcare. Dr. Damluji shares how business education gave him the tools to lead new programs, challenge the financial assumptions behind emerging technologies, and build a cardiovascular center focused on aging.
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Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction
04:52 - Why Pursue an MBA
08:06 - Choosing the Right Program
11:15 - Building a Cardiovascular Center on Aging
14:54 - Balancing Clinical Work and Business School
18:48 - Focusing on Finance and Analytics
23:27 - Evaluating Programs and Medical Devices
29:47 - Reimbursement and Training Implications
33:05 - MBA Return on Investment and Opportunity Cost
36:28 - Who Should Consider an MBA
46:20 - Artificial Intelligence and Business Education
50:53 - The MBA’s Impact on Cardiology
54:33 - Closing Remarks
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More about this episode
They discuss balancing clinical work with MBA coursework, using business frameworks to evaluate new programs and devices, and how finance and analytics shape impactful decisions. Dr. Damluji explains how the MBA network expands professional options, the importance of aligning business education with your mission in medicine, and why the degree is most powerful for physicians who want to solve problems that go beyond patient care at the bedside.
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Resources
Dr. Ankit Patel’s Physician Profile
https://www.getcare.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/provider/ankitkumar-kirankumar-patel/1316247
Dr. Abdulla A. Damluji’s Physician Profile
https://providers.clevelandclinic.org/provider/abdulla-damluji/4826749
Transcatheter Aortic-Valve Implantation for Aortic Stenosis in Patients Who Cannot Undergo Surgery (PARTNER trial)
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1008232
Transcatheter or Surgical Aortic-Valve Replacement in Intermediate-Risk Patients (PARTER 2 Trial)
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1514616
NY Stern’s Executive Master in Business Administration (EMBA)
https://www.stern.nyu.edu/programs-admissions/executive-mba
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BackTable Cardiology is the go-to podcast for interventional cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and other healthcare professionals that manage cardiovascular conditions.
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