Justen Coleman ’24

Before the pandemic my role centered on core managed-care functions. I worked on programs and interventions aimed at achieving population-health goals. But as we entered 2020, I experienced firsthand the impact of healthcare disparities, and I felt called to help make a difference.

I wanted an MBA skill set to complement my public health degree and my experience designing and implementing community health programs. Yale SOM’s mission of helping students develop careers that impact both business stakeholders and the broader community matched my goals.

Sony Singh said, “Leaders are conversation at the dinner table; try not to spoil everyone’s appetite. At the end of the day, try to make certain that no one is going home wishing that you weren’t the boss or worse, wishing that they were employed elsewhere.” I want to be a leader who’s well received at the dinner table in the homes and in the communities of my peers, employees, and neighbors.

The Managing Groups and Teams course taught me how to recognize opportunities when my team can optimize collaboration. That’s what leaders need to be able to do. Learning how to constructively give and receive feedback—how to “get it right” without having to always “be right”—has also been a valuable lesson in building consensus on our team.

In Health Equity, we were given tools that are directly useful in my ongoing program development and partnership efforts. We have a long way to go before health equity is at a saturation point with measurable transformation across clinical, community, and corporate interest. This course was a live test lab with new frameworks and applications.

I spent two weeks in the UK at Oxford University Said School of Business as part of Global Network Week. It was an exceptional experience. I took a course called Real Estate Valuations and Modeling. My father was a general contractor and second-generation brick mason. I hope to enter the space and manage or develop residential and commercial properties focused on communities with high concentrations of poverty, low property values, and limited access to safe, affordable housing. At Said, I was asked to share a proposal I have outlining a plan to reinvest in my childhood neighborhood, O’Fallon Park in St. Louis. I was the only one who presented in a class of more than 40 students. The interest and feedback I received was so encouraging.