Jenkins MBA Degree Puts this M.D. on Path toward Management, Entrepreneurship
Hart earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Davidson College and subsequently was accepted to Wake Forest’s School of Medicine where he earned his medical doctorate. From there, he completed a residency at the University of Colorado and the University of Denver, where he specialized in sports medicine. Following his residency, he returned to North Carolina where he joined Carolina Family Practice and Sports Medicine in Cary, a fast growing firm with three branches, specializing in family and sports care.
As part of his practice, Hart was team physician for a number of sports teams, including the USA National Baseball team, various local football teams, and the Carolina Hurricanes. However, despite his significant success and the growth of his practice, Hart became dissatisfied with daily life as a doctor. Wanting to explore a second career working for a biotech research company, Hart knew he needed additional training to make the jump.
Initially, Hart attempted to educate himself on management through personal study, but quickly realized he needed the in-depth, specialized education that only an MBA provides. “I wanted a school that provided me a business education at a reasonable cost and has the flexibility for me to continue my professional career.“ For Hart, the Jenkins MBA offered him the opportunity to meet these goals. “Jenkins allowed me to tailor the degree to my specific needs,” Hart said. “They don’t just churn you out.”
When Hart was elevated to partner in the practice and moved to the Holly Springs branch, his plans changed significantly. “As a partner I was able to have one foot in the business side for the first time and put what I’ve learned at Jenkins to use.” Now, instead of moving to a new career, Hart intends to apply his business and management skills not only to growing the practice as a medical firm, but also as a small investment company. As such, Hart has increasingly been involved with Jenkins’ entrepreneurship curriculum.
In the spring of 2011, Hart joined a team of MBA, computer science, and engineering candidates in assisting a small start-up explore its overall strategy on an ongoing basis through the MBA program’s entrepreneurship concentration. Hart graduated in May 2011, but he still has plenty of activities to keep him occupied. In addition to his doctoral and managerial duties within the practice, Hart will continue to serve on an independent review board that evaluates the ethics of treatments on human subjects and serve on the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Medicine.
