Career Paths

Whether you are a "career changer" or have worked in the healthcare industry, we will prepare you to take on a fulfilling role in management where you have an opportunity to make an impact. Our graduates represent all industry sectors—from biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, service delivery, and international health to venture capital, consulting, entrepreneurial startups, and insurance.

Some of our recent graduates:

Biotechnology

Richard Christian, MBA '06

Richard Christian is currently the IT Business Partner for R&D at BD Biosciences.  BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) is a global medical technology company that is focused on improving drug delivery, enhancing the diagnosis of infectious diseases and cancers, and advancing drug discovery.  BD serves healthcare institutions, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, the pharmaceutical industry and the general public.  Rich leads the strategy and implementation of technology for the Biosciences, R&D, medical device, and reagent businesses.

Prior to BD, Rich spent ten years at Pfizer Global R&D at numerous sites in the USA.  Most recently, Rich was an Associate Director of IT responsible for the Oncology and Ophthalmology Therapeutic Areas in La Jolla, CA, leading a highly technical and scientific organization.  Rich led numerous global programs and projects in document management, scientific data management and analysis, FDA submissions, Web 2.0 and clinical trial data management.

Rich earned a B.S. from University at Albany, NY in Finance and Management Information Systems (MIS) and an MBA from the University of San Diego.

 

Leo Lee, MSEL '08

Leo Lee is the Global Safety Surveillance Manager at Amgen, Inc. supporting late stages oncology biologic products. He monitors clinical products safety and authors European and US regulatory safety communication documents to ensure patient safety and regulatory compliance. Leo also is the founder of Leadership Builder, a non-profit organization dedicated to inspire, nurture, and enhance members’ leadership capacity. The organization attracted corporate partners and members from around the world.

Leo was previously a scientist at Pfizer, Inc managing a pre-clinical drug safety program. He contributed to the successful delivery of seven pre-clinical and two first-in-human drug candidates. He also served as a member of the Pfizer Congressional Advocate to Washington D.C. and Sacramento. He worked closely with congressional representatives on drug safety related legislations.

Leo earned a BA.. from University of California, San Diego in Biochemistry and Cell Biology where he earned an award as a research scholar. He also earned an M.S. in Toxicology from the School of Public Health at San Diego State University and an M.S. in Executive Leadership from the University of San Diego.

 

Medical Devices

Leslie McCoy, MBA '05

Leslie McCoy is currently Senior Project Manager at CareFusion, a global corporation serving the health care industry. She manages the implementation of market-leading technology such as Alaris® IV pumps. Leslie was previously a Clinical Product Manager responsible for new product development, marketing, and field testing. She was awarded the “Marketing Recognition Award” for advancements in Ethnographic research.

Leslie has also conducted pharmaceutical and biotechnological clinical investigations at Scripps Clinic and Scripps Green Hospital. While serving in a Nurse Corps Office in the United States Navy, she provided medical-surgical care to individuals of the armed services, retired personnel and their dependents.

Leslie holds a BSN from Jacksonville State University and an MBA from University of San Diego.   She is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and holds registered nursing licenses in the states of California and Alabama.

 

Kevin Popp, MBA '06

Kevin Popp is the San Diego Territory Manager for Zimmer Spine. Kevin manages the distribution of Zimmer Spine spinal instrumentation and allograft products to the orthopedic and neurosurgeons in the San Diego Metro Area, North County San Diego, Temecula, Murrieta, and El Centro. Previous to Zimmer Spine, Kevin was a Spine Consultant for Medtronic Spinal & Biologics, Kyphon Division. 

Kevin came to medical devices after 14 years in the military serving as a CH-46D Sea Knight pilot stationed at Helicopter Combat Squadron Eleven at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, CA and as a UH-1N Huey Gunship Instructor Pilot stationed at Helicopter Marine Light Attack Squadron 303 at Marine Corps Air Base Camp Pendleton. 

Kevin holds a BS in Economics from the United States Naval Academy (Class of 1998), an MS in Global Leadership and an MBA from the University of San Diego School of Business.

 

Business Development

Charles McDermott, MBA '04

Charles McDermott is a Vice President of Business Development at Allergan in California. In this role he has global responsibility for deal sourcing, due diligence, licensing, M&A, and alliance management for Allergan’s eye care and drug delivery businesses.

Mr. McDermott’s career in the pharmaceutical industry began in 1994 with his role as Associate Scientist in the angiogenesis pharmacology group at Agouron Pharmaceuticals. The company was focused on developing MMP inhibitors for the treatment of cancer. Following the discovery of Prinomastat, Mr. McDermott championed the idea of repurposing such compounds to treat angiogenic disorders of the eye, and decided to pursue this opportunity outside of Agouron as a Ph.D. project at UC Santa Barbara’s Center for the Study of Macular Degeneration (CSMD).

Following the acquisition of Agouron by Warner Lambert and then by Pfizer, Mr. McDermott moved on to deCODE Genetics and held a variety of business development roles to grow the company’s deCODE Chemistry and deCODE BioStructures service and platform technology businesses.

Mr. McDermott earned a B.A. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, an MA.. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an MBA from the University of San Diego.

 

Julia Ronlov, MBA '99

Julia Ronlov is currently Associate Director, Business Development at Gen-Probe. Gen-Probe, Inc. is a global leader in the development, manufacture and marketing of rapid, accurate and cost-effective nucleic acid tests used primarily to diagnose human diseases and screen donated human blood. At Gen-Probe, Julia is responsible for identifying acquisition targets, managing the analysis of potential acquisitions, and enhancing and expanding corporate partnerships. Julia also works with senior management to divest non-strategic assets, and played a key role in the 2009 sale of Gen-Probe’s food safety business to a major corporation.

Prior to Gen-Probe, Julia was a Senior Associate at venture capital firm Forward Ventures, where she identified, assessed and recommended investment opportunities to a partnership with over $500 Million under management. At Forward, Julia served as a director on the boards of portfolio companies Acorda and Sanarus Medical, and observed on the boards of various other investee companies.  Julia played a key role in fundraising activities for a $250 Million fund, and as the firm’s first analyst, she established and managed the firm’s investment analysis program.  Julia has also served as a business consultant to a number of biotechnology and academic groups, including: UCSD Moores Cancer Center, Kaiser Permanente’s Research Program on Genes, Environment and Health, and Somaxon Pharmaceuticals. Julia is active in the San Diego nonprofit community and until recently was a board member at Outdoor Outreach, an organization dedicated to enriching the lives of underprivileged youth.

 Julia’s career began in a biotechnology laboratory where she performed research in cellular and molecular biology at Viagene (acquired by Chiron), a company focused on developing viral vectors for gene therapy.

Julia holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences from California State University, Chico and an MBA from the University of San Diego.

 

Investment Banking

Charlie Adams, MBA '07

Charlie Adams is an investment banker in the Global Healthcare Group at Barclays Capital. There he advises diagnostics and life science enabling tool companies in the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific on matters of corporate finance and M&A.  In M&A Mr. Adams has worked with buyers and sellers in the consolidation that has created the business landscape of the industry today.

Prior to Barclays Capital, Mr. Adams spent more than seven years in the biotechnology industry in which he was a Senior Product Manager for RNAi technologies at Invitrogen Corporation, now Life Technologies, as well as a Director of Business Development at Gene Logic, Inc. Mr. Adams began his career in the contracts and then technical support sales divisions at Oracle Corporation.

Mr. Adams has a B.A. from Trinity College-Hartford and earned an MBA from the University of San Diego.

Manufacturing and Operations

 

 

 

Carmen Soikowski, MBA '09

Carmen is the Senior Director, Operations Technical Support at Gen-Probe, Inc., a global leader in the development, manufacture and marketing of rapid, accurate and cost-effective nucleic acid tests used primarily to diagnose human diseases and screen donated human blood. She joined Gen-Probe in 2000 and is responsible for transferring products from R&D into Operations, Product Support and Operations Engineering . Prior to Gen-Probe Carmen worked for several bio-tech companies in San Diego and Washington and spent a short time at Boeing.  Carmen has a BS in Chemistry from Western Washington University and earned an MBA from the University of San Diego.

Hospital Administration

 

 

 

James Mandani, MSN, MBA

 

James Mandani is the Assistant Department Administrator for the Pediatrics and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Kaiser Permanente. Kaiser Permanente is a premier non-profit healthcare facility nationwide including the Greater San Diego Area. James helps supervise the delivery of nursing services and patient care which are integrated with business and department units across the organization. James also supervises and ensures continuous improvement of all clinical practices, services, and operations by designating and implementing systems, processes and methods to evaluate and improve patient care within the unit.

While at the University of San Diego, James was a research coordinator for Serial Inebriate Program at St. Vincent de Paul Village Clinic (SVDPVC). SVDPVC is a non-profit homeless shelter delivering a myriad of healthcare services to services vulnerable populations within its community.  James has also worked as a staff nurse for five years at the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of Los Angeles County USC Medical Center. James Mandani earned a BSN in Nursing from Azusa Pacific University. He also earned an MBA as well as an MSN (Administration) from the University of San Diego.