Our Executive MBA profile series continues with a Q&A with first year student Luqman “Luq” Dad (Class of 2022). Dad is based in the Washington, D.C. area where he works as a medical leader and oncologist. Like many of our healthcare professionals, Dad decided to pursue an MBA to gain a perspective and skills he feels are essential for leaders seeking to transform the country’s healthcare system.
Dad is also the founder of one of our newest Executive MBA student organizations, the Darden Executive Healthcare Alliance. This organization provides co-curricular opportunities – including networking opportunities, speaker series and social events — for Executive MBA students looking to build and grow within today’s healthcare ecosystem.
Catch up on our earlier Executive MBA student profiles.
Q: What is your current role? What is your professional/academic background?
A: I am the Medical Director for the Center for Advanced Radiation Oncology, a joint venture between US Oncology and Adventist Healthcare, in Silver Spring, 
Maryland. I conducted my undergraduate and medical studies in Boston, residency training in Radiation Oncology, and have returned home to where I grew up to help lead a Radiation Oncology department at the hospital where I was born. My passion areas in clinical practice include: treating brain and lung tumors with stereotactic techniques, proton beam therapy, and global outreach to underserved populations of the world.
Q: How did you decide to pursue an MBA?
A: During my 8th year in clinical practice, I began to feel that I needed to gain enhanced business acumen to better prepare myself to lead an ever-changing healthcare ecosystem. Additionally, I chose Darden’s Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) format because of a desire translate my passion and interest in global outreach to best partner with industry to help transfer innovation and technology to treat cancer in underserved regions of the globe.
Q: What led you to Darden?
A: To me, I think the better question is “Why not Darden?” For any physician, particularly in the Washington Metropolitan area, we have within easy reach the nation’s top business school faculty, a truly world-class learning experience and an outstanding and diverse student-body. All of these factors made Darden an easy decision for me, and I felt Darden would allow me to advance my pursuit of life-long learning and leadership skills to help me optimize my career strategies and prepare me to reach my dreams.
Q: What has been the impact of your Darden experience so far?
A: Through my learning experiences both within and outside the classroom at Darden, I have been pushed to think about how best to optimize my patients’ experience in my clinical practice. Additionally, the Darden experience is quite unique in that there is greater emphasis on the integration of ethics and social responsibility in business practice, and I believe this is a cornerstone to sustainable success long-term.
Q: What is your best piece of advice for prospective students?
A: Invest in yourself. I hope more physicians pursue additional education and training in business so that we may help lead the transformation of our healthcare system, so that the best of interest of our patients, medicine and science are at the forefront.
Executive MBA Healthcare Professionals Fun Fact: In fall 2020, we hosted a webinar about the value of an MBA for healthcare professionals, and Luq was one of the panelists. You can find a recording of this conversation on The ExecMBA Podcast.
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