University of New Haven Student Endeavors to Bridge the Gap Between Medicine and Management

Vandana Maurya ’26 MHA is a Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) candidate at the University of New Haven and a former physician who hails from India. She came to the University determined to strengthen her understanding of the systems behind patient care.

Through the MHA program’s blend of analytics and real-world application she is taking action with that knowledge, including supporting quality care, patient safety and financial operations at Griffin Health. Below she shares her journey

“Some leaders are born in boardrooms. I was shaped in operating rooms where precision, pressure, and purpose converge.”

My journey began in India not with a business suit, but with a stethoscope. I trained as a physician, cleared the fiercely competitive All-India Postgraduate Medical Entrance Exam, and earned placements in Ophthalmology and ENT. These were career defining milestones. But even as I cared for patients, I found myself drawn to something beyond the clinical: how systems worked, how decisions were made, and where inefficiencies quietly shaped outcomes.

That curiosity grew into a purpose. I realized I didn’t just want to heal individuals. I wanted to improve how healthcare functions at its core. So, I made a difficult choice: to step away from clinical practice not to leave medicine behind, but to try to reimagine how it’s delivered.

Pursuing my Master of Healthcare Administration at the University of New Haven has been the cornerstone of this transformation. The program has challenged me to think strategically, act decisively, and lead with both data and empathy. My commitment to this path has been recognized through the Dean’s Scholarship, induction into the Upsilon Phi Delta Honor Society, and the J. David Jacocks Award, reflecting not just academic success, but a deeper dedication to service and systems change.

My hands-on journey began with Griffin Faculty Physicians, Griffin Health’s network of specialty clinics. There, I immersed myself in operations strategy and revenue-cycle management, learning how clinical care and financial sustainability are deeply intertwined. That experience opened the door to a broader role within Griffin Hospital, where I now support initiatives in quality care, patient safety, and financial operations. I’m not just observing workflows. I’m helping redesign them to reduce risk, improve documentation, and ensure that every process puts patient safety first.

Outside the hospital, I serve as a supervisor for the David A. Beckerman Recreation Center. This role has created a quiet but powerful classroom in leadership, teaching me how to build trust, respond to challenges with calm, and create environments where people feel seen and supported. Whether I’m coordinating an emergency response or coaching a team member, I’m practicing the same values I strive to bring to healthcare: accountability, clarity, and care.

Earlier this year, I had the privilege of serving as a Program Assistant at the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Congress in Houston. Walking among leaders who shape national policy, I didn’t feel like an outsider. I felt like I belonged because I’m no longer just reacting to broken systems. I’m learning to build better ones.

My perspective on this journey was recently shared in an essay for KevinMD, where I wrote: “I didn’t leave medicine to stop healing; I lead healthcare from the inside.” That line wasn’t just a headline it was a declaration of identity. Because healing doesn’t only happen with a scalpel or a prescription. Sometimes, it happens when you fix a broken scheduling system. When you align documentation with safety and reimbursement. When you ensure that finance and quality walk hand in hand.

My path from operating rooms in India to quality and strategy teams in Connecticut has been guided by my mission to lead healthcare systems that are efficient, equitable, and human-centered. With clinical experience as my foundation, and administrative expertise as my strength, I’m uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between the bedside and the boardroom.

To the University of New Haven, Griffin Health, and the Beckerman Rec Center: Thank you for being the proving grounds for my transformation. I’m not just preparing for a career. I’m preparing for a way of life.

And I’m just getting started.