Peruvian-born Pedro Diaz always had a desire to help others. Over nearly 20 years, Diaz has built a career in health care, supervising and implementing language, patient and guest services. With a new master’s degree in business administration from University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) under his belt, the 2024 graduate is ramping up his professional goals.
“Balancing strategic initiatives, patient services and academic goals tested my resilience but strengthened my commitment to growth,” said Diaz, who has guided patients at regional hospitals, tapping Spanish—his first language—as part of his skill set. “This journey truly reflects my dedication to both my career and education.”
Today, as director of language and guest services for Children’s National Hospital, Diaz oversees the hospital’s language access program for Limited English Proficient patients and families and the guest services team, including the hospital operators who are the voice of the organization and implement safety and security notifications, and the operations of the Welcome Desk areas, the first point of entry at the main pediatric facility.
“My MBA has enhanced my ability to approach strategic planning, operational efficiency and market analysis with a more structured and data-driven mindset,” Diaz said about new skills he has acquired.
Previously, he spent nearly a decade with The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and Johns Hopkins Medicine International. That work included serving as a patient access manager, patient experience coach and a manager of language access services and hospitality.
A desire to expand his business leadership and expertise sparked him to enroll at UMGC in 2023.
“I wanted to pursue growth in my career. I felt that I had many years of experience, but I needed something that would help me propel myself to the next level,” Diaz said. “I thought my new degree would offer a different approach to operations and business leadership.”
Diaz has a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Notre Dame of Maryland University. He selected UMGC for his MBA based on the university’s reputation and the scheduling flexibility offered by online learning.
“It became apparent to me that Pedro demonstrated not only outstanding performance as an MBA student, but unlimited potential to lead and manage others,” said UMGC Adjunct Professor of Human Resources Donald Shandler. Sandler taught Diaz in MBA610 – Leading Organizations and People.
As Diaz explains, “My coursework in financial management and operations has enhanced my ability to allocate resources effectively. I now have a better grasp of budgeting and resource distribution, ensuring efficiency without compromising service quality.”
While at UMGC, Diaz said, he especially enjoyed connecting with other adult learners.
“My favorite part was my partnership with the college and classmates and learning from their experiences and how they approach the content of the teachings in class,” Diaz said. “It was interesting to work with people from different industries and understanding how they approach the same topics with a different perspective enhanced the way I view things.”
Diaz was nervous combining schoolwork with a demanding job, but once he adjusted to UMGC he was able to take advantage of tutoring and library resources. An experience that stood out for him was a group assignment in the MBA 670 course, Strategic Decision Making. He and other students worked as a team to create the plan for an international business project. The project required them to use simulation models in making decisions about a company venturing into a new market.
“The project was really enlightening because research and development decisions influence how your marketing decisions are, which then influences your production decisions and you can see how different aspects of the project can change,” Diaz explained.
Diaz advises new students to “use the resources available, ask your advisor about what resources are available and be mindful that you have to set up time to be dedicated to make your experience better.”
With the completion of his 2024 MBA, Diaz looks to the future.
“In five years, I see myself leading initiatives that enhance patient engagement, improve service delivery, and integrate technology to optimize operations,” Diaz added. “Whether at a hospital system, a health care consulting firm, or a health-tech company, I want to be at the forefront of innovation in health care services, ensuring equitable access and operational efficiency.”
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