If you asked Timothy Kasprzak 13 years ago if he ever saw himself pursuing an administrative or entrepreneurial path in his career, his answer surely would have been 鈥渘o.鈥 At the time, Kasprzak moved to Cleveland with a medical background to work as an associate professor of radiology at The MetroHealth System.
鈥淚 really had no concept of things like finance or marketing and I wasn鈥檛 interested in it at all,鈥 Kasprzak says. 鈥淏ut as I became more exposed to the administrative side at the hospital, I saw how important these things were and how interesting it was to take a new discovery and figure out how we implement it, bring it to our patients and make sure it鈥檚 financially viable and successful.鈥
While at MetroHealth, Kasprzak鈥檚 mentor and at the time chair of the radiology department, Dr. Robert Ferguson, encouraged Kasprzak to get his MBA at the Weatherhead School of Management at 扒哥黑料.
Kasprzak went through the Weatherhead Executive MBA program from 2014-16 and it was during these years that Kasprzak had, what he calls, 鈥渁 professional epiphany.鈥
鈥淟ight bulbs just started going off in my head during all my classes and I realized I鈥檝e been neglecting an unknown passion of mine,鈥 he says. 鈥淚n each class I found myself a lot more interested in business administration than I ever thought I would be. It was this whole new world.鈥
In 2019, Kasprzak began working as the chief medical officer (CMO) at University Hospitals, and at other hospitals through the pandemic. Kasprzak found the role didn鈥檛 completely satisfy his interests, though鈥撯揵oth in business and for his background in radiology.
鈥淭hrough the pandemic, I realized in the sphere of possibilities what I really want to focus on,鈥 he says. 鈥淎nd some of those were entrepreneurship, strategy, innovation, things I wasn鈥檛 necessarily able to give attention to as a CMO.鈥
Just two months after starting his own healthcare consulting business, , Kasprzak uses his patient bedside experience, administrative knowledge and lessons from the EMBA program to help investment firms, healthcare entrepreneurs and enterprise executives improve their strategies.
To satisfy his interest in academic radiology, Kasprzak is also a part-time associate professor of radiology at University Hospitals.
鈥淚f you discover an invention that鈥檚 going to improve patient care, but don鈥檛 know how to approach venture capital, we can help with that pitch messaging鈥攈ow to approach it and help do the market analysis for the product,鈥 Kasprzak says. 鈥淲e also work with investment firms like venture capital and private equity, who are looking to invest in new inventions. It鈥檚 a two-way street between medical inventors and investment firms.鈥
Through the EMBA program, Kasprzak says he learned both the tangible and intangible leadership skills used in his previous CMO role and now at McGraw Catalpa.
鈥淔or every pragmatic accounting or finance skill, there were introspective or societal learnings for our work,鈥 he says. 鈥淎 great balance for an executive MBA program.鈥
For example, some of the lessons he learned on marketing and value chain analysis have been, 鈥渒ey to the work of McGraw Catalpa,鈥 he says. 鈥淲e have to assess the potential impact of a device or technology on bedside care, enterprise quality and financial viability.鈥
Other lessons included courses that covered what it means to be a CEO and 鈥渢aking accountability of the entire organization, how do you set culture, an intangible thing,鈥 he says.
One of the most impactful projects Kasprzak recalls working on was when a professor had his class write their own obituaries. 鈥淚t evoked strong emotions but it was also one of those projects that puts into perspective what you want to get accomplished,鈥 he says. 鈥淚t was really impactful.鈥
When asked what he loved most about his time at Weatherhead, Kasprzak says, 鈥淭he camaraderie. The people in the class, on my team, the professors and staff, all were fantastic and I stay in touch with many of those individuals today. The Case [Western Reserve] EMBA program balances scholarly sophistication with an at home feeling.鈥