As Medical Director of the Pediatric ICU at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Bunmi Okanlami, M.D. might seem an unlikely candidate for the Notre Dame Executive MBA program. After all, not only was she a successful physician in her native country of Nigeria, but she is, by all rights, a renowned physician in the U.S. as well. In her twenty-seven years of medical practice, she has learned the business side of practicing medicine "on the run," without legitimate training. Recognizing the challenge of operating in a hospital management role without sufficient business training, Bunmi set a goal: achieve an MBA before the age of 50. With that goal in mind and the support of her husband and two children, she enrolled in the Notre Dame Executive MBA program.

For a doctor on call for 24-hour shifts up to fifteen times per month, getting an MBA would mean sacrificing the precious little free time remaining in her schedule. Fortunately, her proximity to the Notre Dame campus and an accommodating class schedule offset some of the challenges. And for Bunmi, who wanted "to be qualified for whatever comes along, clinical or management," any sacrifice that she incurred along the way was worth it. Notre Dame's Executive MBA program would legitimize her business experience and provide her with the appropriate qualifications for any future challenge.

In addition to the long-range benefits of an MBA, Bunmi soon discovered the immediate impact of the instruction. "Going through the program, I would learn something, go back to the hospital or to my non-profit duties in the O'Hana Heritage Foundation, and apply my new knowledge immediately. The results were tangible and instantaneous. In addition to the quality training I received, one of the most valuable parts of the program was attending with people who entered the program with a wide variety of practical life and business experiences. I now have a network of friends and colleagues that I can consult with and receive an honest opinion – whatever the issue – at a moment's notice," she says.

In essence, Notre Dame's Executive MBA program met Bunmi's goal, broadening the scope of her experience. For a woman who attended college and medical school in Nigeria, immigrated to the United States with her husband, received additional training at Howard University and Johns Hopkins, served two years in a medically underserved area in Mississippi, practiced pediatric critical care medicine simultaneously at two hospitals within South Bend (currently serving on the board of directors at one), co-founded the non-profit O'Hana Heritage Foundation for medically fragile children, and raised two children of her own, her 2008 Executive MBA degree is another stepping stone in a life of service that has benefited so many along her path.