Career Path of a Manager of Operations Excellence at Sharp HealthCare
Myron's career path, beginning with a chemistry degree from UCLA and internships like the "students stroke Force," unexpectedly led to a role at Genoptics, a Novartis subsidiary. This experience, and their subsequent role as Manager of Operations Excellence at Sharp Grossmont Hospital, showcases a transition from a cytogenetics chemist to leading "continuous Improvement programs," including heading the hospital's COVID-19 vaccination response.
Healthcare, Operations Management, Project Management, Continuous Improvement, Problem-Solving
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Myron Soyangco
Manager of Operations Excellence
Sharp HealthCare
UCLA
UCLA Anderson SOM - MBA
Chemistry
Healthcare, Medical & Wellness
Operations and Project Management
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Immigrant, Worked 20+ Hours in School, LGBTQ, Transfer Student
Video Highlights
1. Myron's career path demonstrates that a chemistry background can lead to a healthcare career beyond clinical roles. He leveraged internships and research experiences to transition from a chemistry degree to a position in cancer research and diagnostics at Novartis.
2. His current role as Manager of Operations Excellence showcases the value of continuous improvement and project management skills in healthcare. This highlights opportunities for diverse skillsets in hospital settings.
3. Myron's involvement in the Sharp COVID-19 Community vaccination response demonstrates the potential for significant contributions to public health through operational excellence roles within a healthcare system. This highlights the impact one can have in such a position and the diverse challenges one may encounter.
Transcript
Myron, could you walk me through your career path? Please start with your experiences in college, and any internships or jobs you had prior to your current role.
Specifically, how did you land that first job?
I went to UCLA for undergrad, majoring in chemistry with a dual focus on materials science and metallo-organic chemistry. I was pre-med for one quarter, but decided it wasn't for me. During that quarter, I joined several internship programs through UCLA, most notably the Students Stroke Force.
This was a hands-on internship through the UCLA hospital system, focused on clinical trial enrollment. When I graduated, I knew I wanted to be in the healthcare field, but not in a direct clinical role as a nurse or physician.
It was challenging to figure out what kind of role would be possible with a chemistry degree. Luckily, through my work with the Students Stroke Force, I was exposed to several companies, including Novartis. I looked into Novartis offices in Southern California.
They had a company called Genoptics, which was a cancer research and diagnostics company. This aligned with my chemistry, research, and clinical hospital experience. I applied for a role there. Honestly, they were the first to offer me a position, and I didn't want to be a new graduate who didn't accept an offer and never received another. So I took the role and worked there for three fun years as a cytogenetics chemist.
And now I'm a manager for operations excellence and performance improvement for Sharp Grossmont Hospital. It's one of the largest hospitals in San Diego and is the third busiest emergency room in California, if not west of the Mississippi.
Basically, I manage the continuous improvement program. This includes special projects ranging from finance and quality improvement to patient safety. I also famously headed the Sharp COVID-19 Community Vaccination Response as a special project within the hospital and healthcare system.