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"[The MBA Program at USF]
allowed me to see things with another perspective; it gave me an
additional focus and additional tools."
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The Value of
Education: A Profile of
Alumnus Rear Admiral Adam Robinson |
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For most of his life,
Rear Admiral Adam Robinson knew he wanted to become a physician like
his father. Though he entered college as a music major, he ended up
obtaining a Doctor of Medicine from the Indiana University School of
Medicine, Indianapolis. Robinson did this through the Armed Forces
Health Professions Scholarship Program, which paid for his
schooling. But Robinson soon learned that a free education was only
part of the pay off. “The reason I joined
the military was purely monetary.” said Robinson. “I needed a way to
pay for medical school. However, I found that it was a wonderful way
to give back to the country a small token through national service.”
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Robinson has practiced medicine throughout the U.S. and the world.
His first assignment was as a General Medical Officer at the Branch
Medical Clinic in Fort Allen, Puerto Rico. He also served as a
staff surgeon at the U.S. Hospital in Yokosuka, Japan.
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In 1990, Robinson reported to the Naval Medical Center in
Portsmouth, Virginia as the Head of the General Surgery Department.
It was there that he realized the importance of not only a clinical
focus, but a business focus as well. “I was in charge of
approximately 100 people and had a budget of two or three million
dollars,” said Robinson. “I needed more education on how to best
allocate and manage it more effectively.”
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For this reason, Robinson began considering the possibility of
obtaining an MBA degree. He came across the University of South
Florida’s Executive MBA for physicians program and knew he needed to
look into it. “I became very interested when USF first advertised
their EMBA program because they had a track specifically tailored to
physicians,” said Robinson.
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Rear Admiral Adam
Robinson |
Robinson liked the flexibility the program
afforded him. The schedule didn’t require him to be on campus every
day and he was allowed to work at a more accommodating pace. But,
said Robinson, “Professor Maryanne Rouse, who was a wonderful
lecturer, informed me that I was expected to do quality work that
was to be completed on time. This impressed me because it let me
know that this program was serious; it was going to be a challenge,
but with an exceptional focus.”
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Robinson enjoyed his time at the College of Business Administration,
and enjoyed the diversity of the class. Some of his classmates were
also members of the military, but all were from “different walks of
life.”
“There was representation from different practices from diverse
parts of the U.S.,” said Robinson. “It was the ultimate seminar; a
unique time to expand my knowledge of what was going on in U.S.
medicine.” |
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Robinson graduated from USF in 1994 and currently serves as the
Commander of the Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He has
authored numerous presentations and publications, and holds
fellowships in the American College of Surgeons and the American
Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery. He is a member of the Le
Societe Internationale de Chirurgie, the Society of Black Academic
Surgeons, and the National Business School Scholastic Society, Beta
Gamma Sigma.
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“The MBA program at USF broadened my way of thinking and what type
of analysis I did for my varying commands. It allowed me to see
things with another perspective; it gave me an additional focus and
additional tools,” said Robinson. “My advice is to garner the
knowledge offered at USF and gain the degree." |
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College
of Business Administration Quarterly Newsletter