Name: Kartik Deshmukh
Class: 2022
Career Interests: Healthcare, Pharma/Biotech, Med Devices
After being trained as a Medical Doctor in India, Kartik Deshmukh (Fuqua, ‘22) decided he wanted to pursue an MBA to transition to the commercial side of the pharmaceutical industry. After going through the MBA application process, Kartik enrolled at the Fuqua School of Business. During this interview, Kartik spoke about his decision to pursue an MBA, the evaluation criteria that he used to select schools and ultimately why he decided to attend Fuqua.
MBASchooled: What did you do before business school, and why did you choose to apply?
I was trained as a MD at a medical school in India till 2017. Having read about Roy Vagelos during my MD and tired of following the conventional medical career norms in India, I decided to transition to the pharmaceutical industry instead of pursuing the traditional path of residency and clinical practice. I worked as a Medical Science Liaison in Abbott for a year, and later transitioned to Cipla(An Indian company) to lead the medical affairs team for Respiratory diseases( where I worked for 2 years).
I chose to apply to Business school in US because 1) US is the biggest healthcare market, and I wanted to experience the US healthcare market post-MBA as well 2) I wanted to transition to the commercial side of the pharmaceutical industry, and MBA would help me develop the necessary skill sets and opportunities to make that transition. Fuqua was a natural fit for me because of its healthcare program, and strong recruiting statistics in healthcare.
MBASchooled: What were the most important questions you asked in order to help make your admissions decision?
- Culture of the school, and personal “fit” with the culture
- Location: I wanted to settle down somewhere on the east coast
- Alumni presence in the desired industry and target companies
- Healthcare program
- Experiential opportunities
- Community
MBASchooled: What has been your favorite experience at Fuqua so far?
I always wanted to work with a medical device startup, dealing with cancers. At Fuqua, I got to work with a startup specialising in cancer diagnostics, and pitch the same to investors to secure funding ( Like SharkTank!). Though it was a completely new arena for me, I felt confident throughout the process since I had the resources and the Fuqua community to support me throughout the process. It combined my love for research with business; I literally got to see the cell growths and sequence the RNA of these cells. I met many brilliant researchers, clinicians and biomedical engineers during the development of a commercialization plan, and I learnt a lot from them.
MBASchooled: After spending a semester at Fuqua, what’s something that you now know about Fuqua that you wish you knew when you applied ?
Though I felt I had researched Fuqua well, I wasn’t aware of the opportunities across different schools in Duke University. I was amazed by the presence of really cool healthcare projects (across the University) where Fuqua students can have a positive impact. The breast cancer startup I worked with was a part of Duke School of medicine, and I wish I knew about such projects before; I would have joined them on my first day itself rather than waiting for 4-5 months.
MBASchooled: Oftentimes, the word “culture” gets thrown around when talking about MBA programs. Can you characterize the culture at Fuqua ? Can you share an example of an experience that you think personifies what this means?
I would characterise the culture at Fuqua as collaborative and team-driven. It starts with the CLEAD team, with whom I did my academic assignments. An example of the culture is evident during the recruiting season.
During the interview season, my CLEAD team members (who were done with recruiting) shouldered the responsibilities for the assignment during the difficult and honestly made my journey a lot easier. Fuqua has been my favorite academic experience so far, and I have never been so relaxed yet intellectually stimulated at the same time.
MBASchooled: Now that you’ve been at Fuqua for a semester, is there a specific moment or highlight where you felt confident that you made the right decision?
I hadn’t even thought in my wildest dreams that I would ever get an opportunity to work with my dream company. In early Jan 2021, I received an offer from the same company. And I had a flashback of the countless calls with the CMC Coach who helped me define my strategy and even helped me draft emails to the recruiter. This made me confident that I had made the right decision.
MBASchooled: As an MBA Admissions Ambassador, you talk to many prospective MBA students. What questions should admits ask before making a decision?
- Culture of the school
- Recruiting stats in your desired industry
- Alumni network of the school in your post-mba industry
- Social life
MBASchooled: What advice do you have for admitted students on how they can make the best decision?
I would advise students to look beyond the rankings of the business schools, and evaluate the “fit” for the business school.