Hi there! My name is Kalyn Saulsberry and I am going into my second year at Anderson (Class of 2021). I grew up in St. Louis then went to Harvard for undergrad where I studied history with a focus on the history of science and medicine. Despite enjoying medical shows like Grey’s Anatomy, I ruled out a career path as a doctor, yet I still wanted to be in the healthcare space because there are so many complex problems to be solved and so many opportunities to improve people’s lives. I started my career in healthcare consulting in Washington, DC, and later worked in a community hospital here in LA.

I decided to get my MBA because I wanted to complement my educational background in liberal arts with additional skills in accounting and finance. Anderson became my top choice not only due to the wide array of healthcare opportunities through the Healthcare Business Association, but also because of its commitment to social impact. This was important to me because throughout my career, I was always active in my community. While at Anderson, I have been able to further explore this passion through the Net Impact Board Fellows program which allows me to sit on the board of a local nonprofit, Chrysalis, which is dedicated to workforce development.

I spent my summer working at UCLA Health in their international services department. My main project centered on evaluating an opportunity for the academic medical center to build a clinic internationally. My work centered on understanding the competitive landscape and financial considerations across different markets. I also got to collaborate with other interns in my cohort on a project focused on improving patient experience.

While many internships were virtual this summer, I had the opportunity to participate onsite. Here’s what a day-in-the-life looked like:

7:00 AM – I like to start my days gently and since I live so close to the beach in Santa Monica, it’s nice to get up, take a walk, then enjoy breakfast and a bit of tea before getting ready.

8:30 AM – Time to drive to work. It’s not too long of a drive between Santa Monica and UCLA Health (which is also not too far from campus), so I queue up a short podcast and head out armed with my mask and hand sanitizer.

9 AM – Get set up for the day by responding to emails, reading daily healthcare newsletters, and preparing for meetings with project stakeholders.

10AM – Lean academy. This is a unique experience for the intern cohort at UCLA Health. Lean academy has educational sessions that cover a different concept related to Lean methodology each week. These sessions are also a great time to catch up with the rest of the intern cohort and discuss progress on our individual projects. The sessions are led by fellow Anderson alum, William Taylor, from the FEMBA program. It’s nice to see another Bruin!

12 PM – 1:1 with my manager to run through a draft of my financial models for two different international markets. We work together to identify different ways to adjust what we know about local clinics to international markets. This is a good time for me to test the assumptions within the models while learning from my supervisor who knows the international space so well.

1PM – Time for research. I spend the afternoon conducting primary and secondary research to better understand not only what UCLA Health should build internationally, but where. I speak with physicians, strategy leaders, and finance experts to understand different perspectives and opportunities. I also read up on what other academic medical centers are doing internationally.

3PM – Cohort project time. I am working with three other interns on a project related to patient experience. I head over to the hospital with one of my intern teammates to conduct observations on different units. This is a great opportunity to see practices we learned in Lean academy play out in real-time. Once in the hospital, we were able to go up to the helipad and were surprised to see a helicopter land there!

5PM – Time to synthesize my notes for the day and gather insights for my different projects. Since the days are so full, it is important to take this time to make sense of it all so I can stay organized in preparation for my final presentation at the end of the internship.

6PM – Drive home while listening to some relaxing music. Once I’m home, my partner and I like to cook together and practice our dance moves from the lessons we were taking pre-COVID. After dinner, it’s a good time to call friends and family and most likely catch up on a Netflix show.

ABOUT KALYN

• Hometown: St. Louis, MO
• Undergraduate Studies: Harvard University
• Pre-Anderson: Program Manager, COPE Health Solutions
• MBA Summer Internship: International Services Intern, UCLA Health
• Post-MBA Goals: General Management
• Leadership@Anderson: VP of Special Projects & Yield, Admissions Ambassador Corps; VP of Admissions, Black Business Students Association & Women’s Business Connection; VP of Operations, Healthcare Business Association
• Activities@Anderson: Net Impact (Board Fellow), Ally at Alliance for LatinX Management at Anderson, Wine Club at Anderson