Rajisha Shah

Master of Health Administration, Class of 2023

Mumbai, India
Certificate/Specializations: Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
Activities/Organizations: President, Rutgers Graduate Society of Healthcare Leaders; Student Associate, American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE); Student member, Healthcare Finance Management Association (HFMA)

Rajisha Shah MHA ‘23 recently completed a business development internship at XN-Health, a medical device startup.

“Working in a business development capacity gave me a holistic experience from a management standpoint,” she said. “I worked alongside healthcare consultants to determine market size for our innovative device, built a six-year quarterly forecast financial model, and conducted outreach for key opinion-leader feedback for the device.”

Prior to joining the Rutgers MHA program, Rajisha earned a Bachelor’s in Physiotherapy from KJ Somaiya College of Physiotherapy and a Master’s in Physical Therapy-Neurology from Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences, both in India. She practiced as a physical therapist for three years in her own rehabilitation clinic setup for differently abled children in India and also as the COO of a home healthcare start-up.

She made the decision to apply to the Rutgers MHA after speaking with the diverse faculty who have practiced in healthcare in various settings. “My father is a physician, so the desire to give back to the community has been part of my life since childhood. I have always been passionate about healthcare. The decision to move from the clinical side to management and make a difference at the granular level was a natural choice for me.”

Rajisha is the president of the Rutgers Graduate Society of Healthcare Leaders and has helped plan student networking opportunities, including inviting professional industry leaders to speak. She was recently chosen as an Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) Foster G. McGaw Scholarship recipient.

A coffee lover and a self-proclaimed bookworm, she said one of her favorite ways to unwind on the weekends is with a “cup of joe and a good non-fiction book.” Rajisha also participates in Toastmasters International, which feeds her love of public speaking. “It has helped me speak confidently to leaders across various levels of hierarchy and made me confident in my presentation skills,” especially in university-level healthcare case competitions with her colleagues. With her Rutgers colleagues, her case competition teams have finished among the finalists at the Cleveland Clinic Case Competition, third place at the Seton Hall Case Competition, and qualified as semifinalists at the Penn State Case Competition.

“All of these experiences have sharpened my data analysis, stakeholder management, and relationship-building skills. My career trajectory has helped me realize my competencies in healthcare management, and I look forward to further developing those skills,” she said.

ADVICE FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

Remember only the first step is the hardest. Once you take that step, everything flows! Reach out to professors, ask questions, make use of the resources at your disposal, and volunteer. It may seem overwhelming in the beginning, but these efforts result in long-term wins. Academics and extra-curricular activities are both equally important.