MBA Health Student Spotlight: Angel Gonzalez De Le Fuente

Tell me more about your background – It would be great to find out more about your education and career so far.

I graduated from Medicine, University of Valladolid (Spain), in 2014 and from 2015 to 2019, I was trained as a Family Doctor. During these last 3 years, I have completed a postgraduate Master’s in Research Methodology in Health Sciences by the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona, and by September 2022 I will have finished the MSc in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). 

I consider myself a physician-scientist-teacher, currently working as a General Practitioner and teaching as an Assistant Lecturer in Biostatistics and Public Health within the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health of the University of Burgos. I greatly enjoy my clinical work with patients, and it is fantastic to be able to combine clinical work with my other roles - they enrich and inform each other.

Why did you choose to apply for the UCL MBA Health?

I am a General Practitioner, concerned about the present and the future of our health systems that, far from being in doubt, should be protected and strengthened in these coming post-pandemic years. I am a university lecturer, who loves teaching and who still loves learning, which is why I decided to start studying Public Health at LSHTM. Because of this international background and this strong network, I think this MBA Health makes good sense as the next step to take in my professional career. In selecting this MBA Health at UCL, I have been influenced both by UCL traditional academic prestige and the possibility of being part of this new faculty from the moment of its birth, with all that it entails.

What aspect of the UCL MBA Health programme are you most excited by?

Everything. As I’ve said, I am particularly looking forward to being part of this new Global Business School for Health. Enrolling UCL postgraduate and research degrees, becoming a UCL alumni, and therefore meeting new people (both colleagues and professors) and being able to constantly learn from them through their different perspectives on healthcare is an outstanding opportunity. My feedback so far couldn't be better. I've had the opportunity to virtually meet Julie and Preethi and some of my future colleagues through social media and I can't wait to get to London and get started!

Is healthcare management an area more business schools should be exploring? If so, why?

Definitely. The COVID-19 pandemic has again reminded all of us of these key qualities of a good functioning health system and its current vulnerabilities. Being a clinician by training, I have never been formally taught in this particular subject I don’t start from 0, but I am aware that it is going to be a big effort on my part, but I am sure it will be worth it. I believe that this very first cohort, with its very different backgrounds, is very well balanced, and therefore it will be a great opportunity for sharing knowledge and experiences from our past jobs and apply them to this MBA.

Is there a particular area of global healthcare management that you are interested in? If so, why?

I am General Practitioner and therefore I am interested in Primary Health Care and Integrated Health Care services. Besides, I am also interested in the people who are part of our health system at the micro level: patients and healthcare providers. Fragmentation of Health systems is becoming another burden of disease for patients. And we must tackle the increasing dissatisfaction and shortage among our healthcare providers, so there is a need to explore are patients’ and providers’ understandings and attitudes towards our current healthcare system to get prepared for the future.

What value do you feel a UCL MBA Health will add to your career moving forward?

Being a doctor, I would like to be part of rebuilding our valuable health systems by revitalising the professional environment and innovate the ways of working of our healthcare providers through performing state of this program that should result in health policy learning and practice advice co-developed with and for our stakeholders, inspired by the most recent international best practices. I would therefore like to be part of this programme and learn from experts at the GBSH at UCL, which will allow me to learn in-depth about the current situation of healthcare delivery and the applied strategies at national, sub-national and local levels in different countries.

Honestly, I don't know where I see myself in a year's time. I know that I am going to have a lot of fun this year and that I am going to learn beyond my (very high) expectations, for sure. I know it is going to be a big challenge, but I am passionate about the idea and really looking forward to mid-September. I love the university environment and I have always had in mind the idea of continuing with a PhD but, for the moment, I prefer not to have a set path and be open to all the options that may arise.

What advice would you give to prospective students thinking about applying for the UCL MBA Health?

Definitely just go for it!

Learn more about the UCL MBA Health