Dr. Prashanthi Baddam grows from surgeon to innovator with Executive MBA

Dr. Prashanthi Baddam (Executive MBA '26) had been working as a successful oral surgeon for 25 years when she began brainstorming a solution to an issue she noticed. But she knew she'd need more than just her surgical experience to make it happen, which led her to the Executive MBA at W. P. Carey.

An innovative business idea can strike anywhere, at any time. Dr. Prashanthi Baddam (Executive MBA '26) had been working as a successful oral surgeon for 25 years when she began brainstorming a solution to a recurring issue she noticed.

For older patients and those with limited dexterity, brushing their teeth was a much more difficult process than for others, which led to those groups losing teeth more often. Dr. Baddam came up with the idea for an appliance that would make the process easier.

But she knew she'd need more than just her experience as a surgeon to bring this idea to life. "I wanted to learn more about the business aspect," she says. "I wanted to learn more about the innovation steps and all of that. So that curiosity led me to explore the MBA."

After researching MBA programs from schools across the country, the Executive MBA at ASU's W. P. Carey School of Business stood out as the clear best option for Dr. Baddam. She spoke with W. P. Carey News about how the program has supported her journey from healthcare provider to business innovator.

Turning an idea into action

Coming into the Executive MBA program, Dr. Baddam had already received a patent for her oral hygiene appliance, but she needed guidance on how to proceed from there. Her extensive experience was in medicine, and launching a product and business was new ground for her.

"I just know how to be a doctor," says Dr. Baddam. "I don't know how to be an inventor or about innovation, techniques, and methods, and the MBA helped me understand these things."

The Executive MBA curriculum includes classes in essential business topics such as accounting, marketing, finance, and operations, as well as courses including Entrepreneurship and Innovation for Executives.

Through these courses, Dr. Baddam gained skills in areas of business she simply wasn't familiar with as a medical professional, like market research and investment outreach. This gave her the skills to transform her idea from a patent into a viable business opportunity.

"Leadership, innovation, how to manage my money and my time are all things I have learned through this MBA," says Dr. Baddam. "It's been very valuable."

Going beyond the OR

The impact of the Executive MBA hasn't been limited to Dr. Baddam's business venture. She believes it's made an incredibly positive impact on her everyday work as an oral surgeon.

"I didn't think that the MBA would make any difference for me on the patient side or clinical setting, but it did," she says. "It made me see my business as a whole, and it made me see patients as a part of that business, and I never looked at it that way before. It actually humanized my experience more, and I think it made me a better surgeon with my patients than I was before."

The leadership and communication skills she's developed and strengthened through the program have helped her relate to and interact with her patients more effectively, as well as help her better understand the dynamics of the teams she works with.

Dr. Baddam has been able to learn alongside seasoned professionals from a variety of industries in the Executive MBA, and the program's optional business in healthcare concentration — designed for students with similar backgrounds and career goals — made the program an especially great fit for her.

Building a network of support

The Executive MBA at W. P. Carey is intentionally designed with small cohorts to foster relationship building and a highly collaborative experience. The goal is for students to leave the program with lifelong relationships and a strong network of fellow executives across industries.

Dr. Baddam speaks highly of her cohort and the bonds that have formed over the course of the program. "Being part of this cohort has been the best thing that happened to me, and it's not just me that makes this cohort so special," she says. "All 31 of us actually work towards making this cohort special, all of us."

She adds, "If I have a question and I ask for help, within five minutes, I will have 20 of my cohort members asking me, 'How can I help?'"

Throughout the program, students work in small groups that rotate, allowing the cohort to get to know each other on a deeper level and collaborate with as many of their classmates as possible.

These strong relationships only add to the value of the Executive MBA for Dr. Baddam, who often recommends the program to her colleagues in the healthcare field. Even if they aren't working on a product idea as she is, she believes that having a stronger knowledge of business operations and strategy helps make better doctors as well.

"Understanding and keeping your staff, understanding patients, understanding how the business works, understanding your money and where it goes, your supply chain, all of that is an integral part of a business," says Dr. Baddam. "Having a course actually leaning into that makes you a better clinician too."