At the end of his father’s life in 2020, Taha Nasir found himself spending unending hours in the hospital surrounded by the complexity of the healthcare system. That difficult time shaped a new career goal for Nasir: to work on improving healthcare systems by joining his two passions, business and health, into a career in healthcare management.
Now a 2025 graduate of the Department of Health Policy and Management’s (HPM) online Master of Health Administration (MHA) program at UMD School of Public Health (SPH), Nasir oversees operational and financial activities for 70 employees, 26 providers, 1,200 monthly patients and a $16 million budget, leading the oncology service line at GW Medical Faculty Associates.
“The program provided a strong foundation in healthcare operations, finance, and leadership,” said Nasir. “This program has been invaluable to my professional development. It provides you with a really solid foundation of healthcare and healthcare leadership.”
Nasir works hospital hours, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and so SPH’s online MHA program was perfect for him. Balancing work, school and personal life, he was able to complete most of his assignments on weekday nights and weekends thanks to the course’s online asynchronous setup.
Nasir now manages a fast-moving schedule filled with staff, provider and patient meetings. Each day, he stays closely tied to the patient experience through regular clinic rounds and collaboration with staff and providers to understand patient needs and support improvements in their care journey.
I’m really happy with the foundation of knowledge I built through the program, and... [with] the skills I developed to really drive change in our healthcare system for our shared community.
While Nasir had always planned on pursuing an online master’s degree, his connection with Dr. Negin Fouladi, program director, academic career development advisor, and instructor of several courses in HPM’s online MHA and online MPH in Practice and Policy, convinced him the program was a perfect fit. Nasir, who graduated in 2025 at SPH in 2023, chose to come back to UMD over other programs as he felt guided and supported by Fouladi and other online faculty.
“Taha has focused on advancing access and operational efficiency across the ambulatory and oncology service lines. His work includes improving care coordination, optimizing clinic operations and supporting initiatives that enhance the overall patient journey,” said Fouladi, who is also a clinical professor in health policy and management.
“These efforts reflect the online MHA program’s commitment to developing leaders who improve healthcare delivery and contribute meaningfully to the communities we serve.”
Nasir praises the online program for shaping his skills and commitment to community-care.
“I’m really happy with the foundation of knowledge I built through the program, and I'm even more excited about being able to take the skills I developed to really drive change in our healthcare system for our shared community,” Nasir said.