Samantha Wilik: Business on the Frontlines

MBA Diaries | Business on the Frontlines

Samantha Wilk, ‘24 MBA

Director of Physician Services at Medicentres Canada

As the latest entry in our MBA Diaries, we speak to Samantha Wilk, who took her MBA beyond the classroom with the Business on the Frontlines Program. Here, Sam speaks about the impact of tying business strategy to real community impact, leading with context before strategy and reframing her definition of success.

Can you share a stand out moment or highlight from your time in the Business on the Frontlines (BOTFL) program?

One highlight from my time in the Business on the Frontlines program was realizing how powerful it is when business strategy is directly tied to real community impact. Working through complex, real-world challenges where resources are limited, stakeholders have very different priorities and solutions have to be practical, not just theoretical, really reinforced for me that good strategy only matters if it’s implementable and sustainable.

Is there something that surprised you, or that you didn't expect, with the BOTFL program?

I was surprised by how humbling the experience was. You realize very quickly that what works in a traditional corporate or structured healthcare environment doesn’t always translate directly into community-based or resource-constrained settings. It pushed me to become more adaptable, more curious and more focused on co-creating solutions rather than trying to “solve” problems independently.

Are there any skills or insights you learned from your time in the BOTFL program that are still applicable for you today?

Absolutely! One of the biggest takeaways from BOTFL that still applies to my work today is the importance of leading with context before strategy. The program really reinforced that you can’t design effective solutions until you deeply understand the environment, incentives and lived realities of the people you’re working with. That mindset shows up constantly in healthcare — whether it’s physician recruitment, onboarding design or building retention strategies — because every community, clinic and physician situation is different.

Another lasting skill was structured problem solving in ambiguous environments. BOTFL pushed me to get comfortable making decisions without perfect data, balancing multiple stakeholder priorities and focusing on solutions that are actually implementable, not just theoretically “best.” That’s incredibly relevant in healthcare operations and workforce planning, where you’re constantly balancing patient access, physician experience, regulatory realities and financial sustainability.

Was there a hard moment during the program — and what helped you through it?

Yes, there were definitely moments during the program where I felt uncomfortable in ways I didn’t expect. I’m someone who is used to moving quickly, solving problems and creating structure and BOTFL put me in situations where none of that was immediately possible. There were times where I felt like I didn’t have enough information, didn’t fully understand the context yet or was worried that I wasn’t adding value fast enough. Sitting in that uncertainty was honestly hard.

I had to get comfortable asking more questions, listening more than talking and accepting that sometimes the most valuable thing you can do is build relationships and understanding before trying to fix anything.

It also forced me to reflect on my own definition of success. Instead of measuring progress by speed or output, I started measuring it by connection, trust and whether we were moving in a direction that the community actually wanted and needed. That shift has stayed with me. It made me a more patient leader, a better listener and honestly more comfortable being human in leadership, not just being the person who is supposed to have it all figured out.

Why did you decide to pursue an MBA at the Alberta School of Business?

I decided to pursue an MBA at the Alberta School of Business at a point when I knew I was ready for a shift. I had spent about ten years in medical sales, and I loved the pace, the relationship building and the problem solving that came with helping clinicians and healthcare organizations adopt new technologies and solutions. But over time, I found myself becoming more curious about the decisions happening behind the scenes — the strategy, the resource allocation, the long-term planning that ultimately shaped how care was delivered.

There were moments in my career where I could see the bigger picture challenges: access to care, workforce shortages, operational pressures, and I realized I didn’t just want to be part of executing solutions. I wanted to be part of designing them. I wanted to understand how strong business strategy, leadership and system thinking could actually change outcomes for providers and patients.

The Alberta School of Business felt like the right place to make that transition. The program is practical, collaborative and grounded in real-world application. When I learned about opportunities like Business on the Frontlines: it reinforced that this was a program that believed business should create real impact, not just strong financial results and that really resonated with me given my background in healthcare.

Pursuing my MBA wasn’t about changing industries, it was about changing the level at which I could contribute. It gave me the tools and confidence to step into strategy and leadership roles, and to think more intentionally about how business decisions shape healthcare systems, physician experiences and ultimately patient care.

How has your experience at the Alberta School of Business impacted your career?

Collaborating with people from completely different backgrounds and skill sets was impactful, because it pushed me to think beyond traditional business frameworks and focus more on listening, adaptability, and long-term relationship building. That experience strengthened how I approach leadership and problem solving today, especially in healthcare where success depends on balancing operational realities, human factors and system-level thinking all at once.

Do you have any advice for future MBA students interested in applying to BOTFL? Or more generally, do you have any advice for students interested in pursuing an MBA at the Alberta School of Business?

For Business on the Frontlines specifically, my biggest advice is to focus less on trying to “prove” your skills and more on trying to understand the environment you’re stepping into. The program isn’t about having the fastest or most polished solution, it's about listening well, building trust and working with people to design something that is realistic and sustainable. The students who get the most out of it are the ones who are willing to ask questions, sit in ambiguity and collaborate deeply across different perspectives.

More generally, for students considering an MBA at the Alberta School of Business, I would say: treat the program as a leadership lab, not just an academic program. The biggest growth often happens outside the classroom — through team projects, conversations with classmates from different industries and experiences like BOTFL. Some of the most valuable lessons come from navigating team dynamics, leading through uncertainty and learning how to communicate ideas to people who think very differently than you do.