Ajarat M. Bada
Graduation Year: 2015
Occupation: Business and Organizational Designer, Kaiser Permanente, United States

How is your current work/research supporting in the fight against the current COVID-19 pandemic? 

I currently work as a Clinical Designer for one of the largest private healthcare organizations in North America. Currently, we are redesigning the way healthcare is delivered in the home. A post-COVID-19 world is a world where working from home will become the new norm for a larger percentage of people. This means that businesses - including healthcare providers - that hope to reach and meaningfully engage customers in this 'new home space' will have to be innovative and transformative in their approaches.

What skills and knowledge did you gain at HBKU that have proved essential to your success in your current role? 

At HBKU, I did a Master’s in Public Policy so that I am better able to understand the policymaking and delivery process.

How is the work/research you are currently involved in contributing to your personal and professional development? 

I am a nurse by training and typically on the receiving end of healthcare policies and solutions. As a clinical designer, I am able to contribute to designing the efficient healthcare system that I have always wanted to work in.

Key outcomes and lessons in dealing with the current pandemic that will go on to advance your industry?

We have to be able to bring efficient and excellent care to the home space and this care must be on a par with what we provide in more controlled settings like hospitals and clinics.

What are your future career ambitions?

My goals are to work in diplomacy, advocating for and implementing policies and projects that better lives of the 99 percent, the disenfranchised, the common man and most marginalized people in our world.