Selim Sheikh, D.O., M.B.A
Many of our graduate students are in the medical field and want a business background to complement their career path. Selim Sheikh, a May 2019 Paul & Virginia Engler College of Business graduate, is one of our many students with a similar story.
Degrees:
- Master of Business Administration, West Texas A&M University, May 2019
- Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine, May 2016
- Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies with honors, Rice University, May 2011
What brought you to the WTAMU MBA Program?
I was drawn to the MBA program at WT because of its breadth of course offerings, its flexibility for working professionals, and its reputation not only regionally but also nationally. I sought a formal business education to help me navigate the managerial and financial aspects of healthcare and medical practice as these are not taught in medical school but are essential to healthcare delivery and practicing management. I was also familiar with WT because of my mother who is a COB alumna. We had made trips to Canyon as I was growing up to visit her old friends and I was always impressed by the campus and knew of its great reputation in the region.
What was your biggest challenge in the program?
My biggest challenge in the program was balancing the demands of coursework with those of my medical specialty training, and of my toddler. However, my experience with the online program has been great. At times, my work limited me to completing coursework at odd hours, and the online platform allowed me to regularly engage with my fellow classmates and with my professors in a meaningful way.
Tell us about an influential faculty or course at WT:
Dr. Shaffer’s seminar course in leadership challenged me to pause and think about how I spend my time day to day and how I approach workplace dynamics. I find myself still utilizing lessons I learned from that course as I am transitioning into new roles at my institution.
What is your Post-MBA Plan?
Alongside my MBA graduation, I have recently graduated from family medicine residency and am assuming a faculty position in the Department of Family Medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine. I am also president-elect of my local family medicine society.
Jenny Sheikh, M.P.A.
In 1976, I decided to come to the United States for graduate school. At that time my brother and sister-in-law were studying for their Master’s degree at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. I wanted to be close to them so I applied to West Texas State University. I was so excited when I received admission and decided to come to Canyon.
I graduated from National Taiwan University with a bachelor’s degree in law. I changed my focus once coming to the US and sought a career in accounting and completed my Masters of Professional Accounting degree at WT.
My years at WT were the best time of my life! There were many international Chinese students at WT at the time, and most of us were from Taiwan. The friendships I made over 40 years ago remain just as strong today. In 2015, I made a trip to Taiwan, and we had a WT alumni reunion in Taipei.
After graduation, I moved to Houston and started my accounting career which included working at a CPA firm, in health care, and in marine transportation. I retired in 2017. My roommate Grace Liu stayed in Amarillo after graduation. We have kept in touch and a few years ago I went to visit her along with my son Selim. Selim and I drove to Canyon to see the WT campus. Of course, it has significantly changed since I was there. We toured the campus and dined at the Pizza Hut across from the campus where I used to frequent with my friends when I was at WT. This trip brought back many pleasant memories for me, and it also gave Selim a very good impression about WT. He decided to pursue an MBA degree and chose WTAMU’s program because of its academic excellence and great reputation.
For more information about Graduate Programs in the Engler College of Business, contact gradbusprograms@wtamu.edu or 806-651-2500.