Name: Derek Helderman

Degree and graduation year: Master of Health Administration, 2022, executive modality

Current position: Program Analyst, VA St. Louis Health Care System

What have you been up to since graduating from the MHA program at Mizzou?

I graduated from the Mizzou MHA Executive program in December 2022. At this same time, I accepted a promotion as a Program Analyst (Informatics) within the newly formed Technology, Innovation, and Development Service (TID) at the St. Louis VA Health Care System. I’d worked at the St. Louis VA for about seven years prior to this. I’m a Registered Dietitian by background, but I had a strong interest in informatics and data analytics. Our team within TID focuses on using technology and innovation to develop and deploy tools that can help improve the care and services we deliver. We also do some standard data analytics type work querying, modeling, and visualizing data to provide valuable information that our leaders can use to make data-driven decisions.

I have spent a lot of time recently developing Microsoft Power Platform tools—particularly Power Apps and Power Automate—to help services replace manual, time consuming processes with more digital and automated solutions. I have spent parts of the last couple years that I’ve been working in TID acting as the Chief of our service, and that’s been a really valuable and rewarding learning experience.

When it comes to your career so far, what are you most proud of?

I have had a really varied career so far. As I said previously, I’m a Registered Dietitian by background. I’ve done some “typical” RD jobs – I worked as an outpatient bariatric dietitian for a few years, and I spent a lot of time managing room service systems within healthcare food service operations. My first job was working for a marketing company that contracted with a cooperative of independent grocery stores across the Midwest. I’ve now been at the VA St. Louis Healthcare System for about nine years. When I reflect back on all of this, I think the thing that’s been the most rewarding and what I’m most proud of are the connections I’ve made with people. I love getting to know people and what motivates them, whether it’s food service workers I’ve managed in hospital kitchens or surgeons with whom I’ve worked. I’ve found that making connections with people has been personally rewarding and fulfilling, but it’s also been a really constant, common thread in how I’ve managed to advance and grow my career.

How did your experience in the MHA program prepare you for your career?

My experience completing the Executive MHA program was really, really great. First off, the Executive format is really conducive to being a working professional and completing an education. David Moxley does such an incredible job managing the program.

Personally, it was really beneficial to spend a lot of time learning and thinking about the complex nature of the American health care system. Dr. Brian Hensel is just the best, and I considered it a real privilege to learn from someone with such a unique combination of skills and experiences. It’s often hard to relate purely academic concepts to the real world, but Dr. Hensel has real-life experience managing healthcare systems, spent time on Capitol Hill during the ACA legislative process, and is just a wealth of knowledge on the intricacies of our health care system.

Using this knowledge about the overall American health care system has been really beneficial in understanding how the VA health care system fits within that broader context.

What advice do you have for MHA students who want to follow a similar career path?

Be intentional about forming connections with the people with whom you work and interact. It will be personally and professionally rewarding and fulfilling. It really is all about who you know. The MHA program will prepare you well academically, but it’s on you to do the work of forming connections to get you to the place you want to be professionally and personally.

What is a favorite memory from your time in the program or a class that you really enjoyed?

I unfortunately completed the Executive Program right in the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, which really impacted our cohort in terms of the delivery of course content. Some of us were in person and others were virtual, which did limit the chance we had to get to know one another.

The class I enjoyed the most during my time in the program was Dr. Brian Hensel’s Health Policy and Politics. I love American history and politics, and this was just such a fascinating study of how those things intersect with our health care system and the policies and politics that drive it.

Why should potential students get their MHA from Mizzou?

I can only speak to the Executive program, but I personally found it to be the perfect balance of in-person learning and flexible virtual learning and teamwork with those in my cohort. When I started looking at MHA programs, I specifically did not want to complete something entirely online. I also knew that trying to do a master’s degree fully in-person one or two nights per week with a young child at home would be a huge burden to say the least. The ability to spend one weekend a month in Columbia and complete projects and other learning virtually on my own time was just a perfect fit.

I also think prospective students would be hard-pressed to find staff and administrators who are more committed to helping them succeed. I just found the program to be a great blend of welcoming, flexible and academically challenging.