In Yogi's own words...

In one word, my ELAM experience was transformative. As a physician leader returning to academia after a career in hospital administration, ELAM legitimized my place amongst the medical school and university leadership. No accomplishment in the business community has matched my selection and successful completion of ELAM amongst my academic peers. This has given me the opportunity to bring a dual skill set to the clinical infrastructure of our emerging Academic Health Center: a balancing act between good business principles and good scholarship. Since graduation, I have relied on my LC for counsel for my career and work/life issues. I consider myself fortunate to have a trusted inner circle that is both honest and supportive. The ELAM staff has also been helpful in connecting me to ELUMs who share my career goals.

I give back to ELAM in a number of ways: I actively advocate for ELAM on my campus with my Dean and senior leadership; I continue to donate annually; Dr. Karin Esposito, an ELUM, and I have committed to giving each other trusted, regular feedback as we build our careers at FIU.

About Yolangel Hernandez Suarez, MD

Dr. Yolangel ("Yogi") Hernandez Suarez is the Chief Executive Officer for Florida International University (FIU) Health Care Network, Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education and Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Dr. Hernandez Suarez has spent a career building bridges among hospitals, academia and the community to create value for systems, patients and learners. Born and raised in New York City, she attended Swarthmore College and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She trained in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics. She holds a Master of Business Administration with specialization in Health Administration and Policy from the University of Miami School Of Business.

Dr. Hernandez Suarez has lived in Miami since 1992. She ran a successful OB/GYN practice for over a decade at Mount Sinai Medical Center and spent several years on the faculty at the University of Miami Miller School Of Medicine teaching residents and students. Dr. Hernandez Suarez has spent the latter part of her career in physician leadership and development, recently serving as Chief Administrative Officer of Ambulatory Services at Jackson Health System. She has been with FIU since January 2010. In her current role as CEO for FIU Health, she has oversight of the emerging clinical enterprise of FIU's Academic Health Center.

Dr. Hernandez Suarez is the Founding Chair of the Miami-Dade Health Action Network and a 2008 National Public Hospital Fellow "Future Leader of Public Hospitals." She served on the leadership committee of the historic $14M CDC grant received by Miami-Dade County "Communities Putting Primary Care to Work." She was named one of South Florida's Most Influential Business Women in 2012 by South Florida Business Journal. Most recently she was selected 2014 AXA Businesswoman of the Year in the Healthcare division.