Joining the healthcare field after traveling the world and shooting free throws in front of thousands is quite the change of pace. However, 2016 BYU Marriott Executive MPA graduate Anson Winder, who was a member of BYU’s men’s basketball team from 2010-2015, is now finding success working as a category leader and contract manager for Intermountain Healthcare. While Winder still enjoys the feeling of slamming down a dunk, his newfound passion is serving others through healthcare transformation.
Following his first year in the MPA program, Winder, who currently resides in Pleasant Grove, Utah, interned at Utah Valley Hospital in Provo, which is part of the Intermountain system. After his internship, Winder accepted a full-time position at the hospital as a surgical-services business manager. To accommodate a full-time work schedule, Winder switched to BYU Marriott’s EMPA program, which allowed him to work during the day and take night classes at the BYU Salt Lake Center or at BYU a few times a week.
Though the change meant that Winder took two-and-a-half years to graduate instead of two, taking classes through the EMPA program while working allowed him to apply what he learned in his classes at his work. “I wasn’t expecting to see the skills I learned in my grad school classes immediately translate to the workplace, but they truly did,” says Winder. “I was in statistics, economics, organizational behavior, and some human resources classes that were super beneficial because I would learn more about a topic, and like clockwork, within a week there would be an opportunity to apply what I had learned in the workplace.”
At Intermountain, Winder’s success in his work ultimately serves to benefit others. “What makes me most passionate about my job is that I gain a sense of fulfillment knowing that what I do on a daily basis impacts my friends, family, people I know, and even people I don’t know within my community,” says Winder.
Intermountain patients recently saw Winder’s impact when he negotiated with total-knee, joint-, and hip- replacement suppliers to lower the cost of care. “Essentially, the project entailed reducing the cost of medical devices and implants for our patients while keeping all of our current suppliers on contract,” says Winder. “At Intermountain Healthcare, we’re most proud of projects like this one where we can positively impact expenses and charges that patients will be liable for.”
In addition to helping reduce costs for Intermountain patients, Winder also shares the success and fulfillment he has gained from his time as a BYU basketball player by helping coach the boy's basketball team at Wasatch High School in Heber City, Utah. For Winder, coaching allows him to pass on more than just basketball skills and techniques. “Coaching isn’t just about passing down basketball knowledge,” says Winder. “I try to relay life skills to the players so they have an understanding of life outside of basketball as well. Sharing some of what I know to the Wasatch team members and seeing them incorporate that knowledge both on and off the court has been awesome.”
For Winder, BYU Marriott’s MPA program offers a game plan that he can support. “The MPA program has been such a blessing for me in my life and has truly guided me to where I am today both personally and professionally,” says Winder. “I definitely encourage people who are interested in getting a graduate degree to consider the MPA program because of its ability to offer such a wide range of immediately applicable skills that can translate to any industry.”
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Writer: Natalia Green
