Michaila Dix (MHA ‘22) Takes Lessons, Experiences Learned at SLU to New Role at Mayo Clinic

Saint Louis University Master of Health Administration alumna, Michaila Dix (2022), is now an Operations Manager in the Department of Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix.

Upon graduating from Saint Louis University two years ago, Dix entered an administrative fellowship with Mayo Clinic, equipped with a SLU MHA degree and a passion for enacting positive change.

Since, Dix has been utilizing her experiences and work to transition to a full-time position with Mayo Clinic. As Operations Manager, she coordinates outpatient clinic operations for physicians and allied health staff, providing oversight of six surgical divisions of various specialties.

Now, the St. Louis native is taking lessons learned from the pandemic, her preparation at SLU, and her fellowship at Mayo Clinic to improve lives and health outcomes.

Growing up on the South side of St. Louis, she felt the urge to do more to enact change in the health landscape in the area. Dix pivoted from a clinical health field to health administration because of the potential impact on different aspects of health, from public to legal.

Eventually, Dix found the Saint Louis University Master of Health Administration program. Her time in the SLU MHA program began at the same time as the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown.

Dix saw this as another opportunity to remain engaged and become a leader in health care.

“It is times like (those) that we need leaders inside of these spaces to be diversified by presence and thought. This disease is affecting people at different rates, most significantly those belonging to minority cultural groups. Patients are counting on healthcare leaders to find equitable solutions to care, and that cannot happen if we do not evolve from traditional ideologies designed to take one standard approach to care. I want to be a part of breaking that mold and creating a new one to better fit the needs of all patients” she said in response to seeking her MHA during the pandemic.

Dix combined her passion to bring about change, and experiences had while earning her degree, to maintain interest in learning the parameters needed to create a plan for if something similar would happen again.

She made the best of her experience and time in the SLU MHA program and set out to answer questions like; What are the knowns and unknowns from history and past events that led us to this point? How do we build back trust into the healthcare system? How do we actually, clinically, create this vaccine so that it can prevent people from getting different strains that are coming out? From a policy approach, how can we ensure that we have enough of a public health response? What could have prevented this or lessened the effects?

Bringing questions like this to the forefront and working toward a better future for all in this space led her to a fellowship with the Mayo Clinic.

Dix attended a brown bag webinar session with Mayo Clinic, a decision she credits as one of her best, as it allowed her to connect with presenters and stay in touch with future colleagues in Arizona. Those experiences and conversations helped her understand the clinic.

The move to Arizona was initially not on her radar, but Dix began to look outside of St. Louis for jobs and remembered something a mentor once told her:

“If you stop yourself here, right now, you're not gonna be able to get to do the amazing things that you were destined to do,” she said.

Eventually, the decision became easier and Mayo Clinic felt like the place she was meant to be. Dix turned that experience into the full time position she holds today with Mayo Clinic. 

One of the most rewarding aspects of the job has been interacting and engaging with patients, allowing her to add a personal touch to each case and ‘put the human back in the work.’

While Dix looks ahead to the future and how she can drive future change, SLU helped her build the foundation for the decisions that led her to Mayo Clinic.

“(SLU offers) an approach from all different sides - where we think about policy, where we think about healthcare organizations, and the different experiences that the students get that offer insights into the corporate and educational worlds,” she said.

She shares similar advice for students, to stay connected and seek experience learning about all aspects of what they’re passionate about.

“Always get into opportunities that are presented to you in the college. The competencies gained from those core experiences, as well as the relationships built from networking in those spaces, will position you best for long-term success and excellence as you assume different roles throughout your journey,” she said.

College for Public Health and Social Justice

The Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice is the only academic unit of its kind, studying social, environmental and physical influences that together determine the health and well-being of people and communities. It also is the only accredited school or college of public health among nearly 250 Catholic institutions of higher education in the United States. Guided by a mission of social justice and focus on finding innovative and collaborative solutions for complex health problems, the college offers nationally recognized programs in public health and health administration.