Lauren Vela

Lauren Vela

Senior Director


Pacific Business Group on Health

San Francisco, CA USA


There are things I would've liked to have done in my life, but I didn't do them because I took the more conservative route. I should have had the guts to do things even though they were foreign to me.

Milestones

My road in life has been direct.
Attended Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania where I earned my bachelor's degree in business.
After college, I got a job for about 4 years in sales and was very successful in this position.
Switched industries by deciding to leave sales and go into healthcare because I wanted to be in an industry that was more instrumental in people’s lives.
Earned my MBA and started working on my PhD.
Got married and moved to California.
After getting pregnant with my first child, I decided to quit school and not finish my PhD.
Have been working for Pacific Business Group on Health cumulatively for about 17 years.
Keep following my journey

Career

Senior Director

I work with employers to get them to buy healthcare in a better way for the healthcare system.

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Business
Medicine
Accomplishing Goals

Day to Day

My days are very different. Today, for instance, I did an international webinar about pharmacy benefits. I work a lot with drug benefits, so I’ve done studies and led work in that space. I travel around the country to educate employers about the problems in that system. We also believe in the importance of primary care, so one of the things I do is talk to integrated delivery systems that provide medical care to our employee bases. I do a lot of educational events for my large member companies.

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for college students

There are things in my life I would like to have done, but I didn’t do them because I took the more conservative route. Follow what’s of interest to you. I wasn’t always honest with myself early on, so don’t be afraid to go for stuff that feels too big or too hard. I should have had the guts to do things even though they were foreign to me.

Recommended Education

My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Myself:

"You should follow the rules, you should finish your PhD."

Challenges I Overcame

First-Generation College Student
School Stress