Rahman Parker earned an MS in Health Science in 2008 and currently serves as the executive director of the Loudoun Free Clinic in Leesburg, Virginia, which offers health care to low-income, uninsured adults.
Before pursuing his master’s degree at Mason, Rahman earned a BS in chemistry from Virginia Commonwealth University. Since graduating in 2008 with his MS, he has undertaken additional post-graduate studies in economic development and health care systems through the University of Oxford.
We caught up with him recently and he generously took time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions.
Q: What kind of health care experience did you have before entering the MS program at Mason?
Before coming to Mason, I worked in non-profit health care and the pharmaceutical industry. I had a broad view on health care and wanted to link my experience to a degree that gave me the opportunity to honor my experience and add more to my portfolio. My program did that and more. It gave me the network necessary to advance my career.
Q: Tell me about your current position at the Loudoun Free Clinic. What is most challenging and/or rewarding?
Great question. My challenges are my rewards. When we give a patient the opportunity to get the health care they need, so they can return to work or care for their family, it changes their whole life. Those kinds of moments are what keep me fully engaged with the Clinic.
Q: What advice would you give to current HAP students?
This is a delicate time in health care. In your pursuit to help others heal, remember that it’s the in-class case studies and practicum experiences that can help shape the future of health care-take each opportunity seriously. You have the power to become the future of health care.