Rutgers EMBA among the Best & Brightest listed by Poets & Quants for 2025

Dr. K. Neena Chima started the Rutgers Executive MBA Program after an accomplished career as a dermatologist. Building a practice from scratch allowed her to learn about real estate and marketing and negotiation. Once she sold her practice, she decided to take a deeper dive into business at Rutgers to enhance the next chapter of her career. Read more about her and the experience she had as a Rutgers EMBA in a piece below that appeared as part of the 2025 Best and Brightest Executive MBAs published by Poets & Quants.

K. Neena Chima

Rutgers Business School Executive MBA

Age:  54

“Dermatologist who loves her children, flowers, and diagnosing a good skin rash.”

Hometown: Franklin Lakes, NJ

Family Members: Husband and two adult children

Fun fact about yourself: I met Pete Townshend of The Who while working at a London art gallery during a semester abroad.

Undergraduate School and Degree:

Boston University Combined 7 Year BA-MD program: BA

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey: MD

Where are you currently working?

Schweiger Dermatology Group – Physician

TKL Research: Clinical Investigator

Consumer Product Testing: Clinical Investigator

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles:

Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology

Schweiger Dermatology Government Affairs Committee

Molesafe Physician Liaison 2016

Associate Professor in Clinical Dermatology, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – RWJUH 2012

Assistant Attending Physician in Clinical Dermatology, NY Presbyterian Columbia University Medical Center 2010-2020

New Jersey Dermatologic Society Executive Committee 2010

American Academy of Dermatology Young Physicians Leadership Forum 2008

Volunteer, American Academy of Dermatology Skin Cancer Screening

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? It was helping a biotechnology company sharpen its market strategy for a new lab-developed melanoma prognostic test during my EMBA program. It was exciting to apply my newly honed skills to the real world in real time.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Building a Dermatology practice from scratch and then growing it into a thriving multi-provider clinic. That journey taught me different aspects of healthcare: patient care, operations, marketing, real estate, hiring, and negotiation.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Professor Valentin Dimitrov was my favorite professor. His accounting class was one of the most demanding in the program, but he never let us struggle alone. He was principled, fair, and always available when I needed help. He treated every question with respect and was deeply committed to our understanding.

Why did you choose this school’s executive MBA program? I was at a point in my career where I wanted to evolve from being a clinician to a strategic leader in healthcare. I needed more than a business education—I needed a mindset shift. As I explored programs, Rutgers EMBA stood out for the depth and diversity of its coursework, its commitment to staying relevant in a fast-changing world, and its global perspective. And once I met Professor Farrokh Langdana, the Program Director, I knew I had found the right fit. This wasn’t about checking a box—it was about transformation, and that’s exactly what I was looking for.

What is the biggest lesson you gained during your MBA and how did you apply it at work? The biggest lesson wasn’t a single concept—it was learning to think like a strategist, not just a practitioner. I had spent over 20 years as a private-practice dermatologist making big decisions at the individual level. The Rutgers EMBA pushed me to zoom out—to analyze entire markets, business models, and system dynamics. That shift was immediate and transformative. I applied it almost overnight. In my consulting role at a biotechnology company, I used strategic marketing tools from class to help position a laboratory diagnostic test within a complex clinical space.

Give us a story during your time as an executive MBA on how you were able to juggle work, family and education? There were times when I saw over 120 patients per week, managed consulting projects, and coordinated care for my aging parents—all before starting my coursework at night. My husband, also a physician, and I shared responsibilities at home, from elder care for our parents to everyday logistics. Weeknights from 9 p.m. to midnight became my dedicated study time, and weekends were a balance between lectures, work, and family. It wasn’t easy, but I stayed focused on why I was doing it—to grow professionally and gain the skills I needed for the next phase of my career. My family’s support made it possible.

What advice would you give to a student looking to enter an executive MBA program? Be clear on your purpose. The EMBA is demanding, especially if you’re balancing work and family. But if you know why you’re doing it, you’ll stay focused and get far more out of the experience.

What was your biggest regret in business school? My only regret is not applying to the EMBA program earlier in my career. The knowledge, perspective, and confidence I’ve gained would have been valuable even a decade ago—especially while scaling my practice or stepping into early consulting roles. That said, I also recognize that the timing had to be right. Earlier, my focus was on raising a family and building a solid clinical practice. When I finally applied, I came in with clarity, lived experience, and purpose – ready to absorb everything!

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? I most admire my friend and classmate, Priya Ragavan. She wasn’t just a peer—she was the engine that kept our cohort running. Priya took the initiative to keep our assignments and deadlines organized, ensured everyone’s input was heard, and consistently served as the voice of the class whenever concerns needed to be raised. We were lucky to have her as a classmate—and I was (and am) lucky to have her as my friend.

What was the main reason you chose an executive MBA program over part-time or online alternatives? I chose the executive MBA format because it aligned better with where I was in my career. I wasn’t looking to shift into a narrow functional role—I wanted a broader understanding of how businesses operate. The in-person structure was important to me; I wanted to learn alongside peers with real-world experience, and I knew I’d get more out of live discussions than an online format. A part-time program would have stretched too long and created more disruption for my work and family life.

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? My long-term goal is to serve as a strategic advisor and leader in the dermatology space—working with healthcare startups, venture firms, or innovation-driven companies shaping the future of skin health. I’m energized by growth, whether it’s scaling a business, advising on go-to-market strategy, or helping a new technology find its clinical fit. I’d like to stay anchored in dermatology, while moving more into strategic and operational leadership roles. Clinical care will remain part of my work as I continue to expand my focus on building, advising, and leading initiatives that have broader impact across the field.

The Best and Brightest Executive MBAs feature was compiled by Jeff Schmidt. Read the entire piece.