48 To p a n d r i g h t : D a n i e l A b a d i a
B C B U S I N E S S . C A
A P R I L 2 0 24
"I thought it was time to have some formal
training in leading an organization. Mostly just
to make sure that I was doing a good job."
—ERIN CHERBAN, chief clinical research officer, Centre for Advancing Health
Outcomes/CIHR Canadian HIV Trial Network
eight years of exams. I'd rather learn the
content." And he wanted content that was
more advanced and finely focused than
what they were teaching him in grad school.
His master's degree touched on some
of the same topics as his Sauder strategy
excellence certificate—leading high-perfor-
mance teams, for example. "I did a course
in HR as part of my
MBA. It might have been
in one lecture or something," Reuhman
says. He contrasts that fading recollection
with the two-day immersion he spent with
Sauder: "You're focused on this one narrow
thing and you're going really deep."
GE T T ING SPE CIFIC
Diving deep into specialized topics is
exactly what professionals at the top
of their game need to do in order to get
another step higher. But no institution has
enough experts or programs to be a one-
stop shop for every career builder and life-
long learner. Even for broader topics like
leadership skills, different educators pres-
ent different schools of thought. And for
working professionals, how the courses
are delivered—the where, when and who's
minding their kids—can be the factors that
lead them to choose one program over
another.
Those logistical questions played on
Erin Cherban's mind when she was weigh-
ing where to go to school. She's the chief
clinical research officer for the Centre for
Advancing Health Outcomes/
CIHR Cana-
dian
HIV Trial Network. She rose to lead-
ership roles through her career in clinical
trials research.
Cherban considered an
MBA, because
she had no business education. "I thought
it was time to have some formal training
in leading an organization," she recalls.
"Mostly just to make sure that I was doing
a good job."
However, her two school-aged children
were more important to her than a degree.
edu
cat
ion
LEADING THE WAY
SFU's continuing
education depart-
ment is flexible and
offers courses lasting
a reasonable duration
of time
