Brandon Conrad ‘15 is a technical solutions engineer for Epic, the health care software giant. In this Q&A conversation, Conrad shares what he values most about his job and how his educational experience in the Community & Nonprofit Leadership program prepared him for a thriving career.
How do you describe your work role?
I partner with our customers, helping their analysts implement projects and troubleshoot issues, as well as working with their operations teams to meet their goals of providing the best home health and hospice care. In addition, I help lead our functional workgroup focused on bringing workflows to smartphones and iPads for in-home care with the goal of making clinicians’ jobs more efficient and effective in caring for their patients.
How did your college major prepare you for your current role/career?
In the Community & Nonprofit Leadership program, I learned a lot about various leadership styles, communication methods, and problem-solving techniques, which have allowed me to adapt how I work and interact with my customers to meet each of their unique needs and goals. The other piece that really stuck with me is the focus on empathy — seeing the situation or problem from customers’ points of view and utilizing the tools they have available or are familiar with in order to solve the problem. One of our mottos is “With the Patient at the Heart,” which encapsulates that goal of empathy.
What is the most exciting or unexpected aspect of your work role?
Knowing how the support I provide my customers can have a direct and immediate impact on the care a clinician provides and on the daily lives of patients receiving home health or hospice care. It’s also really fascinating seeing the incredible work health care organizations are doing not just in the US, but around the world, and the ways Epic and these organizations are using technology to address health concerns in unique ways.
What do you find most gratifying about your work role?
Definitely the relationships I’ve formed with analysts at the organizations I work with. And again, being able to help solve a problem that has an immediate impact is very fulfilling.
When do you know you’re making a difference? Is there an example you might share?
Usually, the most apparent way is when I hop on a call with an analyst and I’m able to dive into and solve an issue with them that they have been struggling with and they express such gratitude. The other time that stands out was during the COVID pandemic. The team I worked on was able to push out development and workflows to help clinicians know when patients were sick or been exposed, and then again when vaccines came out — coming up with an efficient mobile workflow for administering the vaccines for their home health and hospice patients.
Brandon Conrad ‘15 is one of more than 16,000 alumni of the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
More than a degree. A difference.
Learn more about the Bachelor of Science in Community & Nonprofit Leadership.