A former psychiatrist, Yuma Yokoi, MBA ’25 (AXP-24), talks about what brought him to Chicago Booth and how his MBA helped him pivot to a new career.
- By
- August 17, 2026
- Executive MBA Stories
Hong Kong Campus Executive MBA Alumni Profile: Making a Pivot to US Pharma
Yuma Yokoi, MBA ’25 (AXP-24), spent many years working as a psychiatrist, specializing in geriatric patients. When he decided to pivot to pharmaceuticals, Yuma knew he also needed to master the fundamentals of business—so he enrolled in Chicago Booth’s Executive MBA Program Asia. “I wanted to ensure I could bridge the gap between clinical necessity and corporate strategy from day one,” he says.
Today, Yuma is a senior medical director at Eli Lilly and Company. In this post, he traces his path to Booth and beyond.
Tell us about your career path before attending Chicago Booth.
I spent 20 years as a board-certified clinical psychiatrist with a focus on dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. During that time, I studied clinical research in geriatric psychiatry as a fellow at Johns Hopkins University, which I then applied to clinical research in Japan. Eventually, I joined the regulatory authority (PMDA) as a medical reviewer for psychiatric drugs.
Throughout this journey, my ultimate motivation was to bring effective new treatments to patients. Realizing that the rapid development of innovative drugs is often challenging within traditional academia, I decided to pivot to the pharmaceutical industry to engage directly in drug development on a global scale.
Why did you decide to pursue an Executive MBA?
Fundamentally, pharmaceutical companies are businesses. I knew that to successfully develop and deliver new drugs, I needed to master the intersection of science and business. While many physicians wait until after they join a pharma company to pursue business education, I wanted to equip myself with a solid foundation in finance, strategy, and operations before making the transition. I wanted to ensure I could bridge the gap between clinical necessity and corporate strategy from day one.
Why did you decide to pursue an Executive MBA?
What prompted you to pursue a US-based degree?
As a clinician, my focus was on treating individual patients. Later, as a PMDA regulator, my role was to review clinical trial data submitted by companies. But I realized that without someone actually executing and driving clinical trials, innovative new medicines can never reach the patients who need them. Since the US is the largest and most dynamic healthcare market, I knew I needed to master US business logic and strategy to help bridge the pharmaceutical sectors between Japan and the US.
In addition, graduating with a US MBA gave me a shared business language, allowing me to engage in seamless, level-ground discussions with colleagues across all functions—finance, marketing, and operations alike.
Why did you choose Booth over other schools?
Booth’s reputation for rigorous, science-based academic excellence and its exceptional strength in finance were exactly what I was looking for. I was drawn to the fact that the curriculum is uncompromisingly highly demanding, yet manageable even for those without a prior business background. Furthermore, the Executive MBA Program at the Hong Kong campus allowed me to gain a world-class US business education and build a network with finance professionals—a group I hadn’t closely interacted with as a doctor—all while continuing my career and supporting my family in Japan.
Why did you choose Booth over other schools?
What are some highlights from your Booth experience?
Participating in the Global New Venture Challenge (GNVC) is the memory that stands out the most. I teamed up with Japanese classmates to launch NeuroUnleash, a project aimed at creating a protected and empowering work environment where neurodivergent individuals, specifically those with ASD or ADHD, can maximize their potential. We won the Hong Kong semifinals and advanced to the finals in Chicago.
Today, NeuroUnleash has established group homes in Japan as a foundational step toward that ultimate workplace goal, and I am proud to continue supporting them as a volunteer advisor.
In what ways did your Booth experience support your career goals?
The impact was immediate upon joining a US pharmaceutical company. The shared business vocabulary I learned at Booth allows me to communicate seamlessly with finance and marketing teams, smoothing my transition from academia and regulatory affairs into the corporate sector.
Furthermore, earning a US degree is a vital step in my preparation to eventually work at Eli Lilly’s global headquarters in Indianapolis. When interacting with global colleagues, sharing my experiences in Chicago is a foolproof icebreaker, given its proximity to Indy. Looking ahead, if I do relocate to Indianapolis, I am very excited about the prospect of taking Booth’s two-week summer alumni electives in Chicago to continue my education.
How have you stayed connected with Booth since graduating?
I stay very connected with my Japanese classmates, primarily through our ongoing collaboration on the NeuroUnleash project, as well as through occasional local reunions. While there are broader reunions taking place globally with our dispersed cohort, my current work responsibilities are quite demanding, making it difficult to travel internationally for these events right now. However, I absolutely intend to participate in those global alumni gatherings once I have a bit more flexibility in my schedule.
What advice would you give someone considering applying to Booth’s Executive MBA Program?
Booth’s program is brilliantly designed to cover all the necessary bases, even for someone with zero background in finance or economics. Every concept I learned is essential and directly applicable to working at a large US corporation.
At the same time, the support for entrepreneurship—like the GNVC—is incredibly robust for those looking to start their own ventures. To have access to this breadth of business knowledge, taught by the absolute strongest faculty in the world—including Nobel laureates—who blend theory and practice perfectly, was an opportunity that only the Hong Kong program could offer me with a manageable commute.
I often look back at my notes to refresh my memory. Every time I do, I am filled with a profound sense of awe and humility, wondering how I managed to graduate from such an extraordinary institution. My advice is to embrace it fully; the experience is unparalleled.
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