Today’s Q&A is with our Senior Director, Patrick De La Roza. Below are some questions and responses to help get to know him and his role at the Nicholson Center.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself (i.e. Background, career aspirations, family, etc).
- Fun Fact – In college, I helped start a Finance and Statistics tutoring business that eventually expanded to three other colleges. It was an incredible learning experience.
- Family – My family immigrated from Cuba and settled here in Florida. I married my college sweetheart and have 2 amazing kids. I am a huge Florida Gator fan and probably devote too much time to fantasy football and golf.
- Career aspirations – I want to be happy and fulfilled in whatever I do.
What motivated you to become involved with the Nicholson Center (and Florida Hospital)?
- My path to Florida Hospital was one out of necessity really. I was in real estate for eight years and when the market crash occurred, I was laid off. After many months of searching during the economic downturn, I was given a position at Celebration Health as the Director of Marketing. It was my first introduction to healthcare and I really loved it. My former boss brought me to The Nicholson Center as the Assistant Administrator. It has been a perfect fit for me more than probably any other role at Florida Hospital. I am very attracted to innovation, new ideas and being challenged.
Explain your role in overseeing the Nicholson Center.
- My role at the Nicholson Center is to help others do their job. I think the role of a leader is to empower and focus the team and I try and do that every day. I am very fortunate to have a team made up of people that are not only passionate, but also driven by excellence. I also think that culture is the most important thing to an organization. I work very hard to create a fun atmosphere that is accountable and driven to succeed.
In your opinion, where was Nicholson 10 years ago, where is it today and what is your vision for the future?
- The founders of the Nicholson Center had tremendous vision, even 10 years ago. I don’t think anyone anticipated the growth and trajectory we are now experiencing and I believe the sky is the limit for The Nicholson Center and what we are able to achieve.
To learn more about where the Nicholson is going and what research we are pursuing, check out our website below.
Our Research
