From Military Roots to Healthcare Leadership

For Dan Wood, a life of service was never something he stumbled into – it was the fabric of his childhood. Growing up in a military family meant constant movement, exposure to diverse communities and a sense that duty was woven into everyday life. 

His early years took him from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Savannah, Georgia, then to Monterey, California, before his family was stationed in West Germany. 

“The wall was still up at that time,” Wood said. “We left two months before the wall came down in ’89.” 

Afterward, the family moved to San Francisco and later to Omaha, Nebraska, where Wood finished high school. 

His path to healthcare began with a practical decision that soon became a personal calling. Wood had always considered something pre-med, but the opportunity to secure a four-year Army ROTC scholarship came if he chose nursing. 

“I said, ‘Well, I guess I’m going to go into nursing,’” Wood said. “Who would have thought that would have been such a great decision to make 28-plus years later?”

What began as a means to afford college ultimately aligned with his nature. 

“I’ve always had a thing for people taking care of people,” he said. “I was kind of a quiet kid, but thoughtful, helpful – it was somebody who I wanted to become.” 

Military service was also a natural fit. His grandfathers were senior enlisted, his father was a chief warrant officer and both brothers were officers. Wood followed in their footsteps with a sense of identity and purpose. Early in his career, he cared for patients returning from Afghanistan in 2001, an experience that framed his perspective when he deployed at the start of the Iraq War. 

“You never knew where the scuds were going to drop,” Wood said. “You’re still trying to do the job out there.” 

Upon returning, Wood specialized as an operating room (OR) nurse, working in settings that spanned pediatric neurovascular surgery to cardiac bypass procedures. Yet the OR revealed something deeper about his strengths. He enjoyed working on the logistics – ordering supplies and running a budget. 

At the same time, Wood found himself drawn to supporting families waiting anxiously for news. He was the intermediary between the OR and the families, doing his best to keep them in good spirits. These dual interests pointed him toward healthcare administration. 

“I felt like I could reach more patients by helping administrators understand the decisions they’re making and the impact it has,” Wood said. “Ultimately, it affects their staff and their patients.” 

Teaching became the next natural extension of that mission. In 2018, he joined the Army-Baylor MHA/MBA Program, where he discovered his passion for guiding students. 

“I call it the light bulb effect,” Wood said. “Helping connect the dots so somebody can actually apply what they know.” 

His transition to program director introduced new lessons in leadership. Wood recognizes that a team member becoming the leader is its own study in organizational behavior, and to lead well, you have to listen even better. He emphasized the need to balance the business side of healthcare with its human core. 

“Our patients are truly who gets what out of it,” he said. “If we forget about them while trying to run a business, we’re not doing our due diligence.” 

Pursuing an EdD allowed him to cement his trajectory in academia. The practitioner-focused pathway appealed to him. 

“I’m not a heavy researcher,” Wood said. “I’ll take what’s been written and ask how it can be applied.” 

His doctoral work also strengthened his connection to Baylor through a mentoring relationship that later opened the door to his current role – program director and clinical assistant professor for Baylor University’s Robbins MBA Healthcare Program. Now at the Hankamer School of Business and the Robbins Institute for Health Policy and Leadership, Wood is focused on shaping thoughtful, strategic healthcare leaders. 

“Day-to-day operations and strategic thinking aren’t separate – they must happen together,” he said. 

By challenging students to think beyond immediate metrics and anticipate downstream effects, he aims to prepare them not only to run organizations but to strengthen the systems patients rely on.

For Wood, the mission remains the same as it was when he first put on a uniform: serve people well, wherever he is needed.