Peter Grollman is leading and learning with purpose, for the future

As Peter Grollman approaches the completion of his MBA at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, he reflects on the journey with both gratitude and excitement. “I am excited to cross the finish line,” he says. “While I’ve put a tremendous amount of time and work into earning my MBA, my decision to pursue one remains a ‘no regrets’ decision.”

That sense of purpose and commitment has been a hallmark of Grollman’s career. For nearly two decades, he has served Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in executive roles, where his leadership has helped guide one of the nation’s most respected health care institutions through both opportunities and challenges.

Steering strategy

At CHOP, Grollman serves as senior vice president of external affairs, a role that spans marketing, public relations, government affairs, advocacy, and community impact.

“We regularly scan the world beyond our walls and identify threats and opportunities so we can work strategically to protect and advance CHOP’s mission,” he explains. “I like to say we’re at our best when we meet stakeholders where they are so we can inspire them to connect with and support our good work.”

Grollman is also a member of the CEO Council, a team of senior executives that advises the CEO on key issues facing the entirety of the system. Because his position places him at the center of both internal strategy and external engagement, he begins each morning by scanning “national and local news from at least eight different sources” to anticipate how external developments might affect CHOP’s mission, operations, and reputation.

Beyond the hospital, Grollman also plays a role in shaping the broader community. “Since our health system is among the top employers in our region, I often attend business and civic meetings that address economic development, infrastructure, and employment so we can drive growth and investment in our region. Wealth plays a role in health, so advancing work that creates opportunities for all, not just some, is important to CHOP -- and me.”

In the company of changemakers

Grollman’s dedication to community engagement has deep roots. His family immigrated to Easton, Pennsylvania, in the late 19th century, starting a small business while also serving in government and on nonprofit boards. “This inspired me, so I earned my degree in political science from Penn State so I could begin a career in government,” he recalls.

That path eventually took him to Capitol Hill, where he worked for a U.S. senator before transitioning to a public affairs firm. There, he first encountered CHOP as a client. “As a new parent, I had a deeper appreciation for CHOP’s mission and the role it could play in our broader community,” he says. When the hospital offered him a position in 2007, he saw it as an opportunity “to leverage my skills and passion for community into a job that would allow me to drive impact in the same ways my parents did back home.”

What sustains him in such a demanding role is the dedication of his colleagues. “I am inspired by my team and all the people I work with,” Grollman says. “These are the people who developed cures for certain types of childhood cancer and blindness. The people who invented vaccines. All the people who stretch their days, so they go into the community and help families in need. Or the people who drive us to innovate and care for more children across the globe. They are my colleagues and inspire me to do all I can to help bring good work like this to more children around the world.”

The right school today, for the future of health care

Grollman is candid about the future of health care, noting that while the U.S. invests heavily, outcomes often fall short. “The U.S. spends more on health care than most countries, but our health outcomes are not much better,” he says.

At the same time, he emphasizes the importance of learning from global models. During a visit to a CHOP clinic in the Dominican Republic, he observed that “about 90% of the children were vaccinated.” For him, this was a reminder that innovation does not always need to be expensive—an insight that mirrors CHOP’s strategy of addressing the social determinants of health. “We go upstream as far as we can to help address issues that impact children’s health, like housing and food, before they contribute to lifelong health challenges.”

Despite already holding senior roles, Grollman pursued an MBA to sharpen his skills for the future of health care leadership. “No matter where you are in your career or life, it is never too late to learn,” he says. “Getting an MBA is a commitment, and you will need to make sacrifices if you want to benefit from the entirety of the experience. But at the finish line, you will find it more than worthwhile, and will carry much more with you than when you started.”

Grollman says going to Carey for his MBA was the obvious, best choice. “As a health care executive, few brands top Johns Hopkins. Many of our top leaders studied and trained at Hopkins. And the MBA program placed an emphasis on health care and related industries that would also give me access to top-notch faculty,” he says. Plus, the structure of the program made it possible to balance work and study. “As a working executive, I needed to have access to balanced synchronous and asynchronous learning, and Carey makes this possible in a very structured and thoughtful way.”

From piloting ferries to driving health care

For those who know him only in the context of health care leadership, one fact about Grollman might come as a surprise: “I was once a ferryboat pilot at Walt Disney World as an intern in Disney’s College Program,” he recalls. “That was quite a job – and the boats are real, not on tracks! Disney taught me the importance of guest experience and culture in driving growth and building a brand.”

From piloting ferries at Disney to guiding external affairs at one of the world’s premier children’s hospitals, Grollman’s career has been shaped by a consistent theme: learning from every experience and applying it to build stronger communities. With his MBA soon in hand, he is poised to continue doing just that, at an even greater scale.