By John Syms, Part Time Staff Writer
Originally Published October 30, 2023
Many college students switch majors, and many adults find jobs they did not think they would enjoy years ago. Jonathon Petrie, a Saint Vincent College (SVC) graduate of 2005, did both. The Mckenna School of Business hosted Petrie’s lecture on Oct. 11, in the Fred Rogers Center. Petrie spoke about his life, how he ended up working for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), and the importance of healthcare.
Petrie was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and his interests include hiking, camping, woodworking, and constructing home improvement. He began at SVC as an engineering major but found it hard and uninteresting. By the end of his freshman year, he had switched to finance, which he enjoyed more.
He then received a master’s degree in finance at the University of Pittsburgh in 2010. However, before pursuing graduate school, he began his career at UPMC as a grants assistant from 2005-2008, and was the only one who took part in that position there at the time.
Petrie was shocked that he gained the position, as he viewed himself as “some guy” three months out of college now running an entire department. But Petrie enjoyed the position and committed himself to the work.
“I would work a lot of weekends and ask a lot of questions. It was a nice opportunity to have,” Petrie said.
After working three years as a grants assistant, he was hired as a senior financial analyst at the Presbyterian Shadyside hospital from 2008 to 2016. There, he learned about professional growth, had executive presence, and gained an understanding of operational finance at the clinic.
In 2016, he left as the director of finance at Shadyside and worked at the Physician Services Division at UPMC for seven years. He started off as one of the two senior directors for the company where he learned about physician billing, productivity, and management.
Petrie liked the job, but the work hit him quickly, since one of the areas he was responsible for was physician compensation. It required him to analyze millions of dollars with his employees.
“If you know anything about doctors, not only do they save lives, but they liked to be paid for it, and one thing my team was responsible for was processing the annual physician incentives,” Petrie said.
Petrie left the Physician Service Division in 2023, but that same year, he was hired to his current job as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at the Magee and Mercy UPMC Women’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. He is still learning about the rules of his new job, but he recently started forming personal connections.
Today, Petrie is leveraging the company’s name and reputation to execute on market volume opportunities. He likes his job but is unsure if he will stay working in the department.
However, given his journey from engineering, to finance, to healthcare, and now a combination of the latter two, Petrie has the versatile experience to aid him in whatever career he may pursue.