Masters in Health Administration Students Awarded Administrative Fellowship

Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.) students at the Texas A&M Health Science Center – School of Rural Public Health are encouraged to compete for Administrative Fellowships as part of their post-graduate experience. Students begin preparing for their fellowships during the second semester of their first year and continue through their final year. This fellowship opportunity allows students to work within an organization and experience real world application of the skills they learned during their coursework. Here are the stories of three M.H.A. students who will be beginning their fellowships in the summer of 2013.

Brandon Lewis has been selected for the 2013 Administrative Fellowship Program at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center is the dominant institution in health care in the Greater Baton Rouge area and the largest private medical center in Louisiana. The hospital was recently awarded Magnet Designation for excellence in nursing, and is ranked as a top hospital by U.S. News and World Report. Providing rich experiences at a senior management level, Brandon will have the opportunity to gain significant experience in hospital and physician practice management, operations, strategic planning and organization wide implementation. During his fellowship, Brandon will be tasked with developing a broad knowledge base of hospital and physician practice management and operations by accepting responsibility for key strategic and operational projects and programs. Brandon will be the sole fellow, and will become an active member of the senior management team.

Christopher Rodriguez has been selected for the 2013 Administrative Fellowship Program with Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit, physician-led, academic medical center that strives to provide compassionate healthcare of the highest quality in a setting of education and research. Today, it is one of the largest and most respected health systems in the country. For the eighteenth consecutive year, Cleveland Clinic has been ranked No. 1 in the nation for heart care, according to U.S. News & World Report. Through this fellowship, Christopher will gain hands-on experience in the areas of strategic planning, operations management, and quality improvement of healthcare systems. Christopher will work closely with staff and administration gaining practical experience and leadership development through active participation on high-level management projects. Cleveland Clinic’s Fellowship Program is sponsored by the CEO, Dr. Delos “Toby” Cosgrove.

Steven Luther has been chosen for the 2013 Administrative Fellowship position with South Texas Health System (STHS) in Edinburg, Texas. STHS is owned and operated by a subsidiary of Universal Health Services (UHS) that is one of the largest healthcare management companies in the nation. The Administrative Fellowship with STHS is designed to provide exposure to ambulatory and clinical operations, nursing, leadership, physician practice management, and support services administration in community hospitals. During Steven’s fellowship he will be working directly with the executive team and report to the vice-president of acute care.  His primary focus will be in strategic planning, operations management, quality improvement, finance and clinical operations.  Steven will take direction from the Vice-President of Acute Care as well as work with the CEO for each of the individual hospitals in the STHS.