Four MHA Students Receive Scholarships

(COLLEGE STATION, TX) — Four Master of Health Administration students from the School of Rural Public Health each received $5,000 scholarships from the American College of Healthcare Executives-South East Texas Chapter (ACHE-SETC).

Scholarship winners were selected following an extensive application process including interviews by ACHE-SETC board members.

Mai Hoang, incoming president of the student chapter of the Medical Group Management Association, received a general scholarship presented by the chapter.

Other students received scholarships named for health care leaders such as Kyle Toomey, who received a scholarship in honor of Donald B. Wagner, LFACHE (Lifetime Fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives). Wagner had a distinguished 23-year career in the U.S. Air Force, then served four different health care facilities in Houston. He also serves as a member of the MHA Professional Advisory Committee at the TAMHSC-School of Rural Public Health.

“It is an honor and a blessing to receive the Don Wagner Academic Scholarship Award,” Toomey said. “Mr. Wagner has been such a valuable asset to the field of health care, and it is truly a privilege to be awarded this scholarship in his name.”

Caitlin Locke was awarded a scholarship named for Dan Wilford, LFACHE, longtime health care executive in Houston and retired CEO of Memorial Hermann Healthcare System. A recognized leader in the Texas Medical Center, Wilford served for a number of years on the TAMHSC Development Board.

“I am truly honored to receive this scholarship,” Locke said. “This was a great opportunity to write a creative case report and discuss it further during an interview. I am so grateful for being involved in this challenging process to learn more, receive scholarship money and represent SRPH.”

Tyler Colton received the Jeptha Dalston, Ph.D., FACHE, scholarship. Dr. Dalston was a health care leader in Houston and served in national leadership roles in both the Association of University Programs in Healthcare Administration and the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).

“It is an honor to receive this scholarship, and all the extra work that went into the application was well worth it,” Colton said.

The mission of the ACHE-SETC Chapter is to further the educational efforts of the students of the health care administration profession through encouragement of academic achievements, development of resources to assist the students through scholarships, and to further the profession through educational offerings, professional networking, ethical consultation and advocacy on behalf of the community health care needs.