Masters in Health Administration students awarded fellowships

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.

Tyler Colton will complete his fellowship with Vidant Medical Center (VMC) in Greenville, North Carolina. VMC is one of four medical centers in North Carolina and is the flagship hospital for Vidant Health, which is comprised of 10 hospitals spread throughout eastern North Carolina. It is a state-of-the-art 909-bed regional referral facility servicing 1.4 million people in 29 counties and is serviced by over 500 physicians and nearly 8,000 employees.

During Tyler’s one-year fellowship, he will work with and observe senior leadership as they navigate a complex medical center. Tyler will also have the opportunity to contribute to the organization and gain valuable experience through a wide array of projects while working alongside two other fellows.

Mai Hoang will complete her fellowship at The University of Texas Medical Branch Health System (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas. UTMB is home to four schools, three institutes, the 320-bed John Sealy Hospital, and the 108-bed Texas Department of Criminal Justice Hospital.

The health system operates 80 community-based clinics located in 51 locations on and off the island and became a member of the Texas Medical Center in 2010. The UTMB Health Administrative Fellowship Program will provide Mai with an opportunity to apply lessons from the classroom to real-life situations and allow her to explore operations through departmental rotations and projects.

David Perez will complete his fellowship at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center (MEDVAMC). The MEDVAMC is a state-of-the-art facility with 357 acute care beds, a 40-bed Spinal Cord Injury Center, and a 141-bed Community Living Center. MEDVAMC serves as the primary health care provider for almost 130,000 veterans in southeast Texas, which also includes outpatient clinics in Beaumont, Conroe, Galveston, Houston, Lufkin, Richmond, and Texas City.

During David’s fellowship he will work on projects that will provide a better understanding of the diverse facets of healthcare operations and management while rotating through multiple departments.  David will be considered part of the leadership team and under the direction of the fellowship preceptor, which is the Medical Center Director.