The UCSF Health Administrative Fellowship program offers a comprehensive and exciting view into the complex world of healthcare delivery. For me, and other UCSF Health senior leaders, the opportunity to mentor and guide our fellows has been very rewarding. Administrative Fellows may be the future leaders of UCSF Health - we nurture their interests and invest in their development. Through high-visibility projects and unique experiences, the fellows' work directly supports and advances the important mission of our academic medical center.
Sheila Antrum, RN, BSN
Chief Operating Officer, UCSF Health
Executive Sponsor, UCSF Health Administrative Fellowship
Charting a career in health system management can seem nebulous at the start: are you most interested in strategy, or operations, or quality, or finance? Do you want to be focused on system- level issues, or work on improving care delivery at the front lines? The self-directed nature of the UCSF administrative fellowship allowed me to dive into those questions by focusing on projects I was passionate about, and the small number of fellows in our program gave me the privilege of finding many mentors to help me along my path. Among my favorite fellowship experiences were the weeks I served as Administrator-on-Call, which was a fantastic learning exercise for managing the unexpected!
Currently, I am a Senior Project Director with the Department of Psychiatry, where I focus on advancing key mental health initiatives centered around public psychiatry, advocacy and community engagement.
Galen Laserson, MBA
Harvard Business School
Fellow Class 2013-15
As an administrative fellow at UCSF I enjoyed the unique opportunity to customize my professional development and work experience to tailor my interests coming into the fellowship. During the first year of the fellowship, I was able to work in areas such as oncology, physician alignment, and population health to develop a broad skillset in operations, finance, and strategy that would have otherwise been hard to develop in a traditional job function. I found I was most drawn to develop a deeper understanding of UCSF's strategic development work, and had the privilege of working full time with that team during my second year of the fellowship, and ultimately it lead to my post-fellowship role as project director on the team.
I have been consistently inspired and challenged to grow by the culture of excellence, and the support of the organization in continually fostering learning and new ideas. Thus, I am forever grateful for the experience of launching my career at UCSF through this exceptional fellowship program.
Megha Mahida, MPH
Yale School of Public Health
Fellow Class 2015-17
The UCSF Health Administrative Fellowship has offered me so many unique experiences that prepared me well for my post-fellowship career as an Operations Manager at UCSF Health. Some of my favorite memories include working with our OB/GYN team on a number of process improvement initiatives and observing c-section deliveries, participating in our Lean Bootcamp and becoming a certified Lean Leader, and coordinating the emergency response effort as the Administrator-on-Call during an unprecedented heatwave in San Francisco.
The integration of the UCSF Health Administrative Fellowship into senior leadership meetings on a regular basis, and getting to sit side-by-side with the executive team on the same floor, has allowed me to build numerous personal relationships with our leadership. My executive mentor in the fellowship, Dr. Adrienne Green (Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Patient Safety), played a pivotal role in my fellowship experience. She allowed me to take the lead on a number of strategic initiatives with her guidance and support along the way. When I was exploring post-fellowship opportunities, it was very easy for me to connect with leaders throughout the organization to find the best fit for my career goals.
I had an opportunity during the fellowship to interview various medical directors across the organization. When I asked them, "Why UCSF?" the most common response was the people. The ability to work in partnership with world-renowned physicians, researchers, teachers, and leaders as a fellow at UCSF Health has been one of the most rewarding aspects of the program. We care immensely about the communities we serve and strive every day to go above and beyond for our patients. As a fellow, you have opportunities every day to embrace 'Redefining Possible' with the work you're involved in.
Olivia Hodgkiss, MPH
Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health
Fellow Class 2016-18
The UCSF Administrative Fellowship provided an unparalleled experience of accelerated growth and development. I am grateful for the opportunity to be mentored by senior leaders and work side-by-side with hospital executives in financial, operational and strategic growth arenas. Grounding my foundation in an organization that truly lives out its mission, vision and values has undoubtedly impacted the core of my identity as a healthcare leader. My greatest memories were immersing myself in various "stretch experiences" and new friendships I've amassed along the way.
Currently, I am an Associate with UCSF Innovation Ventures reporting directly to the Vice Chancellor of Business Development, Innovation & Partnerships - assisting investment analyses for UCSF's most promising scientific technologies and discoveries for public use and benefit.
Julianne Bautista, MSN, RN
University of Pennsylvania
Fellow Class 2016-2018
UCSF's Fellowship has helped me tremendously. The fellowship has given me an opportunity to customize my career toolkit. I have the ability to choose projects that interest me, and those that are in areas that I like to explore. Additionally, I have been able to develop skills that will be beneficial for my career track. I have been able to gain experiences in marketing, finance, program development, IT, clinical systems, integration, and quality. Some of my proudest moments include leading many projects and presenting numerous times to leadership. Not only have I been able to acquire hard skills such as completing ROI analyses and becoming certified in resolute hospital billing and revenue administration, I have really enhanced my leadership abilities. The UCSF fellowship has allowed me to be creative, courageous, and innovative in my development as a healthcare leader.
I love that UCSF provides care to all patients. I really appreciate being a part of an organization that is purposely driven by its mission. One of my favorite things about UCSF is leadership's commitment to supporting providers' ideas that positively impact patient care. Being a part of an organization that promote innovation and allows providers to push the envelope is very rewarding.
During my matriculation in this fellowship, I have developed many meaningful relationships with a diverse set of individuals. I have gained mentors by partnering with and assisting senior leaders such as Pamela Hudson, Benioff Children's Hospitals Chief Integration Officer and Heidi Collins, VP, Clinical Systems on various projects. I have been able to foster great relationships with leaders and staff who have shown real commitment to investing in my success and learning.
I transitioned to San Francisco from New York and my family resides in the south. The other UCSF Admin Fellows really made me feel at home once here. Developing friendships with my cohort of fellows has been one of the most fulfilling components of this fellowship. [My current role as] 2nd Year Fellow [is in] Clinical Systems Application under the direction of Heidi Collins, VP, Clinical Systems.
Jermaine Blakley, MPA
NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
Fellow Class 2017-19