Program Overview

The UCSF Health Administrative Fellowship is a two-year, project-based Fellowship with an opportunity to participate in direct people management during the second year. Fellows will gain hands-on experience driving organizationally relevant, high-impact projects and work alongside leaders from across UCSF Health. 

Why a Fellowship? 

A Fellowship provides an opportunity for postgraduates to experience many different areas of health administration and identify what types of work they may like to pursue in the future.  

Fellowships provide exposure to leaders at the highest levels within a healthcare organization. Fellows will have the opportunity to be mentored by UCSF’s senior leaders and have the option to showcase their skills and grow as leaders.  

What makes UCSF’s Fellowship different? 

UCSF Health looks for highly-motivated postgraduates interested in a flexible Fellowship that allows for many different interests and paths. Project work and interim-management positions are based on both organizational needs and the interests of the Fellow. This matching supports strong personalization in the Fellowship experience. Fellows are encouraged to explore and pursue a wide variety of opportunities and interests during their time as a Fellow. 

The UCSF Health Administrative Fellowship is a combination of project work and management experience. Additional learning opportunities are available to round out a strong portfolio and build meaningful mentorship relationships. 

Timeline 

  • 1-3 mo: Onboarding, Orientation, Seminars, Meet & Greets 
  • 3-6 mo.: First Project, Recruitment 
  • 6 mo-1 yr: Project Work 
  • 1-2 yr: Project Work and/or Interim Management, Administrator on Call
  • 1.5-2 yr: Job Search 
  • 2 yr: Final Report Out 

First Year 

Fellows begin their project work during the first year of the program. They select projects that meet both the interests of the Fellow and the needs of UCSF Health. Throughout their project work, Fellows will regularly meet with project sponsors and the Fellowship director to assess their progress and curate a meaningful project portfolio to lead into their second year. 

During Year 1, Fellows will also participate in recruiting and hiring of the next cohort of Fellows. This process gives Fellows a chance to meet upcoming generations of healthcare leaders and learn about the recruitment and hiring process. 

Second Year 

During the second year of the program, Fellows have the option to continue their work as an individual contributor in a project-based setting or transition into and interim management role to gain valuable direct people management experience.  

Some Fellows choose to continue in project-based work with a narrowed scope to dive deeper in a specific area of interest like population health or healthcare equity. In this case, a Fellow may work very closely with one or more mentors in the interest area to continue building and finetuning a portfolio tailored toward that area. 

Other Fellows choose to spend part or all of their second year in an interim management position gaining hands-on experience with people management. We take into account existing openings and the interests of the Fellow when we identify and match an interim management placement. 

Other Learning Opportunities 

Throughout the Fellowship, Fellows participate in meetings and mentorship with Executives across UCSF. They have the opportunity to shadow, join smaller projects, and listen in on executive-level meetings.  

In addition, Fellows may: 

  • Participate in area-specific seminars hosted by Executives 
  • Engage in one-on-one meetings with senior-level executives including UCSF Health’s CEO and COO 
  • Act as Administrator on Call under the supervision of another leader 
  • Meet weekly with the Fellowship Coordinator and other Fellows to debrief 
  • Participate in a national-level conference (e.g., ACHE