UAB Medicine Administrative Fellowship

Important dates

• Webinars: Please fill out this interest form if you plan to attend one of the sessions listed below.
  • July 16 | 12-1 p.m.
  • July 22 | 5-6 p.m.
• Application deadline: August 11 | 5 p.m.
• Candidate process
  • Zoom interviews: mid-September 2025
  • On-site interviews: late September 2025
  • Offers extended: early October 2025
  • Program start date: early June 2026

Educational requirements

• Graduate of a master’s program and an interest in practicing in health care administration
• In lieu of a master’s degree, applicants may be considered if they’ve completed all on-campus didactic requirements of a master’s program in health care administration or equivalent.
• Master’s degree in health care or business is preferred

Application materials

Email the following items in one combined PDF file to adminfellows@uabmc.edu:

• Cover letter addressed to the Administrative Fellowship Selection Committee
• Current resume
• Personal statement that introduces yourself and addresses the following questions (750-1,000 words):
  • How do you exemplify UAB Medicine’s Core Values: Always Care, Own It, Work Together, and Do Right?
  • What makes you the ideal candidate for the administrative fellowship at UAB Medicine?
  • What are your goals and expected outcomes for the fellowship?
• Three letters of recommendation:
  • Academic
  • Professional
  • Other
• Official graduate school transcript (may be sent separately)

Fellowship Executive Committee

Brenda Carlisle, MHSA, BSN, RN, CENP
CEO, UAB Hospital

Carlisle recently was appointed CEO of UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Ala. UAB Hospital is the flagship hospital of the UAB Health System and 8^th largest hospital in the nation, ranking UAB Hospital and Health System among the most advanced, prestigious medical institutions in the United States.

Carlisle has served UAB as vice president of Clinical Operations since 2017, earning recognition for comprehensive operational excellence and strong financial performance.

Prior to joining UAB, Carlisle was CEO, vice president of Patient Care Services, and vice president of Operations at Brookwood Baptist Medical Center in Birmingham, a tertiary medical center subspecializing in women’s and psychiatric services.

Carlisle received her Master of Health Science from St. Francis University and her Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of South Alabama. She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the American Organization of Nurse Executives, and the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society for Nursing. She is certified in executive nursing practice by the American Organization of Nurse Executives and has completed intensive community leadership training through the Birmingham Women’s Momentum program and Baptist Hospital under Quint Studer, formerly of Studer Group, in Pensacola, Fla.

Carlisle is focused on present and future opportunities for UAB Hospital, saying, “My entire professional life has been dedicated to health care, first as a staff nurse, then managing ORs and ERs, and eventually identifying success factors in patient care, hospital operations, and technologically complex, community-oriented service lines.”

“My service at UAB Medicine and University Hospital has given me the opportunity to work with incredible teams, where we have been able to improve our patients’ care, access, experience, and outcomes,” Carlisle said. “I look forward to using my clinical and leadership experience to ensure the highest standards of care, outcomes, and workplace engagement as we continue to make improvements and move UAB Hospital forward.”

Jordan DeMoss, MSHA
Executive Vice President, Clinical Operations, UAB Medicine

During his 18 years at UAB Medicine, DeMoss has served as a senior leader of the O’Neal Cancer Service Line, the Center for Psychiatric Medicine, Laboratory Services, Respiratory Care, Spain Rehabilitation Hospital and Rehabilitation Services, Food and Nutrition Services, Guest Services, Environmental Services, and Spiritual Care, as well as assistant administrator of UAB Hospital-Highlands and in the corporate office of the UAB Health System. DeMoss earned his B.A. in international business administration from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn. and his Master of Science in health care administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

DeMoss has served as chair of the board for the Alabama Chapter of the March of Dimes and the Literacy Council of Central Alabama. He has also served on the boards of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama and the Exceptional Foundation. He currently services on the boards of Forge Cancer Survivorship and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. He is an adjunct instructor for the UAB School of Health-Related Professions.

DeMoss is a member of the 2013 classes of the Birmingham Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40 and the Alabama Leadership Initiative. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a member of the 2015 Fellows Program for America’s Essential Hospitals. He is married to Lauren, a health care attorney at Maynard Nexen LLC, and they have three sons: Bennett, Rowan, and Maddox.

Jean Ann Larson, EdD, MBA, BSIE, FACHE, FIISE, LFHIMSS
Chief Leadership Development Officer, UAB Medicine
Senior Associate Dean, Leadership Development, UAB Heersink School of Medicine

Larson is a senior health care leader with more than 30 years of progressive experience in administration, process engineering, operations, quality, safety, learning and leadership development. In her dual role as leadership development officer across the UAB Health System and the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, she works with senior leaders across the enterprise to build UAB leaders’ effectiveness and sustainability. She is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and has an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering, an MBA in international management, and a doctorate in organizational change and leadership from Pepperdine University.

She is a past board member and industry award winner in both the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and the Society for Health Systems of the Institute for Industrial Engineering. She has edited and authored several books and published many articles. Her most recent book is, “Organizational and Process Reengineering Approaches for Health Care Transformation” (published August 2015, CRC Press), and she won the 2015 HIMSS Book of the Year Award.

Larson has served on several not-for-profit boards and is active in health care and leadership professional associations. She is an adjunct faculty member for the UAB School of Health Professions, routinely speaks on health care and leadership, and is actively involved in career mentorship of women in health care.

Larson and her husband, Robert, are the parents of two adult children, and they enjoy traveling, exploring different cultures, and spending time with family and friends.

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Fellow advisors

Morgan Gaghen, MSHA, MBA
Senior Director of Operations, Imaging and UAB Hospital-Highlands

Gaghen serves as the director of operations for UAB Hospital-Highlands, a 110-bed acute care facility with 16 OR surgical suites, a Level 3 ED, and a 12-bed ICU.

Originally from Gadsden, Ala., Gaghen first gained interest in health care in high school while working at an outpatient physician practice. She began working at UAB in 2013 as an occupational therapy assistant in the acute care hospital setting.

Gaghen holds both a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science in health administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. During her time at UAB Medicine, she’s had the opportunity to work with Supply Chain & Support Services, UAB Hospital-Highlands, the COVID-19 command center and emergency response, imaging, the Center for Patient Flow, and the Cardiovascular Institute. She completed a two-year fellowship with UAB Hospital administration in 2023.

Ragan Manning
Associate Vice President, Resource Utilization, UAB Hospital

Manning is the associate vice president (AVP) of resource utilization in the Supply Chain at UAB Hospital. She’s been working in business operations and supply chain functions at UAB Hospital since 2000. She spent the first 11 years of her career as the business manager for Perioperative Services. In this role, with two surgeon co-leads, Manning began the first value analysis team for reviewing physician preference items in 2005. As the AVP for resource utilization, she leads the creation, facilitation, and direction of non-labor resources for the clinical enterprise.

Manning directs product selection and resource utilization activities through a number of resource utilization teams and ad hoc groups, in collaboration with physicians and clinicians. She holds a Master of Science in health administration and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Manning also earned a Certificate in Health Care Quality and Safety from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in April 2015. She resides in Hoover, Ala., with her husband, three children, and dog.

Brian Berthiaume
Senior Director, Administrative Operations, UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute

Born and raised in Memphis, Tenn., Berthiaume went south to Mississippi to attend tiny Millsaps College and obtain a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in philosophy. After graduating in 2000, he spent the next five years in administrative roles of increasing responsibility at Habitat for Humanity of Lexington, Ky. The Bluegrass State was a wonderful place to learn about nonprofit management, bourbon, and fiddle music. After marrying his high school sweetheart, who at this point was a psychologist, he followed her to start a career in health care. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he earned a master’s degree in health care administration, and it is here where his first daughter was born.

Continuing a circle through the Southeast, Berthiaume and his family moved for a post-graduate fellowship at one of the largest public hospitals in the country at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. UAB Medicine has afforded him tremendous opportunities to learn about care for the uninsured, outpatient health care, financial management, regulatory compliance, and why nurses are the most valuable team members. Since 2009, Berthiaume has been fortunate to serve in leadership roles with UAB’s solid organ transplant programs. He, his wife Kristen, their three children, and various pets now live just three miles from UAB Hospital.

Second-year fellows

Bailey Marks

Bailey is one of the 2024-2026 UAB Medicine administrative fellows. Born and raised in Birmingham, Ala., he graduated from Auburn University with a degree in communication and business and also earned a Master of Science in Health Administration from UAB. During his undergraduate years, he worked at East Alabama Health as an administrative intern at the Spencer Cancer Center and as an administrative assistant at the East Alabama Medical Center Foundation. In these roles, Bailey led projects regarding patient referrals, clinic throughput, and strategic fundraising. It was during this time that he discovered his passion for health care leadership.

More recently, Bailey has held multiple roles at UAB Medicine. He was a unit concierge through the UAB MSHA Workforce program, where he contributed to patient satisfaction and discharge efficiency initiatives at UAB Hospital. He also was an administrative intern at UAB Hospital-Highlands, where he led projects such as a Level 1 Geriatric ED accreditation, capital expenditure requests, age-friendly care quality projects, and employee engagement activities. His time at UAB sparked his desire to lead in an academic medicine setting, resulting in his current position of administrative fellow at UAB Medicine.

Jade-Isis Porter

Jade-Isis is one of the 2024-2026 UAB Medicine administrative fellows. Born and raised in Phoenix, Ariz., she earned her bachelor’s degree in health science studies with a minor in business administration from Baylor University. During her undergraduate years, Jade-Isis held various roles at Wesley Woods Rehabilitation, including administrative intern, activities assistant, and receptionist. During her tenure, she spearheaded projects focused on operational efficiency and resident safety, igniting her passion for health care operations and leadership.

Jade-Isis earned a Master of Healthcare Administration from Tulane University and gained experience in finance, quality improvement, and data analytics. As a new business case manager at AssetMark, she oversaw new accounts and implemented operational improvements. At the Tulane Cancer Center, she pioneered a project to reduce patient no-show rates and enhance health care services as a quality improvement analyst. Additionally, as a health care analytics intern at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, she analyzed customer service call data, verified optical character recognition authorization form results, and assessed medical adherence data. Her passion for bridging health disparities, integrating technology, and promoting excellence led her to pursue the UAB Medicine Administrative Fellowship.

First-year fellows

Alyssa Amato

Alyssa is one of the 2025-2027 UAB Medicine administrative fellows. Originally from Ridge, N.Y., Alyssa holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and a Master of Public Health in health education and promotion from the University of Alabama. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES®). Inspired by her experience as a caretaker for her younger sister with a rare genetic disorder, Alyssa is passionate about improving health care quality and equity. During her undergraduate years, she volunteered on a maternity unit and served as a research assistant and mentor in a breastfeeding lab, where she led the early development of a prenatal breastfeeding education series.

As an intern at Children’s of Alabama, Alyssa contributed to performance improvement and patient safety initiatives. Her work focused on enhancing patient demographic data collection to better identify and address health disparities, in collaboration with the Health Disparities Improvement Team, Marketing and Strategic Communications, and Instructional Technology Design. Her interest in working to reduce health disparities, improve the quality of care that all patients receive – and her direct alignment with UAB’s values of providing quality and compassionate health care to every patient, every time – led her to pursue the UAB Medicine Administrative Fellowship.

Alyssa Barefield

Alyssa is one of the 2025-2027 UAB Medicine administrative fellows and a Birmingham native. She earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology with a pre-med concentration in 2019 from the University of Alabama, where she was active in student leadership, faculty research, and statewide service as part of the University Fellows Experience. The daughter of two health care providers, Alyssa developed an early passion for improving health outcomes and addressing systemic inequities in care delivery. After completing a master’s degree in biomedical and health sciences at UAB, she began medical school, where her clinical experiences sparked a broader interest in health care systems. She pivoted to health care administration to help drive change at the system level.

Alyssa earned her Master of Business Administration at UAB in spring 2025 and completed the didactic portion of her Master of Science in Health Administration program. During graduate school, she supported strategic and operational projects across UAB Medicine, including work with anesthesia and perioperative services and rural hospital initiatives through the Alabama Rural Health Collaborative. Her interests include academic hospital operations, surgical and ambulatory services, system strategy, and physician group management. Alyssa is excited to continue serving at UAB, an institution that has shaped her academic and professional journey.

Former fellows

• Clarence Hwang (2024) – project manager, Office of Chief Operating Officer, UAB Health System
• Naseem Nimer (2023) – director of operations, Rehabilitation Services, UAB Hospital
• Maria Gonzalez-Gomez (2023) – practice operations manager, Clinical Operations
• Charlie Angel (2022) – director of business operations, UAB eMedicine
• Carlie Dobbins (2022) – senior director, Clinical Transformation Office
• Cayla Brown (2022) – director of clinical research integration, UAB Medicine
• Morgan Gaghen (2021) – senior director of operations, Imaging and UAB Hospital-Highlands
• DeWayne Bailey (2021) – director, Alabama Rural Health Collaborative, UAB Health System
• Jessica Zeller (2019) – administrator, Neurosciences Service Line, UAB Hospital
• Dawson Smith (2017) – vice president, Affiliate Operations and Network Development, UAB Health System
• Nisha Patel (2017) – director, Wellness and Administration, UAB Medicine
• Anisa Xhaja (2014) – director, Cancer Program Planning & Performance Improvement, UAB Medicine
• Lee Hammonds (2012) – executive administrator, Department of Anesthesiology, UAB Heersink School of Medicine
• Brian Berthiaume (2008) – senior director, Transplant Administrative Operations, UAB Hospital
• Jordan DeMoss (2007) – executive vice president, Service Lines and Specialty Hospital Operations, UAB Medicine
• Melissa Mancini (2005) – associate vice president, Strategy and Business Development, UAB Health System
• Keith Marks (2003) – executive administrator, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, UAB Heersink School of Medicine
• Lauryn Schultz (2001) – senior administrator, Department of Medicine Clinical Programs and Operations, UA Health Services Foundation
• Ragan Manning (2001) – associate vice president, Resource Utilization, UAB Hospital