Administrative Fellowship

Morgan Gaghen

Morgan is the current UAB Medicine Hospital Fellow for 2020-2022. Originally from Gadsden, Ala., she found her interest in health care in high school while working at an outpatient physician practice. She then earned her Associate of Applied Science in occupational therapy in 2013. Morgan practiced as an occupational therapy assistant in an acute care hospital setting for five years at UAB Medicine. This experience led her to complete her Bachelor of Science in health care management in 2018.

Morgan completed her Master of Business Administration and Master of Science in Health Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. While working toward her master’s degrees, she had the opportunity to work in Supply Chain & Support Services at UAB Medicine and in operations at the UAB Hospital-Highlands facility. Morgan’s interest in operations in the academic medical center setting led her to pursue the UAB Hospital Administrative Fellowship. During her fellowship, she actively participated in project management for several initiatives in UAB Medicine’s COVID-19 emergency response, including command center, testing, PPE conservation and reprocessing, and vaccination efforts. She also gained experience in ongoing initiatives with the Cardiovascular Institute, Center for Patient Flow, Alliance Imaging Taskforce, and the UAB Hospital-Highlands Emergency Department.

Naseem Nimer

Naseem is the 2021-2023 UAB Medicine Hospital Fellow from Ann Arbor, Mich., with a decorated, eight-year career spanning the health care spectrum – from medical transportation to finance and operations. Most recently, Naseem served as an administrative research intern at John D. Dingell VA Medical Center, where he reported to the chief of research and offered recommendations on optimizing workflow. Concurrently, he was offered a role as a health care administration intern for Saleh Medical Innovations Consulting (SMIC), a partnering firm where he recently concluded his work.

Naseem earned his Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) before recently completing his dual Master of Health Administration and Master of Business Administration degrees at Eastern Michigan University. Along the way, he earned his green belt in the Lean Six Sigma methodology at Lawrence Tech University and is in the process of becoming a project management professional with the Project Management Institute. Naseem’s background as a first-generation immigrant, coupled with his interdisciplinary expertise, uniquely position him to deliver on a mission to serve the underserved by ushering health care systems into their next generation of potential as thriving and equitable institutions.

Carlie Dobbins

Carlie is the second-year administrative fellow with the Clinical Practice Transformation team for the 2020-2022 cycle. She is originally from Memphis, Tenn., but completed her education in Los Angeles. She received her undergraduate degree in biology from Pepperdine University and her Master of Health Administration from the University of Southern California. Before beginning her fellowship at UAB, she completed a one-year administrative residency at Providence, a large, integrated health care delivery system that spans six states.

Carlie started out in health care as a certified nursing assistant in a residential behavioral health treatment center. She continued to work in this setting for four years while completing her education, transitioning into an administrative role after time. She attributes her interest in clinical practice transformation to her experience working directly with patients and clinicians.

Maria Gonzalez-Gomez

Maria is the UAB Medicine Administrative Fellow with the Clinical Practice Transformation team for 2021-2023. She was born in Colombia and at the age of six moved to Tampa, Fla., where her family still resides. Maria graduated from the University of Florida (UF) with a Bachelor of Business Administration and a specialization in public health in 2019. Maria stayed at the University of Florida and earned her Master of Health Administration in 2021.

During her time at UF, Maria completed internships with the Department of Neurology at UF Health and the VA Medical Center in Gainesville. The ability to learn how to transform care delivery and operational design throughout an academic medical center from administrators and clinicians is what led her to pursue the CPT Administrative Fellowship at UAB.

Charlie Angel

Charlie is the UAB Health System Administrative Fellow for 2021-2022. Born and raised in Hoover, Ala., Charlie completed his undergraduate degree in health care management at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Charlie found his interest in health care while working as a surgical scrub technician for two oral and maxillofacial surgeons. Charlie sees his time spent with them as being invaluable to his overall development and understanding of the greater health system. During his undergraduate studies, Charlie was able to serve in a variety of research-based roles – most notably on a project that sought to develop a continuum of care model for spinal cord injury patients.

Through the guidance of the faculty and staff he met during his undergraduate years, Charlie decided to pursue his MSHA. Charlie will complete his Master of Science in Healthcare Administration from UAB in spring 2022. While pursuing this degree, Charlie served in a variety of roles within UAB Hospital-Highlands, Supply Chain & Support services at UAB Hospital, COVID-19 response teams, and Network Development and Affiliations. Charlie’s interest in understanding how the various components of an academic health system function led him to pursue the UAB Health System Fellowship.

Cayla Hurst

Cayla is the inaugural UAB Medicine Academic Medicine and Ambulatory Operations Fellow for 2020-2022. She is originally from Lake Ridge, Va., where her family still resides. Cayla graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Public Health and a certificate in health communications. She continued her education at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she earned a Master of Business Administration and Master of Health Services Administration. Cayla gathered experience working in outpatient private practices throughout her education.

Cayla pursued the Academic Medicine and Ambulatory Operations Fellowship to gain experience at a comprehensive academic health medical center, while learning more about various service lines across ambulatory operations. Her current interest is the integration of research into the ambulatory settings, reflecting one of UAB Medicine’s key missions.

Kevin Sommers

Kevin is the UAB Medicine Administrative Finance Fellow for 2020-2022. He was born and raised in Huntsville, Ala., and graduated from Auburn University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration focused on accounting. At Auburn, Kevin was involved with and held leadership positions in various extracurricular activities, including the Student Government Association and Student Alumni Association. He completed internships in audit and assurance with a Big Four accounting firm, in the business office of a large non-profit health system in Huntsville, and in health care consulting with a firm in Nashville, Tenn.

After graduating from Auburn, Kevin completed his Master of Science in Health Administration (2021) and Master of Business Administration (2020) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The ability to learn from experienced finance leaders while being immersed in both academic and health system affairs brought Kevin to UAB Medicine.

The UAB Medicine Administrative Fellowships prepare trainees for success in a variety of areas in health care management. Many fellows stay within UAB Health System after completion of the fellowships.

• Esther Arnold – Director, Strategic Projects, UA Health Services Foundation
• DeWayne Bailey – Organizational Effectiveness Manager, UAB Callahan Eye Hospital & Clinics
• Jessica Zeller – Operations Director, Clinical Practice Transformation, UAB Hospital
• Dawson Smith – Vice President, Network Development and Affiliations, UAB Health System
• Nisha Patel – Director, Wellness and Administration, UAB Medicine
• Frank Sortino – Operations Administrator, UAB Hospital-Highlands
• Mark Wiersma – Director, Strategic Initiatives, UAB Health System
• Anisa Xhaja – Director, COVID Operations, UAB Medicine
• Lee Hammonds – Associate Vice President, UAB Medicine
• Martin Smith – Chief Operating Officer, UAB Callahan Eye Hospital & Clinics
• Brian Berthiaume – Operations Director, Transplant Operations, UAB Hospital
• Jordan DeMoss – Vice President, Clinical Operations, UAB Hospital
• Melissa Mancini – Associate Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, UAB Health System
• Lauryn Schultz – Senior Administrator, Department of Medicine Clinical Programs and Operations, UA Health Services Foundation
• Ragan Manning – Senior Director, Resource Utilization, UAB Hospital

UAB Medicine offers two summer internship opportunities: hospital administration and supply chain. Each internship offers a comprehensive experience designed to complement and enhance the foundation of a qualified individual’s academic education.

Hospital Administration

The hospital administration internship at UAB Medicine provides qualified individuals with a comprehensive experience in health care management, designed to complement and enhance the foundations of their academic education. During the paid, 12-week opportunity, interns are integrated into hospital leadership and given hands-on projects that reflect strategic priorities as well as their personal interests. Interns are encouraged to attend and participate in departmental and senior management meetings and shadow personnel in clinical and support areas.

• Preceptor
  • Arpan Limdi, Vice President of Clinical Operations & Chief Facilities Officer
• Application Dates and Timeline
  • Applications are due Jan. 31, 2023.
  • Interviews will be conducted in early February 2023.
  • The expected start date is mid-May 2023, but start and end dates are flexible based on the academic calendar.
• Eligibility
  • Enrolled in a master’s program and a strong passion for health care
• Application Materials
  • Current resume/CV
  • Cover letter addressed to the Administrative Internship Committee

Please email adminfellows@uabmc.edu if you have questions about the hospital administration internship.

Supply Chain

The supply chain internship at UAB Medicine provides qualified individuals with a comprehensive experience in supply contracting and sourcing management, designed to complement and enhance the foundations of their academic education. Interns are responsible for learning the supply chain functions and processes with a focus on contract writing and negotiations, completing projects, and other work as assigned. The intern’s responsibilities may include:

• Negotiating legal, business, and financial terms and conditions.
• Evaluating and quantifying the financial impact of agreements on the organization.
• Drafting, editing, and securing approvals and signatures on agreements.
• Working with analysts to translate pricing from agreements to the hospital’s ordering system.

In addition, interns may be given certain work assignments to reinforce the learning experience, assess their understanding of assignments, and assist the leadership and supply chain teams.

• Preceptors
  • Arpan Limdi, Vice President of Clinical Operations & Chief Facilities Officer
  • Thomas McWilliams, Senior Director of Strategic Sourcing
• Project Sponsor
  • Thomas McWilliams, Senior Director of Strategic Sourcing
• Eligibility
  • Enrolled in a master’s or law program and an interest in practicing in health care administration or supply chain management. Experience in contract drafting, supply chain, and sourcing is strongly preferred.
• Application Materials
  • Current resume/CV
  • Cover letter addressed to the Supply Chain Internship Committee

Please email adminfellows@uabmc.edu if you have questions about the hospital administration internship.

Key Dates

• Application deadline: October 1, 2021
• Skype/phone interview: Early October 2021
• On-site interview: Late October 2021
• Official acceptance date: November 12, 2021
• Start date: June 2022

Eligibility

• Graduate of OR has successfully completed all on-campus didactic requirements of a Masters level program with an interest in practicing in Healthcare Administration
• Masters in Healthcare or Business preferred

Application Materials

• Apply via NAFCAS
• Current resume/CV
• Official graduate school transcript
• Three letters of recommendation:
  • Academic
  • Professional
  • Other
• Cover letter addressed to Administrative Fellowship Selection Committee
• Personal statement addressing the following questions (two-page maximum):
  • Hospital Fellowship
    • What makes UAB Medicine the ideal place for you?
    • How do you exhibit UAB Medicine’s Core Values: Always Care, Own It, Work Together, and Do Right?
    • Why are you pursuing this particular fellowship with hospital operations?
    • What are your expected outcomes from the fellowship?
  • Clinical Practice Transformation
    • What makes you interested in a fellowship that focuses on systems-based leadership training?
    • UAB Medicine’s Core Values are Always Care, Own It, Work Together, and Do Right. How would upholding these values ready you for a fellowship in clinical practice transformation?
    • What are your expected outcomes from the fellowship?
  • Health System Fellowship
    • What makes UAB Medicine the ideal place for you?
    • How do you exhibit UAB Medicine’s Core Values: Always Care, Own It, Work Together, and Do Right?
    • Why are you pursuing this particular fellowship with health system?
    • What are your expected outcomes from the fellowship?
  • Rural Health Care Fellowship
    • Why a fellowship in rural health care leadership?
    • Why Alabama?
    • What are your expected outcomes from the fellowship?

Note: We are unable to provide visa sponsorship for individuals participating in UAB Medicine’s Administrative Fellowships.