Health Management Alumni

"After graduating with my Bachelor of Science in Health Management (BSHM) in 2021, and Master of Health Administration in 2022, I have had the opportunity to spend the last four years working in supply chain operations for a Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) – where I focus on data analytics to support strategic decision-making and improve operational efficiency. My role involves analyzing complex datasets, identifying trends, and delivering insights that help healthcare organizations optimize supply chain performance and business outcomes.

The BSMH program played a key role in preparing me for this work. The program gave me a broad understanding of the business side of healthcare, covering everything from finance and operations to policy and strategy. It also emphasized the importance of networking and collaboration – skills that have been vital in opening doors to opportunities and navigating the collaborative and fast-paced nature of the healthcare industry."

"As an Associate Integration Manager with The Resource Group, I serve as a liaison between our national team and local clinical staff, ensuring that supply chain operations align with both hospital needs and organizational goals. My role involves collaborating with physicians, nurses, and leadership to optimize workflows, improve resource utilization, and support high-quality patient care.

My bachelor’s degree in Health Management provided a strong foundation in healthcare systems, leadership, and operational strategy, which has been essential in navigating the complexities of hospital operations. The program equipped me with the analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills needed to work effectively across multidisciplinary teams and manage projects that bridge administrative and clinical priorities."

"I graduated from WSU in 2018 with a degree in Health Management with minors in Public Health Science and Psychology. Prior to graduating, I had 10 years of clinical experience under my belt ranging from family practice to specialty practice to pharmacy. I truly believe taking the opportunity to explore so many different roles of healthcare has shaped me into the person I am today.

I have been working in the HIV/STI field Sedgwick County since 2018 and I could not love my job more. I serve as the Grant Compliance Analyst for the Ryan White Program at the UKSM-W Medical Practice Association. This job allows me to pull together what I love most- educating the community and healthcare. The Ryan White Program serves nearly the entire state excluding the KC area so being organized and understanding the differences between rural and urban healthcare is vital to the success of our program and patients. My role empowers our patients to take control of their wellbeing by ensuring they have affordable medications through our 340B program. 

My time at WSU was completely life changing. I knew I loved healthcare and I knew I loved culture but didn’t understand how the two worked together until the Health Management program. My favorite class was Role of Culture in Healthcare taught by Dr. Drassen Ham. This class showed me just how much culture and healthcare influence each other. With every decision I make, I now have the tools needed to look at that decision from multiple angles. Thankfully, the Ryan White Program has lots of options to help financially cover these situations making it a little easier for our patients.

If you’re reading this and considering this program, I can’t recommend it enough. Many of the people that I graduated with did not start out with this degree. We came from all walks of life and professions searching for tools to improve the livelihood of our patients. This degree has opened so many doors for me, helped me make many connections before graduating and has left me with a lifetime of friends in the field.  GO SHOX!"

"I have been working in the pharmaceutical industry for about 7 years now. Day to day, I interact with Doctors, PA’s, NP’s, nurses, MA’s, staff and pharmacists. I love my job because I feel like the medications I promote can really make a huge difference for patients and their families. Biology, chemistry and epidemiology really prepared me for the scientific part of my job. At each company, I have learned a wealth of information- For example-  how Synapses fire, drug interactions, brain chemicals, vesicles, neurons, pharmacology, clinical study information and basic anatomy and physiology.  My favorite class in the Health Management program was Epidemiology with Professor Drassen Ham. My favorite class outside of my major was the Native America studies course. COVID times were scary and Epidemiology truly equipped me to understand how diseases spread around the world (or even in normal day to day medicine)!  The Health Care Management program really prepared me from the biological and scientific aspects- all the way through community and statistical points as well.  

My advice for students is to study hard and really dive into ALL aspects of the health community. There are a wealth of areas that this degree allows you to work in!"

"I entered the field of long-term care as an Administrator for a 54-bed skilled not-for-profit nursing facility. In the years following, I became Director of Operations for Foundation Properties and oversaw the operations of nine communities, which ranged in services from Assisted Living, Alzheimer’s Care, and skilled Rehab Services. During that time, I have led efforts to renovate some of the properties, as well as over saw a major addition to one of their assisted living communities, Marquis Place in Elkhorn, NE. I most recently over saw the the newly developed 84 bed Regent Park Rehabilitation and Healthcare which is one of Wichita's newest CCRCs."

"I am the Associate Director of Compiance and Privacy at Evolent Health. Evolent Health is a healthcare services company that specializes in providing value-based care for patients with complex health conditions. As the Associate Director of Compliance and Privacy my role involves protecting member and patient data while ensuring the company follows all relevant laws and regulations. I earned my Bachelor in Health Services Management and Community Development from WSU. This program laid my foundation to move ahead in my career and provided insight to the many other areas and ways to work in the Healthcare industry. One of the lessons I learned was in regards to the importance of working together and eliminating the silos. To this day I provide a picture of that in my education and training materials. For each of us to accomplish our roles and be successful, regardless of the position we hold, everyone has to work together like the cogs in a watch."  

"I am currently a Senior Business Analyst at the University of Kansas Medical Center. I help drive data-driven decisions by analyzing financial and operational information, support strategic planning, and improve processes. I help bridge business units and IT to optimize systems and help the organization achieve its goals.

I want to foremost say that the professors in my program continuously advised me throughout the program, helping me determine a path that best suits my skills. When I became a public health major, I was exposed to a group of leaders and public health workers who had a level of passion and empathy I have never experienced in academia. Not only did these professors, advisors, and the department help me get my degree, they became a support system that set the foundation of my career. I think of them often and the lessons that have been instilled in me and will most certainly stay with me for a lifetime."

"I am a 2018 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Wichita State University where I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Management. Currently, I am a hospital administrator at Corterra Healthcare in Wichita. My day-to-day activities consist of making sure the hospital runs smoothly while providing specialized care for seniors with psychiatric and cognitive needs. This includes overseeing quality assurance and process improvement, like analyzing patient outcomes to enhance care. As an administrator, I handle challenges on a large scale, from managing staffing and regulatory compliance to coordinating departments, finances, and community partnerships to ensure patients receive safe, effective, and high-quality care. This brings me to one of the most important things in any health management degree which is that if you want to be successful you might have to do things outside of your comfort zone that others won’t do or don’t want to do. WSU has taught me genuine connections are instrumental to your success whether they help you land a new job or are a shoulder to cry on. The best advice I can give to any health management major is to show up, work hard, and be kind. It is so simple but it works!"

"My role is Chief Financial Officer at Sumner County Hospital District No 1 in Caldwell, KS. I handle all financials from monthly balance sheets, profit/loss statements, monthly statistics, check register, etc.. which I prepare, analyze and present to the Hospital Board and Hospital Finance Committee on a monthly basis. I also prepare the Capital and Operational Budgets which are present to the Hospital Board and Finance Committee for approval. I manage and edit our Hospital Chargemaster to ensure services and chargeable supplies reflect our Medicare and Blue Cross Blue Shield incentives as a Critical Access Hospital (CAH). Being a CAH, there are many regulations we must follow to keep our designation which creates a crucial role in my job to stay up to date on any regulations/rate changes/etc.. to be in compliance. Our financials are audited annually along with the filing of our Medicare Cost Report. Much of our revenue and reimbursement is directly from Medicare and a huge part of my analysis of financials is ensuring specific expenses are allocated correctly to increase our reimbursement.

I graduated from Wichita State University with my Health Service Management and Community Development degree in 2015. The variety of courses in the program really sets a path of multiple opportunities in the healthcare field for individuals and I am very grateful for the knowledge I received."

"I currently work as a Patient Safety Manager at Synensys, on McConnell Air Force Base. In my role as Patient Safety Manager, I oversee the facility’s patient safety program, ensuring compliance with Department of Defense, Air Force Medical Service, and Joint Commission standards. I coordinate investigations into safety events, conduct risk assessments, and analyze data to identify trends and prevent future errors. I also provide ongoing education and training to staff, facilitate collaboration across departments, and support process improvement initiatives to enhance patient care and safety throughout the facility

The Health Management program at WSU provided me with all of the information I needed to be successful in my role. It also lead me to obtain my masters in healthcare administration which I graduated with this year."

"I graduated from the Health Service Management and Community Development program in the fall of 2016. Since then I have had the opportunity to wear many hats. I started off working in an FQHC as a Patient Care Coordinator working directly with the providers to coordinate needed care for patients, after excelling in that position I was offered the role of Clinical Support Manager in charge of all non-clinical support staff. While in that role I had the opportunity to learn a lot of things which led me to become the EMR and Corporate Compliance officer working on things like quality measures, safety precautions and acting as the EMR super user. In June 2019 became a Practice Manager in the Wesley HealthCare system.  I now serve as the Assistant HIM Director at Parallon. In this role I manage Health Information Management operations, monitor productivity and quality, and ensure compliance with health information polies. I collaborate with medical staff to maintain accurate records for billing.

I have really enjoyed the freedom and unique skillset that my degree has allowed me. As you can tell from my own work history, there are so many opportunities out there – the sky is really the limit!"

"After graduation I am a Contracting Coordinator at CareNu. I support the healthcare contracting team by managing provider information, facilitating the contracting and credentialing process, and ensuring compliance with healthcare plans. My day-to-day activities include loading provider data into CRM systems, processing contracts and credentialing documents for physicians, groups, hospitals, and health plans, and resolving reimbursement issues. I also monitor contract compliance, prepare reports, and recommend improvements to strengthen provider relationships and support accurate, efficient service delivery.

My experience in the Health Science and Health Management programs at WSU has truly helped shape me into the person I am today. Instructors such as Dr. Ham and Tara Nolen had a huge impact on how I approach problems that affect disadvantaged populations in our community. My advisors, instructors, and peers taught me how to serve the people in my community with empathy, dignity, and passion."

"After graduating in the Spring of 2019 with a B.S. in Health Services Management and Community Development, I began serving Kansas as a Public Health Associate at Wichita State University’s Community Engagement Institute (CEI). I completed my  Masters of Public Health at The University of Kansas with a focus in epidemiology in May 2021, and now serve as a Public Health Program Specialist at CEI.

Looking back, I think one of the most helpful HM courses I took at WSU was Health Communication. Now more than ever, the way Public Health professionals communicate with the public MATTERS, and I feel fortunate to have learned about its importance before the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Outside of the major, I enjoyed learning about my leadership capabilities in Leadership and Self and Society. That course helped me learn about myself and discover the values I hold dear to my heart.

Because of the skills and concepts that I learned as a student of the HM program at WSU, I entered the MPH program at KU with a level of confidence that has helped me thrive as both an MPH student and new public health professional. As concepts and topics were introduced in that program, I recalled exploring them in the HM program and was able to expand on their importance in the classroom setting. As a Public Health Program Specialist, I work on many projects that revolve around social determinants of health and correcting inequities. My passion lies in using data to tell stories about public health, which coincides with my optimism about the collective raised awareness about issues that have been historically ignored.  

The HM program at WSU fostered my need to learn and grow in this field. It encouraged me to think about how systems play into our daily lives and be more open-minded about alternative perspectives. The most significant piece of advice I have for current PHS and HM students is to be willing to learn on the go. Engage with your peers and professors, raise your hand,  and don’t be afraid to be wrong, because there is no such thing as failure, only lack of trying."

"I am currently working as a Supply Chain Director for a local hospital in the Kansas City area. I work with clinicians and supporting departments in the hospital to accommodate supply and equipment needs for patient care. This includes leading a Supply Chain team that take care of point-of-use rooms within the hospital. I also work with our hospital leadership team to analyze supply expense and savings initiatives.  I enjoyed the health management program at WSU because it gave me a wide spectrum of healthcare that I have been able to apply in my current role.  The experience of the variety of healthcare courses helped me develop leadership skills that I am able to use today when approached with a challenge."

"I currently work at Select Specialty Hospital as Director of Business Development located within Ascension Via Christi St. Francis in Wichita.  We are a 48-bed critically illness recovery hospital providing post-ICU care. I lead the business development and admissions efforts for the hospital. I oversee a team of Clinical Liaisons and Admissions Coordinators in developing and nurturing professional relationships with physicians, discharge planners, payers and other clinicians in acute care hospitals. 

I graduated from WSU with a Bachelor in Health Service Management & Community Development in May 2015 and an MBA in December 2018.  Speaking to my bachelor's programs specifically, this really gave me guidance on the changing landscape of the healthcare system that our country currently operates in. The reason I picked the healthcare field was that I did not want to work a monotonous 8-5 job. Every day I wake up, the healthcare sector is drastically changing, especially during the COVID pandemic. The program educated me on our current system, as it stands today, and compared us to the way healthcare is provided in other developed countries around the world. This has assisted me in constantly looking at innovative ways to become and remain a successful healthcare organization, constantly focused on providing exceptional quality of care to as many patients as we can."

"I just graduated with my Doctorate in Physical Therapy. I've accepted two part-time positions where I will be able to pursue my interest in pediatrics. I currently treat kids and babies for gross motor delays, plagiocephaly, and torticollis. I have plans to become pediatric pelvic floor certified where I will be able to also help kiddos with urinary and bladder issues! My favorite part about what I do is having the ability to offer non-pharmacological and less-invasive options to help children move and feel better. 

The Health Administration program allowed me to explore and get a better understanding of the business, insurance, and financial side of healthcare. I was able to meet and network with individuals from local companies and really understand all the amazing resources Wichita has to offer. Although it was a little difficult switching from an administrative mindset to a clinical one, I would still highly recommend this program to other aspiring physical therapy students. It was a really unique way for me to "get my foot in the door" in the rehabilitation world!"

"I graduated with a double major in Health Management and Health Science in 2019. I began working at the Sedgwick County Health Department of June 2020, there I worked as the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Planning Assistant and was promoted to the Public Health Planner a year later. I helped organize and operate the COVID-19 Testing clinics during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and helped my team develop the Sedgwick County COVID-19 Vaccination Plan. I got to set up and operate multiple vaccination clinics across Wichita, and later worked to improve the Health Department’s Emergency Preparedness Plans for all biological incident responses. 

I recently started my role with the American Red Cross as the Disaster Program Specialist of South Central and Southeast Kansas in February 2022. I support my region by maintaining emergency management relationships in 21 counties, managing a team of 70 volunteers, providing free community education programs to clients of all ages, and helping respond during large and small scale disasters. I worked to provide relief to clients who were impacted by the April 29th, 2022, tornados in Andover and Sedgwick County, the Reno County Wildfires, and several large apartment fires in three counties.

The WSU Health Science and  program allowed me to see all perspectives of health, not simply the clinical perspective, while also providing me the foundation and confidence to be a voice of public health in any setting I am in. I am grateful for my experience at WSU and the work it has led me to today in emergency preparedness."

"I’ve been working in the health insurance industry as a medical underwriter for 5 years now. I currently work at one the of top risk management leaders in the country, Berkley Accident and Health. Throughout my time at WSU, I never thought I would land in the insurance industry. I imagined something more along the lines of working inside hospitals, long-term care facilities, etc. The Health Management program allowed me to learn the ins and outs of our healthcare system from a business perspective, which eventually introduced me to the world of health insurance. In 2017, I graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Health Services Management and Community Development with a minor in Aging Studies. I believe this program provides its graduates a variety of different career paths involving healthcare, and adequately prepares them for whichever direction they want to go. With that being said don’t be afraid to explore different career avenues in healthcare because as I mentioned earlier, I never thought I would land in the insurance industry but I absolutely love what I do and wouldn’t change a thing."

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