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Kayla Rinderknecht (MPH’24): Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield

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Hello from Des Moines, Iowa! This summer, I completed a 12-week internship with Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS). Wellmark Inc. is a mutual health insurance company, with policyholders throughout Iowa and South Dakota. As a market leader, Wellmark’s mission is to make healthcare better and improve the health of the communities that they serve. Throughout the summer, I experienced Wellmark’s positive culture and contributed to its mission.     My Community Health Research Internship was housed under Wellmark’s Division of Health Equity, Access, and Improvement. The division’s strategy is to improve the health of all Iowans and South Dakotans, not just Wellmark’s policyholders. To improve the health of all Iowans and South Dakotans, the division focused on improving community health, addressing health equity, and improving rural health. My project focused on improving community health, in which I analyzed community data for Iowa and South Dakota, conducted evidence-based research,
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Jenah McCarty (MHA/MPH '24): Intermountain Health

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Hello from the beautiful Cache Valley! I had an amazing summer completing my internship with Intermountain Health at Logan Regional Hospital. Intermountain is a nonprofit health system comprised of 33 hospitals and 385 clinics across 7 states (U UT, NV, ID, CO, MT, ​KS, WY). Logan Regional Hospital (LRH) is a 148-bed Level III trauma center and is recognized as a  top 100 hospital . Logan is in the Cache Valley of Northern Utah with a population of around 150,000. My preceptor, Brandon McBride, is the CEO/Administrator of LRH. Brandon has been with Intermountain Health for 15 years, and was recently named as a top leader as part of Becker’s Hospital Review’s ‘ Community Hospital CEOs to Know ’.  Throughout the summer I engaged in a well-balanced array of projects providing me with a high-level understanding of hospital operations. I took on several projects including process improvements in the emergency department and with volunteer services. I also completed a qualitative analysis of
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Abigail Wegner (MHA '24): Deloitte Consulting

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Hello from Chicago, Illinois! This summer, I completed a 10-week associateship with Deloitte Consulting in my new favorite city. I lived in the Central Loop, about a 20-minute walk from the office, and explored as much of the city as I could during my time at Deloitte. I experienced a summer full of traveling, connecting with full-time practitioners of every level, networking with fellow summer associates across the nation, and learning what it means to be a part of a team within a large consulting practice.     Deloitte Consulting is a global consulting firm that houses various businesses and employees specialized in a variety of fields. They have over 100 offices nationwide, and I had the pleasure of working a hybrid schedule out of the Chicago location. Their healthcare and life sciences practice is widespread and includes commercial clients such as health systems, health plans, and provider networks. This summer, I was staffed on an account with a large health plan who has undergon
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Adriana Kotchkoski (MHA '24): Nihon Keiei Consulting Group

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Konnichiwa from Japan!   As I sit down to write this blog post, I am filled with a sense of gratitude and accomplishment as I reflect on my time as an intern at Nihon Keiei Consulting Group in Osaka, Japan. This summer has been nothing short of remarkable, offering me a unique blend of professional development and cultural immersion that I will cherish forever.   During my time at Nihon Keiei, I had the opportunity to engage in in-depth research and analysis, creating comprehensive market profiles for the healthcare sectors in the Philippines and India. These profiles laid the foundation for strategic expansion plans, and it was an honor to present my findings and recommendations to a senior consultant during insightful one-on-one meetings. These interactions were not only professionally enriching but also allowed me to witness firsthand how strategic decisions shape the course of an organization's growth.   One of the most rewarding experiences during my internship was the develop
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Grace Olsen (MHA '24): University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics - Strategy Implementation

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Hi from Iowa City! I am now exploring more of what Iowa City offers this summer. I took a spring semester course about project management and engagement of stakeholders, which is why I wanted to see it come to action. I am positioned with the project managers, and I got introduced to various projects going on within the organization. I have been able to sit in on some discussions this far for specific projects and have been “working” with partnered consultants in them too. The work environment has been relaxed. I work with 6 project managers that are fierce and flexible. I have gotten to “shadow” how they initiate, plan, and act on the many distinct types of projects and overall, their knowledge about healthcare management. What is fascinating is that all, if not the majority, come from diverse backgrounds and can transform success together as a team and with the organization. My preceptor is Heather Kingston who has a fascinating journey in project management and can discuss many care
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Jashan Gill (MHA '24): University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics - Ambulatory Care Operations

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Hello from Iowa City!  I spent my summer at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, completing my administrative internship in Ambulatory Care Operations. Ambulatory Care consists of around 20 areas, with generally the most complex conditions being treated on the main campus. The team is comprised of approx. 1,200 FTEs, most of whom provide direct care or support for in-person visits. The main campus clinics provide post-visit support for encounters that occur at Iowa River Landing (IRL) and the community clinics. This area is responsible for more than 1 million in-person primary encounters per year and additionally provides secondary services including procedures and ancillary visits. My preceptor was Grant Worthington, Director of Ambulatory Operations (Main Campus). Grant is also an Iowa MHA Alum, and a great resource if you’re interested in the outpatient space! I had the opportunity to involve myself in a variety of projects and observations this summer. My two non-clinic pr
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Kari Holte (MHA '24): University of Utah Health Hospitals and Clinics

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Hello from Salt Lake City!   This summer, I was fortunate to complete an administrative internship with the System Planning Department at the University of Utah Health Hospitals and Clinics. The University of Utah Health system includes 5 hospitals and 11 clinics and serves patients throughout Utah and its surrounding states. I worked at the main hospital, which is a Level 1 Trauma Center located in the mountains just outside of downtown Salt Lake City (the mountain views from the hospital were unbelievable!). U of U Health ranks highly for quality among academic medical centers in the U.S., making the internship a great opportunity to learn from a forerunner in care quality.   System Planning houses the Operational Project Management Office (OPMO), Strategic Integration, and Space Planning teams, and I had the opportunity to work with all three teams.   My preceptor was Ischa Jensen, Associate Executive Director of System Planning. I learned so much from Ischa about strategic planning
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