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Department of Health Administration and Policy

Mapping a Career in Health Care Consulting

John Brandon Cantrell — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 22:08:30 +0000

Mapping a Career in Health Care Consulting John Brandon C… Tue, 01/25/2022 - 17:08

Learn more about Mason's MHA program

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Population Health

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Fatphobia & Its Racist Past.

CPH Upward

Mason Alumna’s capstone project led to a career at Booz Allen Hamilton

Nhien Ho reflects on how her experience at Mason prepared her for a career as a health care consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton.

Mason alumna Nhien Ho always hoped to apply the skills she learned in the Master of Health Administration (MHA) program to help others—and now she is. She mapped a path to her dream by pursuing a capstone practicum project that allowed her to work toward her goal of expanding health services to those in need. In turn, she gained the needed experience to work with health care organizations across the country as a health care consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton after graduating in 2020.

"I pursued an MHA degree because I was interested in doing meaningful work to provide better availability, accessibility, and affordability in health care, and I was able to pursue [those goals] through many opportunities from the program and my professors," Nhien Ho said. "Through the assistance of Dr. Alison Cuellar, I was able to work on a project that centered on analyzing population health for those affected by COVID-19."

Navigating population health data

For her capstone practicum project, she worked with Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS), a local nonprofit organization that provides essential resources to families in need. NVFS works with the Virginia Rent and Mortgage Relief Program to process applications for families seeking funding through local COVID Support Act funds.

Nhien Ho analyzed population health data from local COVID Support Act funds to identify the characteristics of families who applied for funding, as well as the average time it took families to complete the application and the successful completion rates. Then, she created a population health map of applicant, census poverty, and race data to determine if funds reached individuals who live in areas with the most significant social and health needs. With her research findings, she also advised the NVFS leadership team on increasing outreach initiatives to ensure funding is accessible and attainable for those most in need of support.

"Put yourself out there and apply to positions that fit your passion," said Nhien Ho. "Leverage the experiences and education that you have had, and emphasize your transferable skills and the soft skills that you have demonstrated in your previous work."

Discovering new career opportunities

She believes the experience working with the NVFS leadership team, analyzing health data sets, and learning new skills made her stand out as an applicant when applying for the health care consultant position.

"I was able to leverage my experience working with clients and analyzing health data sets along with my education in quality improvement initiatives and strategic alignment to really speak on the qualifications that [Booz Allen Hamilton] had for the position," said Nhien Ho.

The process of creating a population health map required Nhien Ho to quickly learn new analytic software, such as Tableau, Stata, Lucid Chart, and Social Explorer, to outline the areas that received relief funding. In December 2020, she received a Population Health Analytics Award from the Department of Health Administration and Policy to acknowledge her quality of research and dedication to learning new skills throughout her practicum project.

"Nhien was an outstanding student and did an amazing job on her practicum wherein she conducted an 'Analysis of Covid Support Funds Provided by Northern Virginia Family Service,'" said Alison Cuellar, professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy as well as Ho's preceptor. "NVFS was thrilled with her extensive data and geographic analyses."

Guiding others to pursue their passions

Nhien Ho said that the skills she learned in health informatics, strategic management, and quality improvement prepared her to complete the practicum project successfully. Her practicum project also provided insight into new ways she could help individuals with her master's degree in health administration.

"My practicum experience brought [my attention to] a different area of health care administration that I was not aware of: health data analysis," said Nhien Ho. "This helped me understand the range of options I had for my career. I could make an influence in health care in many different ways, from clinical management and quality improvement to data analysis."

As a proud Mason alumna, she encourages College of Health and Human Services' students to explore their passions in their program and apply for positions related to their goals for entering the health care field.

"Put yourself out there and apply to positions that fit your passion," said Nhien Ho. "Leverage the experiences and education that you have had, and emphasize your transferable skills and the soft skills that you have demonstrated in your previous work."

Wide Open eats: Health Administration Alumna Brianna Graham writes about fatphobia and the evolution of the ideal body type.

eander6 — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 18:13:36 +0000

Wide Open eats: Health Administration Alumna Brianna Graham writes about fatphobia and the evolution of the ideal body type. eander6 Wed, 01/19/2022 - 13:13

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Weight Control

CHHS in the Media

College of Health and Human Services

College of Health and Human Services Department of Health Administration and Policy

CPH Upward

Rising Healthcare Leaders Making Connections at Mason

eander6 — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 13:30:08 +0000

Rising Healthcare Leaders Making Connections at Mason eander6 Thu, 09/30/2021 - 09:30

In This Story

Brenda Helen Sheingold, PhD, RN, FNAP

PJ Maddox, EdD, MSN, RN

RHLM leadership team with the Director of the Master of Health Administration program, Brenda Sheingold.

On September 16, Rising Healthcare Leaders at Mason (RHLM), a Mason Registered Student Organization (RSO), hosted its first in-person networking event since March 2020. The graduate student leadership team in the Department of Health Administration and Policy (HAP) worked to make the event a successful networking opportunity for attendees. P.J. Maddox, chair of HAP, and many HAP faculty members were present as well as alumni and students. Mark Lainoff, an Inova administrative fellow, also attended and spoke with students who were interested in pursuing an Administrative Fellowship. The event was supported by a team of volunteers from the undergraduate Health Administration program.

The president of the RHLM leadership team, Akshaya Chinnathevar Ramesh, delivered comments to thank those who attended. “Rising Healthcare Leaders at Mason is a registered student organization representing the HAP department,” said Ramesh. “Our mission is to open the platform for students to enhance their career advancement through networking and other activities, and this event is a stepping-stone toward that goal. We want to set a path for the future leadership team as well as the emerging healthcare leaders who have joined [us] in our journey.”

Brenda Helen Sheingold, director of the Master of Health Administration program, said that the event was successful thanks, in large part, to the student leadership team’s efforts to create a safe and professional environment for students and faculty to connect during the pandemic.

"The Master of Health Administration is a network-intensive degree, and students haven’t had the opportunity for face-to-face interaction with healthcare executives, the faculty, or each other for over 18 months,” said Sheingold.

All COVID safety protocols were followed at this event.

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Rising Healthcare Leaders

Healthcare

Inova

HAP Faculty

Department of Health Administration and Policy

Student Spotlight

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Alumni Spotlight: Karyn Onyeneho, MS Health Informatics ‘14

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 19:12:09 +0000

Alumni Spotlight: Karyn Onyeneho, MS Health Informatics ‘14 Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 02/17/2021 - 14:12

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College of Health and Human Services Department of Health Administration and Policy

Alumni Spotlight

College of Health and Human Services

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CPH Upward

Karyn Onyeneho, who graduated from ��AV in 2014, lives by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in her commitment to public service and community engagement: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Onyeneho graduated from Mason with a Master of Science, Upsilon Delta National Honors, in Health Informatics. Onyeneho’s degree has opened doors for her at the National Institutes of Health, where she serves as a Genomics Scientific Administrator, and at Howard University, where she is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences with a Concentration in Nutrigenetics. In speaking of her education at Mason and why she chose her field of study, Onyeneho said:

Onyeneho graduated from Mason with a Master of Science, Upsilon Delta National Honors, in Health Informatics.

“Upon completing my Bachelor of Science degree at Howard University (Howard) in December 2012, I was interested in seeking an advanced degree in the field of health information technology to marry my interest in health administration with information technology. I learned about the MS Health Informatics program at Mason from a professor at Howard. I decided to apply and was thrilled that I made the decision to attend Mason. The courses from the program were applicable to the technical knowledge and skill sets I was seeking and the professors who were teaching courses in the program, had extensive backgrounds in the field. I also marveled at Mason’s enriched learning environment and it’s fostering of a supportive community to ensure student success.”

Onyeneho is a Genomics Scientific Administrator for Return of Results in the NIH Precision Medicine Initiative, All of Us Research Program (AoURP), Division of Scientific Programs (DSP), appointed in 2018, where she supports partnerships between the program's Genome Centers and the Genetic Counseling Resource for the responsible return of genetic research results to research participants. Her work is critical to the core values of the AoURP in supporting efforts to ensure research participants have access to their genomic data and access to the program's genetic counseling services. Prior to joining the DSP, Onyeneho spent her first year at AoURP developing policy guidelines while supporting establishment of the Resource Access Board in the Data and Research Center.

Onyeneho currently serves as Community Engagement Chair for the National Association of Health Service Executives (NAHSE) Washington Metro Area Chapter, where she provides strategic community engagement leadership between the chapter and local and extended community partners. Onyeneho also was elected as Vice President for the Howard University Science Policy Association (HUSPA) in November 2020. In that role, she supports science policy development from the perspective of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). HUSPA addresses the health disparities and socioeconomic issues that individuals and communities of color face in regard to policy. Onyeneho spoke of her experience working in this position, and how her education at Mason has helped her thrive in her field.

“I learned a variety of technical skills and knowledge that I could apply in the real world, such as how to optimize visibility of an online marketplace via eCommerce search engine optimization; how to apply bioinformatics tools for data generation and analyses; and understanding the value and administration of health quality standards for better health outcomes. I am able to apply knowledge towards my current professional work as a Genomics Scientific Administrator at the National Institutes of Health and as a fourth-year PhD at Howard University, with regard to

comparative genomics analyses, the development and utility of mHealth, the association of inequities in healthcare and health disparities, and bioinformatics to analyze gene variation and expressions.”

Onyeneho is a recipient of numerous academic, philanthropic, and professional awards and was recognized by Senator William C. Smith, Jr., who serves on the Maryland General Assembly in Montgomery County Legislative District 10, with a community service award for her "outstanding commitment to public service and dedication to making our community a more just and equitable place for all". When asked for her advice to current health informatics students, Onyeneho imparted wise words on being passionate about your career choice and jumping into the field straight away. “Make sure that you love what you’re learning in the health informatics program so that upon graduation, you are motivated to enter your chosen career field. Also, decide on a desired career field as early as possible to help forecast the trajectory of your career and to position yourself in the health informatics program effectively such as taking coursework that complements what you envision doing professionally upon graduating.”

Iana Y. Clarence, BS Health Administration '14

tguingab — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 13:00:00 +0000

Iana Y. Clarence, BS Health Administration '14 tguingab Sat, 06/01/2019 - 09:00

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