UW Master of Health Administrative (MHA) students can choose to complete a full-time internship position during the summer between years one and two of the program. Most students work in a health services organization, under the supervision of a member of that organization.
Internships are an extremely valuable means of focusing career plans and establishing connections in the job market. They provide an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills from the classroom to a professional setting.
Internship Spotlights are presented courtesy of the MHA Student Association and the MHA Graduate Program Advisor.
Summer 2025 Internship Spotlights
Laura Alford – Proliance Surgeons Corporate Office
- Type of Learning Experience: Job
- Organization: Proliance Surgeons Corporate Office
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Preceptor: Talisha Lee
- Projects Involved In:
- Vendor listing
- New software workflow creation, testing, and implementation
- Complete Contract Lifecycle Involvement (Stakeholder Engagement, Redlining, Vendor Negotiation)
- Favorite Summer Memory: Kayaking through the Montlake Cut.
- Best Piece of Advice Received: You must repeat yourself at least three times before anyone will remember what you said.
Bryan Cadena – EvergreenHealth
- Type of Learning Experience: Internship
- Organization: EvergreenHealth
- Location: Kirkland, WA
- Preceptor: Monique Gablehouse, COO of Post Acute Care & Ron Bettencourt, Director of Clinical Optomization and Operations
- Projects Involved In:
- Gathered financial information as EvergreenHealth was getting ready to negotiate insurance rates for its facilities (hospital insurance, liability insurance, car insurance, etc).
- Working on breakeven analysis for a high-risk breast cancer screening clinic.
- Leading a proposal for the integration of a biopharmaceutical prostate cancer therapy drug called Pluvicto. We expect to launch it in April of 2026.
- Looked into Productivity metrics for our Home Health nurses and physical therapists and if the current formula in place is accurate and similar to national standards.
- Observed 2 spine surgeries with our CMO of the medical group Dr. Freeborn.
- Attended board meetings and Administrative Council (AC) meetings with all healthcare executives
- Joined our General Counsel in a claims committee to listen in on current lawsuits, potential lawsuits and other situations.
- Volunteered at a local farmers market to talk about our organization and also to advocate for a levy lid lift to bring in community funded tax dollars.
- 1:1 with CEO, COO, CMO, General Counsel, CFO, CHRO, and others.
- Shadowed palliative care and saw a provider along with the patients oncologist deliver terrible news to the patient and family in a very compassionate and empathetic and professional manner.
- Attended EvergreenHealth memorial event for their Home Health and Hospice Care programs.
- Debriefed on high stakes patient situations to address quality and change management
- Favorite Summer Memory: Observing the CMO of the medical group Dr. Freeborn perform surgeries with his team.
- Best Piece of Advice Received: Don’t burn bridges. The then COO of EvergreenHealth Medical Group was leaving on my first week of the internship, and his advice was to keep connections alive even if you’ve left an organization. You never know when you’ll maybe want to come back, so leave in good standing.
Juan Contreras Mora – Proliance Surgeons
- Type of Learning Experience: Internship
- Organization: Proliance Surgeons
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Preceptor: Stephanie G. Johnson and Rick Marhula
- Projects Involved In:
- Creating a new user interface for their SharePoint site
- In charge of updating various important tools for front-end workers
- Monitored payor update requests from the clinic
- Reviewed and redlined new payor contracts
- Favorite Summer Memory: The intern happy hour.
- Best Piece of Advice Received: You want people to say good things about you when you’re not in the room and bring you up in conversations.
Allen Henderson – Overlake Medical Center
- Type of Learning Experience: Internship
- Organization: Overlake Medical Center
- Location: Bellevue, WA
- Preceptor: David Winokur — Chief Administrative Officer & Andrea Turner — Director of Clinic Operations
- Projects Involved In:
- Developed a strategic implementation plan for a centralized Diabetes Center of Excellence in collaboration with the Director of Clinic Operations, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Physician Executive.
- Created data visualization graphics to target unit-based transmission-based precaution compliance and PPE use compliance per hospital unit for the Infection Prevention and Employee Health departments.
- Gained proficiency in EPIC; analyzed hospital and professional billing data for cardiac procedures to ensure billing matched, working closely with the Director of Cardiovascular Services.
- Created an efficient Primary Care Provider empanelment model in Excel for fiscal year 2026 for the Director of Clinic Operations.
- Delivered a high-level presentation on the Diabetes Center of Excellence to Overlake’s Quality Team, Endocrinology Manager, and Executive Team.
- Shadowed the Chief Administrative Officer in strategic meetings, including an Overlake-MultiCare Perioperative Leadership Meeting and the WSHA Federal Budget Summit.
- Supported the Director of Finance in analyzing surgical services revenue based on the contribution margin.
- Observed the Director of Cardiovascular Services in vendor negotiations regarding transcatheter heart valves.
- Favorite Summer Memory: Developing and presenting a strategic plan for a Diabetes Center of Excellence to Overlake’s Quality Team, Endocrinology Manager, and Executive Team.
- Best Piece of Advice Received: Before moving forward with any project, make sure to ask the right questions and never leave a meeting without a clear, confident understanding of what’s being presented.
Eunice Hong – Proliance Surgeons
- Type of Learning Experience: Internship
- Organization: Proliance Surgeons
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Preceptor: Christina Girardi
- Projects Involved In:
- Data work
- ASC Quality Measures Reporting Survey
- Top Survey Citation Analysis
- Research and Presented on- Washington Health Alliance/Community Check up, Culture of Safety, Leapfrog, ASCQC, Reg-Ent
- Conducted SWOT analysis on assigned Ambulatory Surgery Center and presented findings
- Went on site visits and got to sit in on a few operational/leadership meetings
- Favorite Summer Memory: My favorite summer memory was going to California and Hawaii!
- Best Piece of Advice Received: Not limiting myself and embracing challenges as new opportunities.
Isariyaporn Kanta – Skagit Regional Health
- Type of Learning Experience: Internship
- Organization: Skagit Regional Health
- Location: Mount Vernon, WA
- Preceptor: Matthew Vaughn
- Projects Involved In:
- BCBS Lawsuit Claim Insurance: Assisted in reviewing and processing claim documentation related to Blue Cross Blue Shield litigation cases.
- Matching Reclaim Insurance: Supported reconciliation of reclaim insurance data, ensuring accuracy between claims and reimbursement records.
- Single Audit: Observed and participated in audit preparation, including compiling financial data and verifying compliance with federal and state requirements.
- Favorite Summer Memory: Having the opportunity to sit in on a meeting with the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). It was inspiring to observe how financial decisions are discussed at the executive level and to see the connection between detailed financial work and broader organizational strategy. This experience gave me a deeper appreciation of leadership in healthcare finance and motivated me to continue building skills in this field.
- Best Piece of Advice Received: Always be accurate in my work. Accuracy is essential in finance and audit processes, as even small errors can have significant consequences for compliance and organizational decision-making.
Yedidya Kefale – UW Medicine
- Type of Learning Experience: Internship
- Organization: UW Medicine
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Preceptors: Kristine Wegener Sr. Director, ITS Operations & Kristal Mauritz-Miller Chief Operating Officer
- Projects Involved In:
- Worked with many leaders on projects like survey writing, Governance 2.0, and system upgrades.
- Helped run site executive meetings and created a quantitative method to decide which topics were most relevant.
- Built a data-driven framework to review FTE roles and determine if a job should stay, be removed, or changed.
- Analyzed how transportation access might relate to patient no-show rates in population health work.
- Favorite Summer Memory: My favorite memory was the potluck where I got to meet everyone, share laughs, and really enjoy each other’s company. It was a great moment to connect beyond work and have fun together.
- Best Piece of Advice Received: Always keep in touch with the people you work with, building strong relationships is just as important as the work itself.
Stephanie Stoll – Progyny, Inc.
- Type of Learning Experience: Internship
- Organization: Progyny, Inc.
- Location: Remote
- Preceptor: Elaine Bowes
- Summary of Experience:
- This summer, I worked as a Member Experience intern at Progyny, a leading fertility and family-building benefits company that partners with employers and clinics to provide comprehensive, inclusive support for individuals and families throughout their reproductive health journeys.
- My focus was on improving how members navigate fertility care across diverse clinics. Much of my work centered on clinical discovery—interviewing different teams and clinics, gathering operational insights, and proposing solutions to reduce variability and strengthen member support. I redesigned outreach strategies, conducted data analysis, contributed to our pregnancy and postpartum conversion pilot, observed pilot program discussions with leading fertility providers, and helped refine PROMs assessments to better reflect members’ emotional and physical needs. I also built trackers, process maps, and SOPs that centralized clinic insights and streamlined educator guidance.
- We concluded the internship with a presentation to Progyny’s C-suite, where I was able to present my findings and highlight my top three recommendations for implementation. I’m now extending my internship part-time to continue advancing SOP governance, implementing elements of my final project recommendations, and further developing PROMs strategy.”
- Favorite Summer Memory: I have two; all my all my boating days on Lake Washington, and I’m especially excited to be traveling to South Korea and Tokyo before classes start again.
- Best Piece of Advice Received: Don’t be afraid to step outside of healthcare’s traditional paths, there are so many ways to make an impact.
Previous Internship Spotlights
Luisa Kwok – MultiCare
- Type of Learning Experience: Internship
- Organization: MultiCare
- Location: Tacoma, WA
- Preceptor: Tim Holmes, President of Behavioral Health Network
- Projects Involved In:
- Behavioral health patient access redesign
- Marketing and engagement for new outpatient clinics and programs
- Shadowing hospital operations, surgeries, and site compliance
- Favorite Summer Memory: Taking naps on my picnic mat at the park
- Best Piece of Advice Received: “You will seldom be the expert in the room, yet you are often responsible for leading and making improvements.”
Ngoc-Vy Mai – Seattle Children’s Hospital
- Type of Learning Experience: Internship
- Organization: Seattle Children’s Hospital
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Preceptor: Alicia Tieder, Chief Diversity Officer
- Projects Involved In:
- Developed and delivered an implementation plan to standardize collection of patient SOGI data in regional and sub-specialty clinics across the system
- Created career ladders for the Patient Access Center, showcasing different pathways to help with employee retention and career development
- Conducted initial research and market analysis for a new service within the Patient Access Center, to present to the Director of System Access
- Favorite Summer Memory: Observing a procedure at Seattle Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
- Best Piece of Advice Received: “Make yourself heard and be confident in what you know. Knowledge is power and no one can take that away.”
Julia Garcia – Zócalo Health
- Type of Learning Experience: Internship > Job
- Organization: Zócalo Health
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Preceptor: Mariza Hardin, Co-Founder & COO
- Projects Involved In:
- Launch of virtual primary care services in the state of Washington
- Marketing and growth efforts
- Community engagement
- Favorite Summer Memory: Seeing family and friends
- Best Piece of Advice Received: “Lean into it.”
Regin McLane – EvergreenHealth
- Type of Learning Experience: Internship
- Organization: EvergreenHealth
- Location: Kirkland, WA
- Preceptor: Juan Aragon, Director of Strategic Growth, Partnerships, and Innovation
- Projects Involved In:
- Co-led the creation of MQIP Health Disparities Action Plan
- Conducted data analysis for business cases in Hospital at Home and Advanced Remote Patient Monitoring programs
- Co-led surgery preauthorization process improvement project
- Attended Financial Recovery Incident Command meetings and Board Committee meetings
- Favorite Summer Memory: Welcoming the arrival of my baby niece and camping in three national parks
- Best Piece of Advice Received: “Lean into risk-taking by building certainty through trust, and learn what refills you and prioritize it in your work.”
Tyler McKlosky – Fred Hutchinson & New Mexico State University
- Type of Learning Experience: Health Equity Field Experience
- Organization: Fred Hutchinson & New Mexico State University
- Location: Las Cruces, NM
- Preceptor: Dr. Mary Alice Scott, Professor at NMSU
- Projects Involved In:
- Immersed in border health, access of vital services, food security and mental health
- Meeting strong women at La Mujer Obrera who fight for clean air and water
- Witnessing sustainable agricultural work done on La Semilla to address food challenges
- Shadowing Dr. Lara at Chaparral Family Health Center, who showed commitment to providing affordable and accessible care
- Visiting Borderland Rainbow Center, a space for safety and healing
- Favorite Summer Memory: Seeing the closed loop with food security when distributing the food boxes to families through Casa de Peregrinos
- Best Piece of Advice Received: “Create a safe space through compassion and empathy. That type of setting allows people to find strength in themselves to grow, thrive and bounce back from the hurdles life tends to throw at us.”
Claire Hallock – MultiCare
- Type of Learning Experience: Internship
- Organization: MultiCare
- Location: Tacoma, WA
- Preceptor: Dennis Kolb, Chief Medical Officer Quality, Safety and Clinical Integration
- Projects Involved In:
- Worked on a system-wide project aimed at optimizing the clinical governance that serves to standardize care across MultiCare Health System
- Conducted 40+ informational interviews
- Addended 10+ learning sessions held by MHS leaders
- Shadowed operational leaders
- Favorite Summer Memory: Visiting Lake Crescent with my husband and son
- Best Piece of Advice Received: “Spend as much time considering how you want to be led and managed as you would on considering your own learning style. With the right leader guiding you, you can achieve anything you set out to achieve.”
Vanesa Ramos – Kaiser Permanente
- Type of Learning Experience: Internship
- Organization: Kaiser Permanente
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Preceptors: Christina Farinelli, Product Manager, and David Williams, Director of Product Development and Management
- Projects Involved In:
- Market research and competitor analysis for services including:
- Fertility
- Hearing aid and vision
- Accidental dental injury
- Market research and competitor analysis for services including:
- Favorite Summer Memory: Exploring the New England coast
- Best Piece of Advice Received: “Continue to stay connected with mentors and those I have networked with, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.”
Sujeena Badal – Sea Mar Community Health Centers
- Type of Learning Experience: Shadowing
- Organization: Sea Mar Community Health Centers
- Location: Marysville, WA
- Preceptor: Kush Doshi, Clinic Manager and Medical Residency Program Manager
- Summary of Experience: Received an overview of daily clinic operations, individual roles within each department, and types of services provided by the clinic to the Hispanic population and other populations
- Favorite Summer Memory: Traveling for work and visiting Nepal
- Best Piece of Advice Received: “Collaboration is key. No matter what your job role is, always help each other out at work.”
Micaela Vaughn – Proliance Surgeons
- Type of Learning Experience: Internship
- Organization: Proliance Surgeons
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Preceptor: Devan Baker, Executive Director
- Projects Involved In:
- Expanding marketing efforts to potential new patients in Eastern Washington
- Implementing virtual reception at smaller clinics
- Expanding services to include physical therapy
- Favorite Summer Memory: Exploring different areas of Washington and enjoying the sunny weather
- Best Piece of Advice Received: “Do the work of your people to gain the respect of your people.”
Internship Opportunities
Securing an internship is a competitive process. However, with our decades-long service to our local health care communities, the UW MHA program is unique in its ability to support our students in securing internship opportunities locally and throughout the greater Puget Sound region.
Health care organizations begin posting summer internship openings as early as fall quarter. The MHA graduate program advisor and practitioner-in-residence work closely with students to share available internships, provide resources for securing an internship, and ensure students have competitive application materials that stand out in the application process.
Recent Internship Sites
Here are a few places where UW MHA students completed a summer internship:
- Aegis Living
- Avamere
- Community Health Plan Washington
- Cigna
- Confluence
- Eastside Health Network
- EvergreenHealth
- Health Facilities Planning & Development
- Kaiser Permanente Washington
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- Oregon Health & Science University
- Overlake Medical Center & Clinics
- Pacific Medical Center (PacMed)
- Providence
- Samaritan Health
- Seattle Children’s Hospital
- Skagit Regional Health
- SutterHealth
- UW Medicine
- Valley Medical Center
- Virgina Mason
- Washington State Hospital Association
- Western Washington Medical Group