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Administrative Fellowship Current & Former Fellows
Current Fellows 2023 - 2024
Jonathan King
Jonathan King received his Master of Health Administration from Texas A&M University in May of 2023. During his two years in College Station, Jonathan participated in Case Competitions and student organizations while also working as an Administrative Assistant at a private orthopedic practice. Jonathan interned at Ascension Providence where he focused on process improvement within Robotic surgeries and strategic planning for the central Texas region. The summer internship experience that resonated with him the most was engaging in strategic planning to expand critical care access to children and families in central Texas.
Prior to his master’s degree, Jonathan obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Medical Humanities from Baylor University. During his time at Baylor, he worked as a student manager for the Baylor Football team and continued with his passion for sports as an intern for the Carolina Panthers. Jonathan also spent time as a Patient Care Tech where he gained hands-on experience in caring for the needs of patients in various capacities at Ascension Providence Hospital.
Jonathan’s passion for healthcare is deeply rooted in his personal journey as well as his clinical experience. His diverse background in both healthcare and sports operations has developed into a passion for the health and wellness of the community. Jonathan is elated to join Texas Children’s Hospital and hopes to explore his interests in marketing and strategy, among many others, while advancing his leadership skills and experience. Jonathan looks forward to the holistic structure of the Administrative Fellowship that incorporates every facet of health services delivery that will lay the foundation for a fulfilling career in healthcare administration.
My personal definition of leadership
Leadership is not a position of power; but rather an attitude of devotion to helping others succeed while setting an example in character and conduct.
Courtney Pawlik
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Courtney Pawlik is passionate about serving women and children in the greater Houston area, where she was born and raised. She received her Master of Health Administration from Texas A&M University in May 2023. During her time in graduate school, Courtney served as the President for the Healthcare Finance Association (HFA) and participated in case competitions. Throughout her time in College Station, she worked as an Administrative Assistant at Brazos Valley Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Center, where she collaborated closely with surgeons and administrative staff on process improvement projects. Additionally, Courtney interned at Houston Methodist Hospital with the Accountable Care Organization focused on value-based care and improving the patient experience for adult populations through increasing patients' access and quality of care, while simultaneously decreasing the readmission rates and cost of care. Through her school and professional experience, Courtney continues to develop a diverse skill set to position her for success in the ever-changing demands of the healthcare industry.
Prior to graduate school, Courtney attended Sam Houston State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration and Minor in Finance. During Courtney’s time at Sam Houston State, she played Division l collegiate soccer and served in leadership roles as Captain and the soccer representative for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Outside of her athletic achievements, Courtney spent her summers interning at various healthcare systems in Houston, including Baylor College of Medicine, The American Red Cross and Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH). During this time, she was exposed to various patient populations, sparking her devotion to serve women and children.
Courtney is thrilled to be joining Texas Children’s One Amazing Team as an Administrative Fellow. It is important to her to work with an organization that is driving the pediatric industry locally, nationally, and globally as a trailblazer towards innovative change and development, while still maintaining high-quality care. She aspires to work on projects with the nationally ranked Heart Center at TCH, expand mental and behavioral health services, refine surgical practices and enhance the patient experience. Courtney looks forward to the mentorship, professional development and knowledge offered through this experience to propel her to lead in the healthcare industry, while embracing the values and mission of TCH.
My personal definition of leadership
Leadership is the ability to influence, motivate and develop followership from individuals of all backgrounds and lived experiences to collaboratively work together to reach their fullest potential and achieve the vision at hand.
Ciara Sanchez
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Ciara is devoted to advancing the delivery of healthcare and eager to contribute to the well-being of her community. She obtained her Master of Health Administration from Texas A&M University in May 2023. While in graduate school, Ciara worked at St. Joseph Medical Group as a Patient Access Representative and Administrative Intern. In collaboration with a multidisciplinary team, she worked to enhance patient care and improve operational efficiency within the 28 outpatient clinics. Within the same health system, Ciara interned with St. Luke’s Health - The Woodlands Hospital, focusing on physician onboarding and quality improvement initiatives. At the close of her master's program, Ciara surveyed and collected data as a Research Assistant that focused on the consumer experience of navigating provider networks, concentrating on health access and health disparities.Through her job experience, Ciara gained valuable insights that revealed her passion for clinical operations and a deep-rooted commitment to enhancing healthcare accessibility.
Before her graduate studies, Ciara received her B.S. in Public Health from Texas A&M University – School of Public Health, preparing her with the fundamental skills to solve today's health challenges through strong leadership, cooperative efforts across disciplines, and a focus on health equity. In addition to her studies, she worked as a personal healthcare assistant to a fifteen year old girl diagnosed with autism, which provided her with opportunities to develop skills critical to her desired career working in pediatrics.
As her healthcare journey began as a pediatric endocrinology patient at Texas Children’s Hospital, Ciara is excited to return to TCH as an Administrative Fellow. She aspires to be involved in patient care services and desires to contribute to the nationally ranked Endocrinology Department and the autism program at TCH. She is excited for her fellowship year and hopes her experiences will develop her knowledge and skills to become an effective leader in healthcare, contributing to Texas Children's mission to create a healthier future for children and women.
My personal definition of leadership
Leadership is the art of guiding and inspiring others towards a shared vision, while fostering an environment that encourages their personal and professional growth.
Kaitlyn Chana
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Kaitlyn Chana is the Practice Administrator for the Psychology department at Texas Children’s Hospital. She started her journey with Texas Children’s in 2022 as an Administrative Fellow. Kaitlyn Chana is a passionate and diligent healthcare leader who strives for purpose and helps others. She obtained her Master of Business Administration and Master of Health Administration from the University of North Florida in December 2021. Following a decade in the news industry with a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Central Florida, Kaitlyn felt compelled to amplify people’s voices to create change. But, she wanted to do more, so she dreamed bigger.
Her strengths lie in her commitment and vision for the future by leveraging quantitative data in a qualitative format to forge better connections that capture the why behind her actions. Previously, she asked people to tell their stories daily, which, in turn, compelled her to share her story. Kaitlyn is a survivor of three different eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorders.
Kaitlyn is honored to join Texas Children’s Hospital because of the characteristics that blend her values with the organization’s mission, focused on creating a healthier future for children and women. She wants to serve by helping grow the behavioral health services, work in business and organizational development, and enhance the patient experience.
Kaitlyn aspires to be the President at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus, Houston’s community hospital, serving the community's health through access to the highest quality healthcare and community partnerships. Her goal is to achieve positive outcomes that continue to aid Texas Children’s Hospital in being the leading pediatric and women's health organization.
My personal definition of leadership
Lead with heart and intention. Those combined traits will equip colleagues around her to feel supported personally while working to serve our patients and their families.
Megan Helfers
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Megan Helfers is the Practice Administrator for the Neurosurgery department at Texas Children’s Hospital. She started her journey with Texas Children’s in 2022 as an Administrative Fellow. Megan Helfers received her Master of Healthcare Administration from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities in May 2022. During her time in the program, Megan served as a graduate consultant for local healthcare organizations. She also contributed to quality improvement efforts for both a local and free student-run clinic and a live housing demonstration for individuals experiencing homelessness.
Prior to attending graduate school, Megan earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing degree with an academic minor in Healthcare Management from Butler University in May of 2020. During her time at Butler University, Megan participated in a vast number of extracurricular activities. Her favorite roles included serving as the Vice President of Fundraising for a campus organization called Be the Voice, which is partnered with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, as well as her time as a peer mentor for first-year business students within Butler University’s Lacy School of Business.
Megan is beyond grateful to join the team at Texas Children’s Hospital. In the future, she hopes to hold positions that grant her the opportunity to further contribute to the organization’s mission of creating a healthier future for children and women globally.
My personal definition of leadership
Leadership is present when one shows their commitment to helping others grow both personally and professionally, assisting them in their journey to reaching their full potential.
Madison Haynes
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Madison Haynes is the Practice Administrator for the Dermatology and Wound Care departments at Texas Children’s Hospital. She started her journey with Texas Children’s in 2022 as an Administrative Fellow. Madison Haynes obtained her Master of Science in Health Systems Management from Rush University in May 2022. Throughout her time in Chicago, she took on a role within Rush University Medical Center’s Clinically Integrated Network, diving into the realm of value-based care. The majority of her time was spent in the Cancer Center, where she learned to tailor the patient experience to a more vulnerable population and took part in the initiative to increase access for Cancer patients. She was able to take advantage of her time at Rush and participate in a case competition and help to organize Rush’s TedX event with the overarching theme of “Minor Setback, Major Comeback”.
Before beginning her graduate degree, Madison attended the University of Kentucky where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Leadership and Management. The internship experience that resonated with her the most was within the University of Kentucky Gill Heart and Vascular Institute, as her journey in healthcare began as a pediatric cardiology patient. That being said, she looks forward to learning more about the #1 nationally ranked Heart Center at Texas Children’s.
Madison is excited to join the Texas Children’s Hospital family and embrace the “One amazing team” mentality. Coming in with an open mind, she looks forward to engulfing herself in all things TCH and helping to improve the lives of children and women. As there is no better place to learn about pediatric care, she hopes to end her fellowship year more knowledgeable, skillful, motivated, and able to identify strong career interests and goals.
My personal definition of leadership
Leadership is an influential mindset that allows an individual to facilitate the efforts of others to reach a shared objective.
Angie Pettigrew
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Angie Pettigrew currently serves as Director of the Provider Connect team at Texas Children’s Hospital. The Provider Connect team is focused on enhancing the referring provider experience for the 8,000+ external providers whose patients receive care at Texas Children’s each year. Her team supports centralized referral intake, a provider priority phone line, interoperability tools, process improvement related to referring providers, and provider outreach. She has been with Texas Children’s Hospital for 15 years, with the majority of her post-fellowship time at Texas Children’s dedicated to leading projects and process improvement initiatives for the executive team. She is passionate about improving quality, access and customer service in pediatric healthcare, has a Masters in Healthcare Administration, and is a Certified Public Accountant who worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers before joining Texas Children’s. She loves traveling and spending time with her husband, two teenage daughters, family and friends.
Rodney David
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Rodney David started in HR as a Financial and Special Projects coordinator in Benefits right after the fellowship. He spent 3 years there and got to work on some great projects including plan design changes which were presented to the Benefits Committee. After that he decided to move into operations and found an awesome opportunity in the Department of Nursing as a Nursing Business Manager in the NICU. There, Rodney had the opportunity to learn inpatient operations which is pretty rare for a non-clinical leader. He spent 5.5 years running the business operations for all 3 NICU units at main campus which included operational responsibility as well as project work. He also did the budget for all 3 units each year. After that Rodney moved on to the Centers to learn outpatient operations and joined as a Practice Leader over Pediatrics at the Greenspoint location and did that for 2 years before being promoted to Assistant Director. He has been in this role for 3 years now and have provided leadership over every aspect of the Centers. It has been wonderful serving this patient population.
Jency Varghese
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Jency Varghese is the Practice Administrator for Pediatric Hospital Medicine at Texas Children’s Hospital. She started her journey with Texas Children’s in 2015 as an Administrative Fellow, where her work on operational projects related to Patient Flow led her to continue her career here as the Manager of Business Operations for the Cancer and Hematology Centers. She then transitioned to the Practice Administrator role in 2018 and has also worked closely with Employee Health on COVID-19 workforce strategy. Prior to working at TCH, Jency obtained her Bachelor of Business Administration in Corporate Finance and Bachelor of Arts in Plan II Honors at the University of Texas at Austin and worked for a private healthcare company before pursuing her Master of Public Health in Healthcare Administration from Yale University.