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Master of Health Administration Residency Competition
MHA Residency Competition
This competition was developed to inspire creativity in our students and help them improve their podium skills.
Each residential Penn State MHA student is required to complete a residency of 400 hours between their first and second year of study. At the beginning of the subsequent fall semester, the students share their experiences with the new first-year students and others. The presentations are judged by healthcare administration professionals.
2025 student finalists:
Natalia Velazquez - First Place
Residency location: Penn Highlands Healthcare, State College, PA
Preceptors: Sarah Lehman, Director of Nursing
Preceptors: Sarah Lehman, Director of Nursing
Ryan Sorbo - Second Place
Residency location: Mercer- New York, NY
Preceptor: Ryan Klapatch, Senior Associate
Preceptor: Ryan Klapatch, Senior Associate
Ethan Glass - Third Place
Residency location: Merck- North Wales, PA
Preceptor: Annemarie Thornton, Program Lead, Vaccines & Melissa Shaughnessy, Sr. Director
Preceptor: Annemarie Thornton, Program Lead, Vaccines & Melissa Shaughnessy, Sr. Director
We extend our gratitude to the finals judges:
- Donnelle Jageman, MHA Alum, Senior Director, Intelligence at Sg2, a Vizient company
- Jeff Knorr, HPA & MHA Alum, Chief Operating Officer, Southwestern PA-UPMC, Physician Services
- Lisa Davis, MHA, Director, Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health
- Joey Boyles, HPA & MHA Alum, Executive Administrator, UPMC Physician Services, Community Hospital Medicine & Physician Advisor Programs
- Amey Udar, MHA Alum, Regulatory and Accreditation Specialist, Temple Health
- Preliminary judges
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- Jessica Bressler, MHA, Project Manager, UPMC Altoona
- Bill Burmeister, MHA, Operations Director, Geisinger
- Joe Dionisio, Professor of Practice, Penn State Health Policy and Administration
- Jennifer Feeman, MHA, Assistant Vice President for Finance and Business, Penn State Health College of Medicine
- Maria Dawson, MHA, Assistant Teaching Professor, Penn State Health Policy and Administration
- Kara Fox, MHA, Senior Nurse Recruiter, Geisinger
- Emma Hannan, MHA, Value Based Project Manager, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Jefferson Health
- Jenn Inman, MHA, Mental Health Division Manager, Jackson County, Oregon
- Erica Kahl, MHA, Director, Growth and Business Development, WellSpan
- Erin Rissler, MHA, Clinical Project Manager, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
- Morgan Soster, MHA, Director, Practice Administration, Guthrie Health System
- Ed Tracey, MHA, Research Assistant, Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health
- Previous finalists
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2023
- First place: Aarathi Kallur
- Second place: Courtney Manns
- Third place: Nicholas Vicidomini
- Fourth place: Hannah Earley
2024
- First place: Alaina Burns
- Second place: Aimee Asante
- Third place: Faye Bui