The Workforce of Tomorrow
A postgraduate fellowship program welcomes two health care administration fellows.
A postgraduate fellowship for individuals pursuing health care management degrees is increasingly becoming the gold standard in the preparation of health care leaders. In June 2021, the executive leadership team at UF Health Jacksonville endorsed a proposal to recruit two administrative fellows for the 2022 – 2023 program cycle. The vision is for the program to serve as a premier source of talent to fill unmet needs as our health system continues to evolve and expand.
Fellowships span 12 to 24 months in length, with a senior executive leader serving as the preceptor. The fellows function within the C-suite to obtain advanced exposure to the executive team, high-level meetings, rotations and meaningful project work. Postgraduate fellowships are highly competitive, as the demand far outpaces the supply of these opportunities.
The value to the organization can be determined from both an altruistic and a monetary standpoint. Fellows are assigned complex and small projects that can generate big wins for the institution and increase the existing bandwidth of our leaders to accomplish projects that may otherwise be tabled due to competing operational priorities.
“Developing leaders is a strategic priority of the organization, and this program presents a great opportunity to cultivate some of the brightest health care management graduates into trained professionals who will lead the health care industry of the future,” said Greg Miller, chief operating officer at UF Health Jacksonville and a fellowship preceptor.
After a vigorous recruitment period from September to October, the organization selected two candidates who will join UF Health in July 2022.
The program is excited to welcome the two new fellows:
Melody Dickson
Master of Health Administration, University of Florida
Melody has experience as an exercise specialist and patient care coordinator, and she has completed a formal internship under the direction of the chief nursing officer at AdventHealth Tampa.
Allyson Knight
Master of Health Administration, Medical University of South Carolina
Allyson has experience working in patient logistics, quality and patient engagement, and has obtained a CAPM in project management.
Allyson and Melody will spend their first 60 to 90 days focusing on rotations and meetings with leaders in all key areas of the institution. As rotations wrap up, the program will be taking on formal projects and engaging in many of the planned strategic initiatives.
As an academic health system, teaching the next generation of our workforce is a key mission of the institution, and we look forward to building the workforce of tomorrow.
Administrative Fellowship Program Leadership
Program Directors
Kathryn Wittman
Director, Health Administration, Department of Surgery
University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville
Administrative Fellowship Program Director, 2022 – 2024
Trish Starkes
Director, Patient Access and Financial Eligibility
UF Health Jacksonville
Administrative Fellowship Program Director, 2023 – 2025
Executive Sponsors and Preceptors
Russ Armistead
Chief Executive Officer
UF Health Jacksonville
Administrative Fellowship Executive Steering Team Member
Ann-Marie Knight
Vice President, Community Engagement and Chief Diversity Officer
UF Health Jacksonville
Administrative Fellowship Executive Sponsor
Greg Miller
Chief Operating Officer
UF Health Jacksonville
Administrative Fellowship Preceptor
