MHA Master of Health Administration Student Association

Shivang Patel is the President for the MHA Student Association. Shivang graduated from the University of Louisville with a Bachelors of Public Health in May of 2021. This summer, Shivang has been working at Norton Healthcare in hospital operations. Shivang is interested in obtaining a fellowship after graduating this May. Shivang’s favorite part about the MHA program is the opportunities the program provides.

Kaitlyn Shell is a second year MHA student. She graduated from the University of Kentucky with her Bachelor of Public Health in May of 2021. Kaitlyn has been working for Lexington Clinic as a Process Design Intern this summer. She is excited to continue to learn, network, and gain experience with her fellow MHA students and alumni.

Becca is the current Vice President of Finance for the MHA Student Association. She earned her B.B.A. in Finance in her undergraduate studies at the University of Kentucky and is pursuing a meaningful career in financial/strategic healthcare administration. This summer, Becca began a corporate finance/strategy internship position with Appalachian Regional Healthcare that will continue through her time as an MHA student.

Hannah Wethington is the Vice President of Service for the MHA Student Association. She graduated from UK in 2019 with a bachelors degree in Medical Laboratory Science and works full-time at the Lexington VA Hospital as a Lead Medical Technologist. She started the MHA program in 2021 and is a part-time student. She is looking forward to meeting all of you and would love to hear any suggestions you may have. Feel free to reach out at anytime with questions or concerns. Welcome to UK MHA!

Shelby Watkins is a 2nd year full time MHA student and this term’s Vice President of professional development. She received her bachelor degree in English from the University of Kentucky and is a Kentucky native. She is completing her internship with Shriners Children’s Lexington and discovered an interest in process improvement and patient care. Shelby is excited to meet with new students to establish and expand their professional skills and connections.

Corbin Kirksey is a second year MHA student. This summer Corbin has been working as an Administrative Intern for Frankfort Regional Medical Center. His favorite part about the program is the exposure, networking, and opportunities the program provides right from the start. Corbin looks forward to networking with all the new first years and growing professionally in the constantly expanding healthcare world we are entering.

Tharunika Venkatesan graduated from the University of Kentucky with a BS in Biology and a Minor in Health Advocacy. During this time she became passionate about health equity and improving healthcare systems which led her to pursue a MHA. Currently, she is actively involved in the program as MHASA’s Secretary and is a Quality Improvement Specialist Intern in UK HealthCare’s Office of Performance Services. In the future, she hopes she can help make healthcare more affordable, accessible, and equitable for her community.

Kate Cox is a third year part-time MHA student. She graduated from Western Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Health Administration in 2019. Kate works full-time at the Markey Cancer Center as a surgery coordinator for the Cardiothoracic and Soft Tissue specialties. She is excited to expand her knowledge of the healthcare field, network, and gain experience alongside full-time, part-time students, and alumni.

Sylvia Justice is the Logistics Coordinator for the MHA Student Association. She graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 2021 with a bachelor's degree in Health Services Administration and a minor in Business. She is 1st year part-time student in the MHA program. She is currently working full-time at the Markey Cancer Center as a Patient Services Coordinator focusing on surgery coordination for the ENT and Soft Tissue specialties. She is also the dance coach at Lexington Christian Academy.

Estevan Mikhail is a recent graduate from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Public Health, returning to complete his Master of Healthcare Administration. Throughout Estevan’s undergraduate experience, he was heavily involved with his fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, and DanceBlue. He works at UK Healthcare at Kentucky Children’s Hospital with the executive triad. Previously he has served at Norton Children’s Hospital with the surgical services department to help improve supply management. As service coordinator Estevan hopes to get the student association more involved with service opportunities at the university, such as DanceBlue.

MHASA Executive Board’s new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Integration Coordinator, Elijah I. Hames, comes from the west side of the country, Oakland, CA. Elijah is a recent graduate from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, obtaining his Bachelor of Art in Communications. He recently completed interning at Kaiser Permanente as a Communications/Public Affairs Intern for the Northern California Regional Office. Elijah quickly gets involved and activates his opportunities, as he is now interning in Operations/Entity Leadership with the Good Samaritan Hospital (Chandler). He is always looking to enrich himself with knowledge and new learning opportunities to be an effective healthcare leader. Elijah is passionate about the work that comes with diversity, equity, and inclusion and will make sure he utilizes his passion for making an impact if whichever capacity he can.