Administrative Fellowship Program
Our 24-month Administrative Fellowship program develops future healthcare leaders in a collaborative, diverse, and fast-paced environment.
Administrative Fellowship Program
Our 24-month Administrative Fellowship program develops future healthcare leaders in a collaborative, diverse, and fast-paced environment.
Keck Medicine of USC Administrative Fellowship
Keck Medicine of USC is the University of Southern California’s medical enterprise, one of only two university-based medical systems in the Los Angeles area. Keck Medicine combines academic excellence, world-class research and state-of-the-art facilities to provide highly specialized care for some of the most acute patients in the country.
Our internationally renowned physicians and scientists provide world-class patient care at Keck Hospital of USC, USC Norris Cancer Hospital, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, USC Arcadia Hospital and more than 100 unique clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Tulare and Ventura counties.
Keck Medical Center of USC, which includes Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital, is among the top 50 hospitals in the country in 10 specialties, as well as the top three hospitals in metro Los Angeles and top 10 hospitals in California, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 Best Hospitals rankings.
Our enterprise consists of:
- Keck Hospital of USC — 401-bed acute care hospital
- USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center — 60-bed hospital; one of eight original comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute
- USC Verdugo Hills Hospital — 158-bed community hospital
- USC Arcadia Hospital — 348-bed community hospital
- USC Care Medical Group — More than 80 outpatient facilities in Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Tulare and Ventura counties
Living in Los Angeles
Los Angeles offers something for everyone — enjoy the outdoors while basking in the sun, surf or bike along miles of sandy beaches, hike in the Hollywood Hills, or take a short trip to nearby snowcapped mountains. Those who prefer to remain in the city can enjoy more than 300 museums, authentic food from around the world, diverse communities and many unique cultural experiences. Los Angeles is also home to at least one team from every major professional sport, as well as multiple schools performing at the highest level of the college ranks. Whether you want to focus on the familiar or delve into something new, Los Angeles offers endless possibilities for both your personal and professional life.
Favorite Fellowship Activities:
- Ordering Porto’s to the office during recruitment season
- Going to Dodgers games
- Welcome dinners at Girl and the Goat
- Birthday parties at Griffith Park
- Escape Rooms at Hatch
- Dinner outings after work
- Coffee at Bodega Wine Bar
- Snowboarding at Mountain High
- Turtle Racing at Brennan’s
- Friendsgiving
Our Los Angeles Favorites:
Ekta: Eaton Canyon Nature Center, Pasadena
Felipe: Descanso Gardens, La Cañada Flintridge
Sierra: Millet Crepe, Little Tokyo, Los Angeles
Nidhi: Picnics and sunsets at Griffith Park, Los Angeles
Miranda: Getting coffee at Eyes Peeled Café, Culver City
Milan: Zankou Chicken, Glendale
Ellen: Bonfires at Dockweiler State Beach, Playa Del Rey
Brenton: Discovering food in the San Gabriel Valley
During the 2-year Administrative Fellowship Program, fellows will be immersed in a comprehensive rotational program with the guidance and mentorship of the Keck Executive Leadership Team. All rotations and projects are designed to address core competencies while providing a holistic experience. Fellows will also attend executive-level meetings and meet one-on-one with leaders throughout the organization.
In the first year, Administrative Fellows will partner with various senior leadership teams to complete rotations. Administrative Fellows can expect to gain exposure to high-level initiatives, as well as interface with administrative and clinical leadership. In the second year, Administrative Fellows will continue to refine their skill sets and leadership style as they choose to focus on certain areas to develop professionally while also working on system-level projects that tie to the strategic goals of the health system.
Potential Rotations:
- Human Resources
- Finance
- USC Care Medical Group and Ambulatory Operations
- Keck Medical Center of USC Operations
- Community Hospital Operations (USC Verdugo Hills Hospital and USC Arcadia Hospital)
- International Health
- Risk Management, Compliance and Legal
- Quality
- Office of Performance and Transformation
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Managed Care Contracting
- Patient Experience
Program Leadership
Ekta Vyas
Administrative Fellowship Executive Sponsor
Chief Human Resources Officer, Keck Medicine of USC
Ekta Vyas serves as Chief Human Resources Officer for Keck Medicine of USC. She is responsible for developing and executing human resources strategies across Keck Medicine and serves as the key executive liaison between Keck Medicine’s Human Resources Department and the Health System’s Executive Management Team and Board.
Vyas also heads up efforts to integrate the workforces of Keck Medicine with USC Arcadia Hospital, which was acquired by Keck Medicine in the summer of 2022.
Vyas, an experienced executive who has strived to create a culture of compassion, empathy and listening during her career, is a frequent public speaker in her field and the author of multiple journal articles.
Prior to joining Keck Medicine, Vyas served as Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer at UC Davis Health, the academic health system of the University of California, Davis. There, among other achievements, she launched a series of workshops on personal and professional resilience to counterbalance the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic and created a digital workplace program promoting remote and hybrid work.
Before joining UC Davis Health, Vyas spent 14 years with Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children’s Health.
Vyas received a Master’s degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from San Jose State University and a doctorate in organization and management from Capella University.
Felipe Osorno
Administrative Fellowship Preceptor and Executive Sponsor
Chief Post-Acute Care Officer and Chief of Staff, Keck Medicine of USC
Felipe Osorno is Chief Post-Acute Care Officer and Chief of Staff for Keck Medicine of USC.
In this role, Osorno provides executive oversight of post-acute care services and collaborates with hospital leaders across the system to execute strategic partnerships and technology solutions. Additionally, Osorno creates and nurtures collaborations with skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies, inpatient rehabilitation facilities and long-term care hospitals to coordinate and arrange appropriate access for all Keck Medicine patients. In his role as Chief of Staff, Osorno also works with clinical and operational leaders in executive system-wide programs and initiatives, including launching new operating systems and continuous learning programs.
Osorno brings 15 years of health care leadership experience to the role, including nearly a decade with Keck Medicine during which he developed and implemented a culture of process improvement, has supported a myriad of process improvement efforts and led continuum of care operations for Keck Medical Center.
Osorno also is strongly committed to upholding Keck Medicine’s role as a community advocate and partner. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Osorno was a key leader in vaccination efforts across the university, including standing up operations to deliver 107,000 vaccines at Keck Medicine to staff, patients and underserved communities in local communities. Osorno helped establish the health system’s Keck Pride employee resource group and he is currently the executive sponsor of La Voz, the health system’s Hispanic and Latinx ERG. He also played a central role in developing a strategic collaboration between Keck Medicine and The TransLatin@ Coalition, the largest trans-led nonprofit organization in Los Angeles that helps improve access to specialized care for transgender, nonbinary and gender-diverse adult patients, via the Keck Medicine Gender-Affirming Care Program.
Osorno holds a Bachelor of Arts in Chemical Engineering from McGill University in Montreal and a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Current Fellows
Sierra Richey – Current Fellow (2024-2026)
Sierra has joined Keck Medicine as the 2024-2026 Administrative Fellow and is excited to be returning to Southern California. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Science with a minor in Human Rights in 2021 and her Master’s degree in Public Health in 2023, both from the University of California, Berkeley. Her primary professional interests include health equity and access, operational efficiency, patient experience, and employee support and well-being. Outside of work, Sierra enjoys cooking at home, reading, going to the beach, and traveling with friends.
Nidhi Bandrapalli – Current Fellow (2023-2025)
Nidhi joined Keck Medicine as the 2023-2025 Administrative Fellow. She was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and received her Bachelor’s degree in Public Health Science from Santa Clara University in 2019. After spending a couple of years working in health tech, Nidhi obtained her Master of Public Health in Healthcare Management from Boston University School of Public Health in 2022. Her professional interests encompass an array of areas, including business operations and provider services, optimizing and personalizing the patient care experience, strategic planning, quality and safety enhancement, and increasing accessibility to care. In her free time, you’ll find Nidhi going on long walks, hanging out with family and friends, traveling, or exploring the city’s local coffee/matcha shops.
Past Fellows
Miranda Zaragoza – 2022 Fellow
Miranda is currently a Business Operations Manager for Cardiovascular Services at Keck Medical Center. She entered her administrative fellowship with a strong interest in operations and strategy. , such as helping to plan the operations of a system-wide lung cancer screening program and assisting in the development of a 7-year equipment plan for the Department of Radiology. These opportunities to work on various projects with the Associate Administrator of Radiology and Cardiology affirmed her interest in service line operations and guided her to her current role in Cardiology. When she is not at work, Miranda enjoys traveling, reading, hanging out at the beach, and finding the best Italian food in LA.
Milan Urukalo – 2022 Fellow
Milan is currently a Program Manager for Post-Acute Care and Strategy at Keck Medicine of USC. During his Fellowship Milan worked on the development of a new service line, Post-Acute Care. This sparked an interest in a sector of healthcare he had not previously considered, and ultimately led to his current role. In his role, he assists in the build of Keck Medicine’s Post-Acute Care Collaborative, implementation of internal processes, and development of tools for care management to facilitate high-quality care once our patients leave the hospital. Outside of work, Milan enjoys golfing, attending sporting events, and watching movies.
Ellen Cammarano – 2021 Fellow
Ellen is currently the Program Manager over Service Line Planning and Operations at Keck Medicine of USC, where she focuses on the strategic implementation of service line initiatives. Ellen’s favorite project during her fellowship was assisting with the fit up and activation of Keck’s brand-new Advanced Endoscopy Center, where she worked across a team of physicians, nurses, IT, biomed, consultants, and executive leadership to operationalize the space for go-live and certification by the California Department of Public Health. When she’s not working, Ellen loves spending time at the beach, cheering for the Dodgers, and searching for LA’s best breakfast burrito!
Brenton Tse – 2017 Fellow
Brenton joined Keck Medicine of USC as the inaugural administrative fellow and is currently an Associate Administrator of Transformation. In his current role, Brenton oversees mergers, acquisitions, and other partnership activities at Keck Medicine. He also works on the growth of the system’s community physician alignment initiative.
Brenton joined the Office of Transformation as a Program Manager upon the completion of his fellowship and has been with the department since. In his time on the team, he has been involved with the acquisition of multiple provider practices, the transition of USC’s Athletics’ sports medicine function into the health system, and the diligence and integration of USC Arcadia Hospital.
Outside of work, Brenton enjoys sports photography, playing golf and trying new restaurants in Los Angeles.
Past Fellows
Milan Urukalo – 2022
MHA, University of Minnesota
Current Role: Program Manager, Post-Acute Care and Strategy, Keck Medicine of USC
Miranda Zaragoza – 2022
MSHA and MSHI, University of Alabama, Birmingham
Current Role: Business Operations Manager, Cardiology, Keck Medicine of USC
Ellen Cammarano – 2021
MPH, Columbia University
Current Role: Program Manager, Service Line Planning and Operations, Keck Medicine of USC
Stephanie Oh – 2021
MHA, Columbia University
Current Role: Project Manager, Neurosciences Service Line, New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital
Ashwathi Raj – 2020
MHA, George Washington University
Current Role: ACO Project Manager, Astrana Health
Beulah Momanyi – 2019
MHA, University of Minnesota
Current Role: Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment Analyst (GOLD Associate), Johnson & Johnson
Mansi Bhargava – 2018
MHA, Columbia University
Current Role: Sr. IT Business Systems Analyst, Satellite Healthcare
Brenton Tse – 2017
MHA, University of Minnesota
Current Role: Associate Administrator, Transformation, Keck Medicine of USC
Contact Us
Thank you for your interest in the Keck Medicine of USC Administrative Fellowship program. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our current fellows if you have any questions.
Nidhi Bandrapalli nidhi.bandrapalli@med.usc.edu
Sierra Richey sierra.richey@med.usc.edu
Our past fellows are also happy to answer any questions you might have about our program. You can find our contact information on the “Meet Our Team” page
How to Apply
Please review the application requirements below, and complete application instructions while the application window is open.
Application Requirements:
- Statement of purpose (no more than two pages)
- Resume
- Official transcript from graduate institution
- Three letters of recommendation, including at least one letter from a faculty member of the candidate’s graduate program
Selection Timeline
- Sunday, September 15, 2024 11:59 PM PST: Application deadline
- Mid to late September: Virtual interviews
- Early October: On-site interviews
Qualifications
Education: Master’s degree in Health Administration, Public Health, Business Administration, or a related field from an accredited graduate program, graduating in the 2024 academic year.
Candidate Profile: The ideal candidate is energetic, collaborative, and self-motivated. They are collaborative with excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong analytical skills, and proven academic success.
Please note that we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for individuals participating in the Administrative Fellowship Program.
