MHCI Student Voices

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    MHCI Student Voices

    MHCI cohorts come together from diverse backgrounds across the health care spectrum with a common passion to improve health care; they are united by their similarities. Students and alumni are eager to share the experience and impact the degree has on their daily work and careers. They are change agents, thanks in part to course activities that translate into workplace outcomes, and connections that lead to broader perspectives.

    Student and Alumni Video Snippets

    Hear from students and alumni as they share the impact the MHCI has had on their work and careers. And, how they have optimized their learnings from the programs, strategies for success.

    April 2026: View video

    • Hannah Burns (Class of 2022) – Director of Clinical Operations, Akido Labs
      Hannah shares how the MHCI’s interdisciplinary approach helped her transition from bedside nursing into startup leadership, equipping her with skills in stakeholder management, forecasting, and navigating payer contracts as she builds new care models for underserved populations.

    • Matthew Johnson (Class of 2026) – Associate Strategy Analyst, Highmark Health
      Matthew highlights how the MHCI provides practical, versatile tools that can be immediately applied in the work place, from streamlining operations to shaping strategic decisions, while also emphasizing the value of learning alongside a diverse cohort.

    March 2026: View video

    • Rebecca Hopkins (Class of 2026)–Solution Delivery Manager, Anomaly
      Rebecca shares how the MHCI's versatile and applicable coursework strengthened her skills across different health care roles and helped her break down big industry problems into smaller, manageable components that she can address at her organization.

    • Kevin Sowti (Class of 2022)–Chief Quality and Safety Officer, Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital
      Kevin emphasizes that the MHCI is an “actionable” degree that strengthened his leadership and pitching abilities and equipped him with practical innovation tools, like testing new ideas, driving change, and building collaborative initiatives across his hospital system.

    January 2026: View video

    • Courtney Houtsma (Class of 2026)–Director of Development, Penn Health-Tech
      Courtney describes how her work sits at the intersection of engineering, health care, and innovation, and that she is often exposed to system-level challenges no single discipline could solve alone. Through the MHCI, she has gained an interdisciplinary perspective and a shared language to think about solving complex problems within complex systems.

    • Sap Sinha (Class of 2022)–Chief Operating Officer and President, Allied Digestive Health
      Sap comes from a background in business, operations, and consulting, but lacked formal training in health care. He shares how the MHCI gave him a strong foundation in health care policy and provided a risk-free space to learn and test ideas alongside the clinicians in his cohort.

     

    November 2025: View Video

    • Denise Harris-Proctor (Class of 2026)–ObGyn, Mid-Atlantic Women's Care
      Denise reflected on how the skillsets and tools she’s gained allow her to comfortably engage in dialogue surrounding innovation in clinical care, health care delivery, and behavioral change.

    • James Donohue (Class of 2022)–Senior Digital Health Tech Lead, Genentech
      James remarked how the program broadened his perspective and deepened his understanding of the health care system, especially through networking with his cohort and fellow alumni.

     

    November 2025: Denise Harris-Proctor (Class of 2026) and James Donohue (Class of 2022)

    March 2025: View Video

    • Natalie Eldredge (Class of 2025)–Program Associate II, Research Infrastructure & Innovation, PCORI
      Natalie explained how applicable the coursework is to her work and that it prepares her to speak up more at meetings to ask "Have we thought about doing this?" backed up by course content.

    • Matt Siket (Class of 2024)–Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine at The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at The University of Vermont
      Matt added to his professional responsibilities halfway through the program, crediting the MHCI as helping him offer more creative solutions and equipping him with the tools to do his work better. 

     

    March 2025: Natalie Eldredge (Class of 2025) and Matt Siket (Class of 2024)

    January 2025: https://vimeo.com/1049446123

    • Robin Dubin (Class of 2024)–Founder and Executive Director, AliveAndKickn; Advisor, Redesign Health
      Robin shared how the MHCI program provided transformative opportunities. By leveraging class projects like those in the Designing Innovation course, she developed initiatives now being pitched to industry partners and academic institutions to secure funding and impact her patient community.

    • Tosha Vann (Class of 2025)–Pediatrician at Heartland Primary Care
      Tosha described the program as a great "stepping stone" and unlocking her interest in advocacy; inspiring her to explore digital health solutions and AI; and taking on a consulting role at her own practice to address the challenges of growth.

    MHCI Program Infographic (download)

    Download this infographic that shares the why, who, what and how of the MHCI: 

    MHCI infographic with why who what and how

    Contact Us

    Contact program staff at MEHPonline@pennmedicine.upenn.edu with questions.