Administrative Fellowship
Administrative Fellowship
The two-year joint Administrative Fellowship provides training in a private nonprofit, pediatric teaching hospital and a state-operated, academic medical center.
Nationwide Children's Hospital and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center offer a joint Administrative Fellowship to provide training in a private non-profit, pediatric teaching hospital and a state-operated, academic medical center.
Exposure to the two dynamic organizations not only enables the fellow to gain experience from different management styles, but also the intricacies of different governance structures, medical staffs, financial systems, operations overview and organizational designs.
During the two years, the fellow participates in top-level management and is encouraged to develop skills in problem-solving by participating in management projects and conducting research in areas such as health care management, policy and services. In addition to administrative responsibilities, the fellow will be exposed to the governing boards and senior medical staff members of both hospitals, and self-assessment and professional development.
What You Need to Know
What Does The Fellowship Offer?
- Exposure to decision making at the board, corporate, and executive levels.
- Administrators are accessible to and supportive of the fellow.
- Excellent opportunity to participate and gain experience in a wide range of health system activities.
- Excellent opportunity to demonstrate and develop leadership skills through the observation of senior leaders and through leading teams and projects.
- Focus on leadership training experience in administrative roles.
- Encouraged to use principles learned in graduate program and to transfer learning to others.
- Projects are of mutual benefit, allowing the fellow to choose projects that meet his/her learning needs as well as the needs of the organization.
- Experience includes developing business plans and/or strategic plans, performing market and financial analyses, assuming interim management roles, management projects and participating in “administrator on call” responsibilities, among other tasks.
- Both preceptor-driven and fellow-driven.
- Opportunity to work independently and as part of team.
- Two-year fellowship with active preceptor involvement.
Fellowship Experience
Throughout the two-year, two-hospital fellowship, the fellow develops management skills and acquires knowledge in a variety of areas through active participation in administrative meetings and completion of managerial projects throughout the organizations. Under the guidance of an executive level preceptor, the fellow is exposed to many learning opportunities. The fellow’s career interests are important to both organizations and he or she is encouraged to pursue experiences that will benefit his/her career.
Fellows will typically be involved in developing business plans, performing market and financial analyses, assuming interim management roles, managing projects, and participating in “administrator on call” responsibilities, among other tasks. A sample of previous fellowship projects are highlighted below.
Opportunities and Experiences of Past and Current Fellows
The joint fellowship program is fellow-driven, providing project work and operational management experience throughout a variety of clinical and non-clinical areas.
At Nationwide Children’s
- Observed and participated on many teams such as Enterprise Risk Management, Quality Report Outs, Partners for Kids Board Meetings, Nationwide Children's Hospital Board Meetings, Office of the CEO, and Management Committee.
- Led the planning, coordination, and management of the transition of a high-volume Primary Care Center to a new location.
- Conducted and presented a comprehensive current state analysis of community provider programs and services, analyzing costs, efficiencies and financial impact to the C-Suite Executive Team.
- Supported the development of the Culture and Talent section of the 5-Year Hospital-Wide Strategic Plan.
- Served as the interim Operations Coordinator for Nationwide Children’s Mobile Care Center.
- Collaborated with IT team and Radiology staff to develop and implement the Radiology Information Services Project Tracker to streamline workflow and enhance operational efficiency.
- Shadowed on clinical operations opportunities such as Operations Committee, Critical Care Transport, Operating Room, and Central Sterilization.
At OSU Wexner Medical Center
- Developed a comprehensive operations analysis for Talbot Hall focused on efficiency and growth.
- Led the development of monthly operational metric updates and a scorecard for the COO, enhancing health system level data-driven decision-making.
- Oversaw the transition to a new fleet of infusion pumps, focusing on implementing updated cleaning protocols and ensuring compliance with enhanced requirements.
- Served as a Tower Trainer for the opening of the new inpatient tower, providing support with unit orientation and opening day run-throughs.
- Prepared RFI proposal for strategic Medical Center initiatives.
- Developed and implemented an Outpatient Lactation program.
- Served as interim business manager for the Med/Surg Unit.
Compensation and Benefits
The fellow receives:
- Competitive fellowship salary
- Comprehensive benefits (medical, dental, vision)
- Paid time off
- Support for travel to one conference
- Allowance for relocation expenses
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification through the Ohio State's Fisher College of Business (year 2)
Our Fellows and Alumni
Meet Our Current Fellows and Alumni
Hear from Our Past Fellows
“One of the benefits of this fellowship is the flexibility in how you structure your fellowship experience. One of my goals for the fellowship was to get experience managing a service or department. I worked closely with my supervisor to identify an opportunity with our Medical Surgical Service Line, a group of 9 nurse managers across 255 patient beds who were interested in having an administrator that could manage capital and operating budgets, serve as a liaison between the service line and our central support services (i.e. Environmental Services, Facilities, Respiratory Therapy), and lead process improvement and customer service initiatives. I began as an interim manager, reporting directly to the COO of University Hospital and working closely with our hospital controller, Nurse Managers, and Medical Director to facilitate a variety of initiatives across the service line. The interim role became permanent at the completion of my fellowship and, five years later, I still tap into the skills I learned as an interim manager every day in my current role!”
Cailin Halloran (Falato), 2015-2017 OSU Wexner Medical Center Fellow
“During the Administrative Fellowship I developed lasting relationships. This internal network of mentors and resources has helped me to be effective in my post-fellowship roles. The diverse project work throughout both years of the fellowship combined with observing strong leadership in action, having solid mentorship and an engaged fellow alumni has prepared me for the opportunities I have pursued in the enterprise. First working with our Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplant and then expanding to also include the Division of Infectious Disease and now focusing a new role within the Institute for Genomic Medicine, the fellowship has provided me a foundation that has enabled me to be a successful healthcare professional.”
Elena Chiappinelli, 2011-2013 Nationwide Children's Fellow
Meet Our Preceptors
Nationwide Children's Hospital
Rick Miller
President & Chief Operating Officer
Rick Miller is president and chief operating officer at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, a position he has held since 2006. Rick has been employed by the hospital since 1985, and previously held several different administrative positions in planning, human resources and operations prior to being appointed COO.
Rick is most proud of the strong executive and management team that supports operations, and the One Team culture which pervades Nationwide Children’s. He is committed to fostering a work environment that is high-performing, collaborative, and non-bureaucratic. Rick has served on numerous central Ohio community boards including Prevent Blindness, Isabelle Ridgeway Care Center and the YMCA.
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Dennis Delisle, ScD, FACHE
Executive Director of University Hospital and Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital
Dennis Delisle became executive director of University Hospital in May 2020, the Ross Heart Hospital in December 2021, and the Brain and Spine Hospital in July 2023.
Dennis came from Jefferson Health, where he was vice president of Operations in the South Philadelphia market. He oversaw the clinical integration strategy across the care continuum as well as led Jefferson Methodist Hospital, an urban community hospital. Dennis was also the president and CEO of the Methodist Hospital Foundation, a public health care charity that raises funds and provides grants to support delivery of health care at Jefferson Methodist and the surrounding South Philadelphia community.
In addition to making national presentations and writing peer-reviewed publications, Dennis has authored three books: Lean Healthcare, 2nd edition, Executing Lean Improvements and Transformation and Your New EHR. Through the Thomas Jefferson University College of Population Health, he founded and oversees the Master of Science degree program in operational excellence, one of the first of its kind in the nation. He led the implementation of Epic’s EMR for the entire Jefferson Health system.
Dennis holds certifications as a Lean Master, Six Sigma Black Belt, Change Agent and Project Management Professional. He’s also a trained Baldrige Examiner through Pennsylvania’s performance excellence program and is credentialed as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Dennis completed his Bachelor of Science degree in biology at Syracuse University, Master of Health Services Administration degree at The George Washington University and Doctor of Science degree in health systems management at Tulane University.
As executive director, Dennis is responsible for ensuring the operational success of the hospitals and their seamless integration into the health system, guided by the overall medical center’s strategic plan and its specific priorities for talent and culture, health and well-being and resource stewardship.
Eligibility
The Nationwide Children's Hospital and Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Joint Administrative Fellowship meets all of ACHE's criteria to participate as a program. Our goal is to find a candidate who will be the best fit for the organization and will benefit most from the experience.
The fellowship begins in July of each year and extends over two years – the first year at Nationwide Children’s and the second year at The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.
Application Requirements
- Students wishing to apply to the Joint Fellowship must be from a CAHME accredited school or an AACSB accredited school. Visit the CAHME website to find out if your school is a qualified CAHME-accredited program or the AACSB website to find out if your school is a qualified AACSB-accredited program.
- Curriculum vitae or resume
- Three letters of reference from
- (1) Graduate program director
- (2 and 3) Either a recent employer, preceptor or faculty member
- Graduate academic transcript(s)
- One-page personal statement of career goals, interests, and objectives to be satisfied during fellowship
Selection Process
All application materials must be received by September 10, 2025 for the program beginning the following June/July. Incomplete or late applications will not be reviewed.
Mail all application materials to the address below or send all application materials, in one PDF document, to AdminFellowship@NationwideChildrens.org.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Attn: Jassani Bailey (T6D)
700 Children’s Drive
Columbus, Ohio 43205-2696
Video interviews will be conducted in late September. Final candidates will be invited for interviews with representatives of the hospital. The candidate selected for the fellowship is usually notified mid-October.
For further information, contact our current first year fellow:
Jassani Bailey
(614) 722-4598
Contact
For more information, please contact:
Jassani Bailey
First Year Fellow
Sydney Belt
Second Year Fellow
Sydney.Belt@NationwideChildrens.org
For questions, please call us at (614) 722-4598 or email us at AdminFellowship@NationwideChildrens.org.