Baylor College of Medicine offers many opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students to develop skills and access resources that will allow them to advance in their careers. The Administrative Fellowship Program is once such opportunity.

Administrative Fellows Michelle Chang, left, and Carrie Jiang

This unique program allows fellows to work closely with the College’s senior administrative and clinical leadership on high-level projects to develop leadership skills that can be used in their careers while also cultivating new talent in healthcare management. Fellows work on projects spanning from finance to quality improvement to information technology.

Managed through the Office of the President, the competitive program receives hundreds of applications from all over the country, and only two individuals are selected for the one-year program. This year, the two fellows selected for the Administrative Fellowship Program are Carrie Jiang and Michelle Chang. Jiang, a graduate of Columbia University and Chang, a graduate of Cornell University, describe their motivations and experience in the Q&A below.

What motivated you to apply for this program?

CJ: I wanted to do the fellowship program because it allows me to rotate between departments and really get to know the organization and see how the whole organization runs with the different components.

MC: I have always been interested in healthcare. I used to volunteer at a hospital throughout my undergrad studies, and I became very interested in the administrative side of it all. I think it really gives fresh new graduates a comprehensive introduction to the organization. I get to rotate through many different departments and get a high level view of the day-to-day operations. I feel like Baylor is particularly neat since it is a health and science university so I was definitely interested in this one specifically.

What do you hope to gain in this experience?

CJ: I am here to learn through the people that I meet. I am excited to do projects of my own and to be able to make an impact. I really just want to be able to contribute meaningful work to this organization and see something come of it.

MC: I really want to look at this as a learning experience, be a sponge and take in all that I can, especially since I went straight from undergrad to grad school. I just graduated in May and without that depth of experience, this is a very unique opportunity to be able to glean as much as I can throughout the year that I am here.

What advice do you have for future applicants?

MC: I think Carrie will agree with me that when we first started the process it was a lot like drinking from a fire hose. It was a lot at once, but I think that is the point of it. You get to learn and be exposed to so much and so all I would really say is be ready.

Learn more about the Administrative Fellowship Program and read about past fellows who are now full-time staff members at Baylor College of Medicine.