Since you graduated from Rice, what do you miss most about the university?
I miss the constant learning opportunities. As a professional, a lot of the learning I do now is out of necessity or for a specific purpose, but I really miss learning just for learning’s sake. I also miss the camaraderie of the college system – proud Lovetter, here!

What have you been up to since then?
Since leaving Rice (20 years ago!) I obtained my master’s in public administration and began my career at Baylor College of Medicine. During my 12 years at Baylor, I held a variety of roles. I worked closely on our partnership with Harris Health System, led the Baylor Medicine Patient Experience program and focused primarily on strategy and business development. From Baylor, I moved to Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, serving as the Director of Board Governance and most recently began a role as one of the leaders (overseeing all Governance and Integration) of the newly established Clinical Project Management Office at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Could you tell us a little about any research in medical humanities that you conducted while at Rice, or about a favorite medical humanities class?
Medical Humanities did not exist when I was a student at Rice, and as a history major a career in healthcare was never on my radar. I fell into my first job at Baylor and quickly realized that I loved the dynamic nature of healthcare and greatly valued the real impact any role can have on the patient experience. I have experience across the healthcare spectrum from the county to concierge, and the discrepancies are astounding. The throughline for me in every role I’ve held has been that so much about a patient’s health and experience with healthcare is influenced by their environment and circumstances, and that it is critical that we invest in the processes and structures to enact positive change for the benefit of all.

Since you graduated, we developed a minor in medical humanities and now have an institute dedicated to research in the field. What advice would you give to students considering the minor?
I would absolutely encourage them to consider a minor in medical humanities. The opportunity to have hands-on research, especially with so many partners within the Texas Medical Center is unparalleled. Understanding patients as people and not just as diagnoses or medical records builds empathy and connection, which I believe will affect positive changes to our healthcare system in the future.  

What is one of the most important things you learned after graduating?
Progress is not linear. Follow the opportunities.

Could you tell us more about the work that you do? What drew you to this role?
I currently oversee all the Governance and Integration in the MD Anderson Clinical Project Management Office, which essentially makes sure that all our processes, tools, templates, etc. are consistently utilized to ensure that projects are delivered on time and within budget.  I am part of a leadership team that manages 15 project managers who are deployed across our clinical enterprise, leading from 50-75 high-level projects at any given time. I was drawn to this role because I wanted to be part of the national leading cancer center – to be part of a mission to eliminate cancer is an honor and a great responsibility. The projects that we lead impact capacity, throughput, novel testing approaches, and more; there are immediate patient impacts, and I love being so close to the mission, even though I am not a clinician. 

Do you have any words of wisdom for Rice students interested in a career in healthcare?
A career in healthcare can mean many things – you can have an incredibly meaningful and impactful career in healthcare without being a clinician. If you’re unsure where to begin, start now building your network to learn more. There are so many incredible students and alums doing all sorts of amazing things in the healthcare space. From startups, to research, to clinical work, begin with scheduling informational interviews to explore what might be the best fit for your own interests and strengths.