Administrative Fellowship

The Rush University Medical Center Administrative Fellowship program is a 12-month post-graduate training program. Our fellowship program dedicates the first two months to structured rotations, followed by project-work during which fellows gain vast exposure to the Medical Center. Projects are tailored to the goals of the fellow and the organization's strategic direction. Fellows will work on projects involving many different departments, functions and divisions. Each project will have a sponsor who will work with the fellow to achieve project understanding, completion and evaluation. 

Fellows will meet regularly with the program‘s executive sponsor — Matt Walsh — to help them discover and discuss their areas of interest in the health care environment. The fellowship program is overseen by our fellowship director — Kenly Morgenstern, MSHS-HCQ —and several mentors who work closely with the fellows on a regular basis.

A key attribute of this fellowship is that it exposes fellows to governance and decision-making at the most senior level. Particular attention is given to senior management forums, including selected Board of Trustees committee meetings. Access to senior level management is available throughout the fellowship, including regular mentoring meetings with senior leadership and project sponsors. Additional informal and formal interactions with employees across the entire Medical Center occur through various meetings and project work.

Our fellows also have opportunities to benefit from the academic community at the Medical Center. Opportunities may include “current topics” seminars, and educational and networking events provided through Rush University‘s various colleges and departments. Fellows will be exposed to the importance of the teacher-practitioner model followed at Rush University. This model exposes students and fellows to the research and current projects of faculty members who practice in the Medical Center, creating a rich learning environment for students and practitioners.

Fellows receive constant informal feedback on their performance from their mentors and from project sponsors. In addition to this informal feedback, each fellow receives formal midpoint and final evaluations using the Rush University Medical Center leadership competency model from all project sponsors. The utilization of this model further aligns our fellows with our leadership team and prepares them for leadership roles within the organization after the fellowship. 

The Rush University Medical Center Administrative Fellowship Program is geared toward individuals who classify themselves as leaders and self-starters, and those who are interested in building a better understanding of management in an academic medical center across all of its mission components and strategic partnerships.

Qualified applicants have a master's degree (MBA, MHA, MHSA, MS, MPH) or equivalent course work completed from a U.S.-based university. Preferred applicants hold a master's degree from a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation Healthcare Management Education (CAHME); however, applications from non-CAHME programs will be accepted for review. We also accept those applicants with an outstanding residency requirement. All applicants must have completed their coursework prior to the start of the fellowship. We will work with the individual program to ensure that all requirements can be fulfilled.

Rush University Medical Center will provide a compensation package that is competitive with other fellowship programs. Fellows will receive the same benefits as other Rush University Medical Center employees, including medical, vision, dental, flexible spending accounts (health and transportation), short-term disability, long-term disability, life insurance, retirement savings plan and paid time off. Please visit Rush's Careers page for additional information about employment at our Rush System hospitals, including information about Chicago and the surrounding area.

Application Requirements

Rush University Medical Center will be participating in the National Administrative Fellowship Centralized Application Service (NAFCAS). NAFCAS is a simplified and streamlined application process for candidates interested in applying to administrative fellowships. NAFCAS will open to applicants on June 7.

NAFCAS Requirements

• Personal information (e.g., biographic information, contact information, race and ethnicity, etc.)
• Academic history (graduate transcripts only)
• Three letters of recommendation (one academic, one professional and one other)

Additional Rush Requirements 

• Resume (two pages max that highlights academic and professional experiences and accomplishments, awards, skills and community service)
• Cover letter (two pages max that indicates why the applicant is pursuing an Administrative Fellowship at Rush, what the applicant hopes to learn and achieve, what skills and abilities the applicant will bring to Rush to achieve its strategic initiatives, short-term and long-term career goals including areas of interest and how the applicant exemplifies the I CARE values)

To apply online, please visit the NAFCAS application portal at nafcas.liaisoncas.com.

Important Dates

As a member of the National Council of Administrative Fellowships (NCAF), we adhere to the NCAF application timeline and process. Please see below for the 2024 standardized dates.

• Complete applications must be submitted by September 27, 2024
• Onsite interviews will be held in mid-to-late October 2024
• Fellowship year begins July 8, 2024, and ends June 30, 2025

Candidates invited to interview on-site will participate in a day-long series of individual and panel meetings with various Medical Center leaders. Candidates should plan on arriving the afternoon prior to interviews for a dinner with current and past fellows. Overnight accommodations and full reimbursement for travel expenses will be provided.

For questions regarding the fellowship or interview process, please contact administrative_fellowship@rush.edu.

Matt Walsh

Executive Sponsor

• Matt Walsh became executive vice president and chief operating officer of Rush in January 2024.
• Read Matt Walsh's bio

Kenly Morgenstern, MSHS-HCQ

Fellowship Director

Kenly Morgenstern is the executive director of the Rush Transformation Management Office where she oversees the Project Management and Performance Improvement teams in addition to the Administrative Fellowship Program. In this role, she partners with senior leadership to execute transformational initiatives across the system.

Prior to her current role, Morgenstern served as chief of staff to the Rush University System for Health president and chief executive officer, working closely with the executive team to streamline and execute strategic initiatives, improve current processes and optimize organizational procedures and design. Morgenstern has also served as Rush’s enterprise risk manager, leading various risk analysis activities, from risk identification and treatment planning to quantitative and qualitative scorecard assessments. Most notably, in partnership with the general counsel and chief financial officer, she launched and led the system’s COVID-19 Government, Legal and Finance workgroup which sought to identify and apply to local, state and federal government funding opportunities during the pandemic. Morgenstern started her career at Rush serving as a project manager where she helped launch the first ever comprehensive employee and student wellness program.

Prior to joining Rush, Morgenstern worked at Michigan Medicine first in their Patient Relations & Clinical Risk department and then by providing administrative and project management support to nursing leadership.

Morgenstern graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelors in Social Behavior and Human Understanding and received a Master of Science in Health Sciences with a focus in Healthcare Quality from George Washington University.

Robert S.D. Higgins, MD, MSHA

Steering Committee

• Robert S.D. Higgins serves as the president and chief academic officer of RUSH University and chief academic officer, senior vice president of Rush.
• Read Robert S.D. Higgins' bio
   

Kate Jones

Steering Committee

Kate Jones is the chief strategy officer and vice president for strategic planning for the Rush University System for Health. Jones joined Rush in February 2020 and over the last three-plus years has aligned and deployed the annual Rush strategic plan in coordination with the long-range financial goals across the system. Jones has been responsible for consumer, payer and competitor intelligence to support data-driven decision-making. She has partnered with internal and external leaders to identify opportunities to grow the network across all care sites and expand the ambulatory footprint in key geographies. 

Prior to joining Rush, Jones was a director in the performance excellence business unit within the health care practice at Navigant in Chicago. Jones and the teams she led partnered with health systems and hospitals to identify opportunities and implement strategies to improve performance. In one notable example, Jones led a team that identified more than $75 million in savings for a Southwest health system. Jones earned her master’s degree in health services administration from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas. 

Courtney Kammer, MHA

Steering Committee

• Courtney Kammer, MHA, has served as Rush University Medical Center’s chief human resources officer since January 2020.
• Read Courtney Kammer’s bio

Patricia Steeves O’Neil, MAE

Steering Committee

• Patricia Steeves O’Neil is the senior vice president and chief financial officer for Rush University System for Health and Rush University Medical Center. She also serves as treasurer for Rush University Medical Center.
• Read Patricia Steeves O’Neil’s bio
   

Shonda Weathers Morrow, JD, MS, RN, CENP

Steering Committee

Shonda Morrow is the interim chief operating officer, chief nursing officer and system chief nursing officer for Rush. She is responsible for 5,300 employees including her direct reports: vice presidents for patient care services/nursing, perioperative/IR/endoscopy services and APPs. Her dotted line reports include supply chain, Rush University Medical Center finance, support services and facilities.

As the system chief nursing officer, Morrow’s responsibilities are for nursing practice across the Rush system, which includes over 3,000 nurses.

Morrow continues to serve as the vice president of Patient Care Services, Hospital Affairs. She is responsible for the financial management, strategic planning, operations and implementation of process redesign. She manages coordination for diverse services lines in hospital and nursing operations, such as nursing finance, women’s and children’s, inpatient surgical services, Rush rehab acute care services, construction of the new Rush Specialty Hospital, diagnostic imaging and respiratory care.

Morrow is also an instructor at Rush University. She mentors and teaches graduate students in the Health Systems Management Program in the College of Health Sciences.

Prior to becoming a vice president, Morrow was the associate vice president for Rush, overseeing the Nursing Finance and Resource Management Systems department and Women’s and Children’s Service Line. She has professional experience in bed management, clinical service program development and as a managing consultant for performance improvement and patient throughput.

Morrow received bachelor’s degrees in radiology and nursing and a master’s degree in nursing administration from DePaul University. She has a Juris Doctorate from UIC Law, University of Illinois (formerly, The John Marshal Law School). Morrow is certified in executive nursing practice, CENP from the American Organization of Nurse Leaders, AONL and executive healthcare finance. She received certifications in Lean Six Sigma Green and Black programs from DePaul University.