2011 - 2012 Fellows

Fellows Perspective

2011 Fellows

Asha received a bachelor of arts in business management and management of information systems from Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN. Asha then joined the corporate offices of 7-Eleven, Inc. in San Diego, CA, where she worked in franchising, marketing, and the executive offices. She was admitted to Tulane University Law School in 2006, where she completed internships in immigration, corporate, criminal, and health law. Asha received a joint JD/MHA degree from Tulane University in May 2010 and was admitted to the Texas State Bar in November 2010.

As a fellow, Asha apportions her time between legal and administrative projects. Her legal projects include drafting, reviewing, and analyzing business contracts, assisting with the reorganization of corporate entities, and attending court hearings with the general counsel, Ann Thielke. Asha also worked closely with the assistant vice president of patient safety and regulatory readiness to identify and systematize legally required hospital policy and procedures and to prepare hospitals for DNV accreditation. She is currently working with Bryan Hargis, CEO of St. Luke’s Sugar Land Hospital, on streamlining contracts and physician development initiatives.

Phi received a bachelor of business administration in finance from the University of Houston. He started his career as a financial analyst with an investment banking and financial advisory firm in the southwest region. He then worked as a management consultant conducting and managing various benchmarking studies for energy upstream and downstream institutional clients. Phi was admitted to the University of Houston-Clear Lake in 2009, to pursue his MHA degree while working for St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System in human resources analytics support.

In a joint collaboration with the Texas Medical Center, Phi has a dual fellowship with St. Luke’s and the Texas Medical Center. He is currently assisting the CIO/CMIO (chief information officers/chief medical information officers) Council formulate a strategy to develop a co-located data center that would serve the Texas Medical Center’s 21-member institutions, which include academic centers, hospitals, and medical and nursing schools. In another collaborative effort, Phi supports the Council of Nurse Executives on an initiative to reduce patient falls throughout the Texas Medical Center by sharing critical information and best practices among its members.

Ashley is from Clarksville, TN, and received a Master of Health Services Administration from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2011. Prior to her graduate school work, Ashley completed a bachelor of science degree in biology from Furman University in Greenville, SC. After college, she worked four years in Washington, DC, as the science writer for AABB. During graduate school, Ashley completed a summer internship at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital where she worked on financial and operations-based projects. 

As an administrative fellow, Ashley is working with the Chief Strategy and Chief Financial Officers on a variety of projects related to strategic planning and business development, including medical staff development and systems efficiency.

Fellow Perspectives

"The Texas Medical Center is the largest medical center in the world and provided me the opportunity to be immersed in one of the most unique, competitive and innovative healthcare markets."

"U.S. News and World Report recently published their annual survey of America’s Best Hospitals. Not only did SLEH rank among the top 50 hospitals in six specialties of care, but all six of the ranked specialties took significant leaps up the list from previous years providing evidence supporting the impact the current leadership has had on improving the organization as a whole."

"Initially I was intimidated by the thought of becoming a Texan, but within the week I moved, here Houston drew me in with its diversity and beautiful landscape. Houston quickly became a city that I could see myself living in for many years. Its diversity ranges from a great outdoor life to wonderful urban draw with one- of-a-kind restaurants on every corner. When people say Houston has something for everyone, they are undoubtedly right."

"One of the things I respect most about SLEHS is that the national awards and recognition they’ve received have been a direct result of their outstanding commitment to setting the standard for patient care. In addition, the standard is one that extends throughout the entire system, where measurements and improvements are focused on patient, community, and hospital needs far beyond just the typical measurements that are publicly reported."