Current Fellow

Alyssa Hendry

Sonoma County Administrative Fellow

Graduate University: University of Alabama at Birmingham

“My passion for healthcare stems from seeing and hearing my family member’s experiences while being recipients of healthcare services, throughout the continuum of care. This has driven me to change how we view and provide care for our communities. The major changes and instability of the industry present significant challenges that I am excited to be on the forefront on. The opportunity to work with St. Joseph Health here in Santa Rosa, where our mission is truly at the core of everything we do, is helping me grow as a healthcare leader and serve a beautiful community.”

Alumni Fellows

Tristan Kouk, MHA

Area Director of Operations – Annadel Medical Group

Year/Date of Fellowship: 2010 – 2011

Graduate University: Cornell University

“Moving straight from graduate school to being part of the executive team as a fellow can certainly be daunting. That said, don’t be afraid to ask questions or add your own input! You are exposed to a number of strategic conversations that are crucial to the organizational mission. Make sure that you take advantage of this opportunity by getting involved in larger, more visible projects. We are fortunate to have such a tremendous executive team, be sure to partner with them as much as possible.”

“There are various reasons why I enjoy working at St. Joseph Health. I feel like I’m part of something much greater than myself. Witnessing the rapid evolution of this organization, which transforms to meet the demands of tomorrow, is inspiring. I admire how the organization as a whole maintains our values as we continue to forge into new territory. I have found that St Joseph Health is able to foster and promote your own career progression, and there are so many people within the organization that are willing to partner with you. You have the opportunity to play a large role in what happens at St. Joseph Health and your time here truly is what you make of it.”

Ben Wade, MHA

Director, Oncology Service Line

Year/Date of Fellowship: 2012 – 2013

Graduate University: University of Minnesota

There are two main take aways from my fellowship here at St. Joseph Health. First, “persistent, deliberate effort for a good cause will outlast current challenges and lead to long-term success. During my fellowship I became very aware of the challenges presented by both national and local forces, whether it related to the sequestration or the Affordable Care Act requiring us to cut costs or typical resistance found in a project I was working on with multidisciplinary stakeholders. Throughout my experience I learned, both through observation of my mentor’s leadership style and personal experience, that these challenges can be successfully overcome.”

The second would be that “constant thirst for true learning and improvement. One key lesson Todd Salnas, current President, taught me was to constantly Acquire information, Translate that into something meaningful, and Apply that knowledge to make improvement. He was, and continues to be, exemplary at this formula.”

I would say that there are three main reasons why I enjoy working for St. Joseph Health: “the Mission, the opportunities, and the people. What initially drew me to St. Joseph Health was the appeal of an organization truly caring and seeking to live out its mission, which was a mission I personally aligned with. Also, with a lot of change happening in the overall environment as well as within this organization there is an opportunity to help lead change and learn and develop a lot in the process. Finally, these are people I like to work with and I’ve had some driven mentors that have helped me grow.”