Public Health Buckeyes: Annabelle Dolney

I have always had a passion for improving the quality of health care delivery. Throughout my undergraduate degree in public health, I had internship experiences at a medical technology company and at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). From these, my passion for quality improvement and patient safety grew and I knew I wanted to pursue an MHA to gain knowledge from that side of the industry.

I am passionate about patient safety in hospitals. I have had the opportunity to work on health care-associated infection projects both at CMS and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. At CMS, we worked to accurately report rates of various infections like central line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, etc. CMS has programs that target improvements for hospitals with high rates of these infections based on these reports. This work to improve the delivery of care for those in the Medicare population who are already vulnerable was inspiring.

I feel extremely supported by the college. They are truly there for us as students. This past year I had the privilege of participating in two case competitions that required travel, and college donors financially supported me fully for both of those opportunities. Not every school supports their students for these kinds of activities, so I am very grateful the College of Public Health is committed to enhancing our experience.

My cohort! I have learned so much from the diverse experiences and perspectives my peers bring to our class discussions and group projects. In addition, I am so grateful that many of my classmates are also now my friends. I would not have had the great experience that I had in my first year without the support of my peers.

I am a summer administrative resident at OhioHealth in the Sterile Processing Department. I am enjoying learning about such a large system’s operations. They are rapidly expanding right now, so it is a very exciting time to be with them.

I am looking for a career that improves patient care. For the next five years, my goal is to learn as much as possible about health care and the ways that it can be pushed to be better for those they serve.

I am leading our First-Year Health Administration Case Competition! We are already in the thick of the planning process, so I am very excited to see it come to fruition. I am very honored to have been elected to lead this year, as it will be our 15th annual event. It is the only student-led MHA case competition for first-year students in the country and has a great reputation in the field.