Scholarships

Win Cash for Class
Scholarship Program

The Healthcare Financial Management Association, HFMA, is the nation's leading personal membership organization for over 34,000 professionals concerned with healthcare financial management. Members include employees of hospitals, long term care facilities, home care companies, government agencies, insurance companies, public accounting and consulting firms, educational institutions, HMOs and other organizations.

The Connecticut Chapter of HFMA awards scholarships annually to individuals who are furthering their formal education in healthcare as graduate or undergraduate students based upon the quality of the written response to a question about a current issue in health care.

AWARD RECIPIENTS RECEIVE:

$4,000 CASH award to the first place winning paper
$1,000 CASH award to the second place winning paper
An HFMA CT Chapter membership for one year
A ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to Healthcare Financial Management magazine
All HFMA CT Chapter program fees waived for one year
Membership on the Connecticut Chapter HFMA Scholarship Committee

Click here for a copy of the application: Scholarship_Application_2009.doc (64 KB)

For more information you can contact the Scholarship Committee Chairperson as follows:

Cassandra L. Mitchell, CPC
Associate Vice President, Reimbursement & Financial Systems
UConn Health Ctr / John Dempsey Hospital
263 Farmington Ave
Farmington, CT 06030-5355
Phone: (860) 679-2916
Fax: (860) 679-3071
mitchellc@uchc.edu

The Scholarship Committee is pleased to award highly qualified students with scholarships this year. We encourage HFMA members to spread the word about the scholarship program with friends, family and co-workers.

2009 Scholarship Winners

Scholarships were awarded at the September 18, 2009 educational session. The two scholarship winners this year are:

First Place Winner

Joshua Keagle, Yale School of Public Health

Josh Keagle is a first-year student in the Masters in Public Health program at the Yale School of Public Health. His particular academic tract is Health Management. His previous professional experiences include teaching middle school for Detroit Public Schools, and working as an import/export analyst for JPMorgan Chase Global Trade Services. Josh served in Iraq & Kuwait with the US Marine Corps Reserve in 2003, in Kuwait with the US Navy Reserve in 2007, and is currently serving as a Navy Reserve intelligence officer at Newport, Rhode Island. Upon completion of his MPH in 2011, he aspires to work in hospital administration. Josh's interest include improving care in low-income communities and reducing non-clinical costs.

His essay addressed the committee's topic "Transparency is an initiative which will enable consumers to compare quality and costs of healthcare services among providers. Please discuss the implications of tranparency on hospitals and physicians in 2009 and the future".

Click here to read his essay: 2009_Scholarship_1st_Place_Josh_Keagle.pdf (237 KB)

Second Place Winner

Amy Livezey, New York Medical College

Amy is a Madison, Connecticut native who received her BA magna cum laude in sociology from the University of Hartford in 1987. She spent five years with the State of Connecticut's Department of Social Services before joining Danbury Hospital in 1993. She is the Supervisor of Financial Counseling at Danbury, and is pursuing her Masters in Public Health, with a concentration in Health Policy & Management, from New York Medical College. Amy resides in New Fairfield with her husband of 20 years, and their teen-aged daughter.

Her essay also addressed the committee's topic of transparency in healthcare. Click here to read her essay: 2009_Scholarship_2nd_Place_Amy_Livezey.pdf (155 KB)

Congratulations

Robert Nelb is the 2008 undergraduate scholarship winner. Robert is a student at Yale University majoring in Ethics, Politics and Economics in Public Health and will be going on to a Masters in Public Health. Robert’s essay responded to our question "Hospitalists: Evidence-based Medicine or Just Another Mirage?"

Daniel Henderson is the 2008 graduate scholarship winner. He is a student at the UConn School of Medicine. Daniel’s essay examined the benefits of a Universal Health Care System both economically and socially.

Christina Tracy is the 2007 undergraduate scholarship winner. Christina is a Charter Oak State College student pursuing a B.S. with a concentration in Business Administration. Many of her courses are in Healthcare Administration specifically. She is currently employed by Community Health Network as a Senior Accountant in the Finance Department. Christina’s essay responded to our question regarding Pay for-Performance trends in healthcare.

Taylor Spencer is the 2007 graduate scholarship winner. He is a UCONN student completing dual degrees in Public Health (MPH) and Medicine (MD). Taylor’s essay also responded to our Pay-for-Performance trends in healthcare.

Misty Carroll is the 2006 undergraduate scholarship winner. Her essay responded to the question "Describe the principles of Healthcare Spending Accounts (HSAs). How are HSAs impacting employers and individuals both financially and with respect to choice, coverage and flexibility? Misty is a full-time student in the Physical Therapy program at the University of Hartford, where, according to the Department Chairman, she has maintained a strong academic record and “has taken a leadership role both in and out of the class setting.

Kelly Goodyear is the 2006 graduate scholarship winner. Kelly is employed by Community Health Network and is a part-time student in the M.S. in Healthcare Administration program at the University of New Haven. Her essay also responded to the question "Describe the principles of Healthcare Spending Accounts (HSAs). How are HSAs impacting employers and individuals both financially and with respect to choice, coverage and flexibility? Kelly is described by a Community Health Network Vice President as not only an exemplary employee and colleague but a compassionate and caring person who never forgets our core business goal.

Megan Smith is the 2005 undergraduate scholarship recipient. Her essay responded to the question "What do you see as the most significant challenge facing the healthcare industry today? What legislation or proposed legislation has the government, state or federal, offered for dealing with this issue? Do you believe that this legislation will contribute to resolving the issue? If so, describe how the situation has improved. Provide factual data to support your position. If not, what would you propose as an alternative solution and why do you believe this solution will be more effective?" She responded that the challenge was the shortage of healthcare workers.

Amy Czerniewski is the 2005 graduate scholarship recipient. Her essay responded to the issue "Discuss the implications of the shortage of healthcare delivery personnel on the delivery of patient care. Describe initiatives that have been used to address this issue. Offer your own practical and feasible solutions on reversing the trend."

Katie Forrester is the 2004 scholarship recipient. Her paper focused on creative approaches to help inform and educate high school students on the many opportunities in the healthcare industry today. If successfully implemented, these approaches may help alleviate the shortages we are experiencing today in many healthcare disciplines.