I graduated from Lehigh in 2011 with a BS in Cell and Tissue Bioengineering. Upon graduation, I worked for several years in medical research. While my research work was interesting, I decided on a career change and felt that Lehigh’s Healthcare Systems Engineering Program was a perfect fit aligning my engineering background with the business of medical delivery. I was able to pursue my Master’s Degree in HSE utilizing Lehigh’s Distance Education technology coupled with on-campus classes when needed. This flexibility allowed me to continue working throughout the duration of the program.
I conducted my Capstone Project within the Pharmacy Department of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (Jefferson) in Philadelphia. My project sponsor, Dr. Brian Swift, is a member of the Lehigh HSE Industry Advisory Council. My project focused on detailed planning and process mapping associated with a major consolidation of pharmacy operations within the Jefferson network. This project leveraged both my engineering skills and HSE learnings to solve real-world process improvement and change management challenges.
After graduating from the HSE Program in 2016, I was fortunate to secure a full-time position at Jefferson. I currently conduct Workforce Management Planning and Optimization across the entire Enterprise as well as process improvement projects for the Pharmacy Department. I have gained exposure to many facets of Jefferson working closely with Nursing, IS&T, Finance and other support disciplines.
I have remained in close contact with Lehigh’s HSE Program sponsors since graduation and recently coordinated a site visit to Jefferson for 20 current and prospective HSE students as well as Lehigh faculty. Participants gained a real-world understanding of how industrial engineering is being utilized to benefit a major healthcare network. During this visit, Jefferson’s CEO, CIO, EPIC team members, Pharmacy management and our consultants from GE gave presentations and responded to questions from site visit participants.
