Meet HPM’s Dawn Gideon Scholars

Meet HPM’s Dawn Gideon Scholars

The Dawn Gideon Foundation provides scholarships to students pursuing a master’s degree in health care admin istration. Recipients selected by the foundation are those who embody the skills, imagination, commitment and compassion for which Dawn Gideon is remembered.

2022 Dawn Gideon Scholars

Emily Maurer (MHA/MBA, ’25) graduated from Duquesne University with a bachelor’s degree in health administration and minors in public health and marketing. As an undergraduate, Maurer interned at West Penn Hospital supporting and helping patients in the Hospital Elder Life Program. She has also been an administrative intern at the Sharon Region Health System working with several departments. Maurer says her experiences have inspired her to focus on improving care standards and advocating for patients.

Natasha Shah (MHA ’24) graduated from the University of Maryland-College Park with degree in community health. As an undergraduate she found interest at the intersection of public health and health policy. She says being a Gideon scholar allowed her leave a full-time job in Washington, D.C. and relocate to Pittsburgh to join the MHA program. “I have always been interested in helping communities that are underserved and being an advocate for those who don’t have a voice in maintaining their health,” said Shah. “The Dawn Gideon Scholarship has empowered me to do just that.” She says the scholarship has allowed her to connect with like-minded female scholars who are going to make an impact in the health care field, in a range of cities around the country.

2021 Dawn Gideon Scholars

Kiki Parker (MHA/MBA ’24) is the recipient of the Dawn-Gideon-Huron scholarship and says gaps in health care and her own experiences inspired her to making an impact on population health, especially for women and underserved groups. She joined HPM after earning a bachelor’s degree in consumer economics with minors in health policy management and public health from the University of Georgia. Parker’s passion for management sparked during an internship with WellStar Health System in Marietta, Georgia working across several departments, and as a patient safety support staffer at Northside Hospital in Atlanta throughout the pandemic.

Catherine Carr (MHA ’23) graduated from The University of Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in Public Health focusing on Addiction and Recovery. Her interests have always been in quality of life and health care for individuals in marginalized communities. She has conducted research on opioid addiction and stigma, and has been a case manager for an out-patient style substance abuse clinic for college students. As both a student and an administrative resident with the UPMC Heath Plan she hopes to continue to improve people’s health holistically through education and outreach. Carr says as being a Gideon scholar has opened networks and created connections important to her career. Post-graduation, she has accepted an adminis trative fellowship with Trinity Health’s national headquarters for Community Health & Well-Being.

Breanna Wilhelm (MHA ’23) graduated from Slippery Rock University with a bachelor’s degree in health care administration with a concentration in leadership. As an undergraduate she spent time as a revenue cycle administrator for Phoenix Physical Therapy and was both an intern and an electronic medical record implementation specialist at Interim Health Care. In addition to her studies, Wilhelm is an administrative resident at UPMC Magee Women’s Hospital. Her academic and professional interests focus on hospital operations, specifically quality and process improvement, and patient satisfaction.

2020 Dawn Gideon Scholars

Danielle Nahas (MHA/MBA ’23) graduated from the Pitt with dual degrees in neuroscience and psychology, a minor in chemistry and a certificate in the conceptual foundations of medicine. As an undergraduate, Nahas worked as a worked as a research assistant “As a third-year graduate student, I feel the Dawn Gideon Foundation and scholarship have truly enhanced and promoted my success within my programs. I have felt immense support from the foundation and affiliates that are involved in both the business school and School of Public Health,” said Nahas. “As a result of this scholarship, I have had additional time to be immersed in extracur riculars, like case competitions, being the president of the Student Government Association at the School of Public Health, and my hobbies of crafting and cooking.” She adds the scholarship has helped create opportunities that allow her to grow as a healthcare leader.

Lea Wenger (MHA/MBA ’23) graduated with a Bachelor of Science in bioengineering from the University of Pittsburgh in 2019. She previously worked as an artificial heart engineer at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, working with patients on mechanical circulatory support systems such as LVADs. She hopes to leverage her degree to strategically and sustainably improve healthcare processes to improve efficiency and equity through a career in healthcare consulting.