MHA Student, American Soldier Wins Johns Hopkins Fellowship

“I had the pleasure of fighting alongside the bravest men and women bred in America,” said Aaron Williams of his seven-month deployment in Iraq.

For Williams, who will graduate this summer from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health with a Master in Health Care Administration, the experience of war was a revelation. It brought him to study public health in Chicago, and this summer it’s taking him to Baltimore, Maryland to work at one of the leading research hospitals in the nation.

Williams is the recipient of the Johns Hopkins Postgraduate Fellowship. He won the award among qualified semi-finalists from universities including Cornell, Harvard, University of Michigan, Xavier and Texas A&M.

“I’m elated to have been placed within the Johns Hopkins Medicine system and to be mentored by leaders in today’s health care field. I plan to take full advantage of the tremendous opportunities to develop under senior administration,” he said.

While serving in the military, Williams, a Chicago native, received his B.S. in education through Southern Illinois University’s satellite program. When he returned to the United States the following year an Operation Iraqi Freedom war veteran, he was touched by the stories of his fellow soldiers and friends wounded in the war.

“They were shipped home to Walter Reed Army Medical Center with hopes of receiving a higher level of care than what was offered overseas. When they arrived at Walter Reed, they faced whitewash and woeful conditions, an impending obstacle of recovery for wounded combat veterans. The medical center, one of the largest medical treatment facilities within the entire [U.S.] Department of Defense, got it wrong,” Williams said.

While providing health care to the public has always resonated strongly with Williams, it was not until recently, and when he learned of the experiences of the injured soldiers, that he discovered his passion for health care administration.

What he described as an “upset” within Walter Reed, he attributes to a breakdown in leadership and responsibility among health care administrators within the organization. “I felt compelled to become a health care administrator and uphold a higher standard of excellence in clinical care,” he said.

The fellowship program combines work in three hospitals (The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and Howard County General Hospital), multiple ambulatory care sites and several physician/academic group practices in Baltimore. With the desire to lead and serve the public, Williams will graduate with an MHA from the UIC SPH in May in anticipation of his two-year rotation around the corner.

“I overcame a lot of odds to get to this point in my life,” he said. “I am so grateful to be blessed with the opportunity to create change in the world.”

-- Tina Daniel

Aaron Williams