Rakel Barrientos, a second year graduate student in the Master of Health Administration Program, has been selected as the 2020 ACHENJ Scholarship Recipient.
The American College of Healthcare Executives of New Jersey (ACHENJ) is a professional organization for those who direct management services and programs within health care facilities, networks, and related organizations. Full and part-time graduate students participating in an accredited healthcare management program are eligible for the scholarship, which aims to promote the advancement of healthcare management by providing financial assistance toward graduate education in the discipline. The scholarship is offered annually.
Rakel is employed by New York Presbyterian (NYP) Hospital as an administrative resident in the quality management department. Last fall, she competed in the Healthcare Planning & Marketing Society of New Jersey Case Study Competition, where she and her teammates placed first. Her team developed interventions addressing a hospital’s community health needs assessment (CHNA) and social determinants of health (SDOH).
She recently earned her Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification, and currently serves as the Vice President of Rutgers Graduate Society of Healthcare Leaders. Rakel graduated from Southern Methodist University (SMU) in 2018 where she received a B.S. in Health & Society and a B.A. in Psychology while competing as a Division I NCAA Student-Athlete in Cross Country and Track. In 2019, she completed a certificate in Dispute Resolution and Conflict Resolution to enhance her career path in healthcare.
Rakel is the second student selected for the scholarship from the Rutgers MHA program; last year, Lina Maria Alfonso, MHA ’20 was the scholarship recipient.