Current & Alumni Fellows

Current Fellows

Nicole Powers, MPH

 

Nicole Powers, who began her healthcare career at Cone Health as a Nurse Tech in 2015, rejoined us in March 2021 as an Infection Prevention Specialist, focusing on inpatient rehab and medical surgical units at Moses H. Cone Hospital. Prior to her role at Cone Health, Powers served as infection prevention manager at UNC Lenoir Health Care, a role she accepted just a month before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and at the beginning of a six-month window for a major Joint Commission accreditation visit. She brings a wealth of experience in the infection prevention field, having served in clinical and management roles at Vidant Medical Center (Greenville), the Department of Veteran Affairs (Durham) and East Carolina University. Nicole brings her passion for identifying and impacting health inequities and access to care to the fellowship program. Her employers and professors describe her as an exceptional talent with a diverse and comprehensive set of skills that has prepared her for success as a fellow. 

Nicole earned her Bachelor of Arts in exercise and sports medicine from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, and her Master of Public Health from East Carolina University, where she was a Phi Kappa Phi scholar. 

Sarah Lathrop, MHA, CPHQ

 

Born and raised in Texas, Sarah Lathrop earned her B.S. in Biology from Baylor University and her Master of Health Administration from the University of North Texas Health Science Center. During her undergraduate program, Sarah took her passions of improving the continuum of care and addressing health inequalities and interned at Baylor Scott & White as a Community Advocate. She supported emergency room patients with various social needs and local resources to address gaps in care while also achieving lower emergency room readmission rates. Abroad, she attended meetings with the United Nations and various public health organizations to discuss food insecurity and forced migration. Sarah took these same passions to her graduate program where she conducted a Medicaid 1115 Waiver cost-benefit analysis with the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Texas Center for Infectious Disease. Her employers and colleagues recognize her positivity, professionalism, and hard-working character. Sarah brings her aspirations and diverse portfolio of experiences to the fellowship program. She is excited about her new transition to North Carolina and looks forward to serving the community. 

Alumni Fellows

(*) indicates that the Fellow is currently employed at Cone Health.

Fellowship Testimonials

How has the Cone Health Administrative Fellowship Program helped you grow as a healthcare professional?

“The Administrative Fellowship Program at Cone Health exposed me to many different facets of healthcare. The two-year program gave me time to understand the complexities of a health system, work on meaningful projects, and find my passion before graduating and finding an area of focus.”

“The Cone Health Administrative Fellowship provided me a new lens through which to view how and why decisions are made throughout our health system for our patients, staff and community.  The breadth and depth of exposure to service lines and key operating units across the health system allowed me to explore my personal career interests and develop skill sets that have made me a more well-rounded leader.”

“I personally feel that I received about 10 years-worth of experience and learning in the two years that I was a Fellow. The scope and diversity of projects that I was exposed to helped me understand the most effective leadership techniques to produce great results. Even more valuable were the insights and coaching I received from the senior leadership team that helped refine me both as a leader and as a human being.” 

Based on your experience, why would you recommend the Cone Health Administrative Fellowship Program to potential applicants? 

“First, the vision and the culture. Cone Health aspires to be one of the best health systems in the US by always doing the right thing for patients and employees – being a part of this is inspiring. Second, the Cone Health Fellowship is two years, which provides enough time to build relationships, earn trust of senior leadership, and be able to work on significant projects. Cone Health invests in the Fellowship in order to develop future leaders of the organization and the high retention rate of former fellows still working in the organization is proof of that intent.”

“The Fellowship allows you to see how a very large and progressive health care system is operated from the top to the bottom.  You get to see how all the departments are connected and intertwined, which gives the Fellow the opportunity to see what he or she may, or may not be interested in doing.  With the ever-changing landscape of health care, the Fellowship also gives the opportunity to sit in on discussions at the senior executive level. I think it makes you well-rounded in your view of healthcare, while allowing you to be a part of something much bigger than yourself.”

“The access to learning, mentors, projects, board leadership and community involvement makes the Cone Health Administrative Fellowship, without a doubt, one of the best Fellowship Programs in the country.”