Administrative Fellow
UC San Diego Health
Emily Ha is an Administrative Fellow at UC San Diego Health. In 2021, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics and Public Health Policy from the University of California, Irvine. Recently, she earned her Master of Healthcare Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health.
Prior to graduate school, Emily worked as a public health researcher for two years at the University of Michigan, exploring the impact of racial trauma and discrimination on health outcomes. Inspired by her work in community health, she went on to pursue her graduate degree in Healthcare Administration. During her time as a graduate student, she worked as a Proposal Development Graduate Research Assistant for the Gillings Office of Research where she supported faculty in advancing their research proposals. She also served as the VP of Quality Improvement in her cohort, leading a variety of QI projects for UNC Hillsborough Hospital and the UNC Health Medical Center.
Additionally, Emily competed and won first place in two healthcare case competitions – the UNC Healthcare Business Case Competition and the UAB Healthcare Case Competition. In these events, she developed and presented innovative strategies for two healthcare providers: expanding access to behavioral health services in rural North Carolina and implementing environmental sustainability initiatives at a hospital in Texas.
Emily had the opportunity to work as a healthcare administrative intern at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. During her time at St. Jude, she led the development of the 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), improved security through a patient family badging project, and standardized the referral process for affiliate clinics. After the internship, Emily was offered a part-time role in St. Jude’s Strategic Planning Office where she continued to work on the 2025 CHNA and developed the institutional goals through the entirety of her second year in graduate school.
Emily is honored to work at UC San Diego Health, a system that has positively impacted the health of her community and loved ones. As a San Diego native, she has a strong connection to the region and is passionate about driving improvements in healthcare through strategic initiatives, operational excellence, quality improvement, community engagement, patient-centered care, research, and sustainability. Committed to becoming a thoughtful and impactful healthcare leader, Emily strives to place patient’s needs at the forefront of every decision. She loves learning from exceptional leaders, giving back to her community, and contributing to meaningful solutions in an increasingly complex healthcare landscape.
5 Lessons to Thrive in Your First Five Years: Becoming A T-Shaped Professional
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
2:00pm - 3:00pm CT