Jeff Warner (M.H.A.’20/HP) was well on his way to becoming a medical student when he discovered his real passion: health care leadership.

“I loved the science of medicine, but I realized that what I really wanted to do was support the clinicians doing the work on the ground,” he says. “Health care is all about working together to provide the best care for the patient, but physicians, nurses, administrators and others often operate in their own separate silos. I’m passionate about breaking down those silos and making sure that, from the top down, the future of health care is extremely collaborative. That should be the standard we’re pushing for.”

Warner’s exemplary commitment to these ideals earned him several merit-based scholarships while he was in the Master of Health Administration program in the VCU College of Health Professions. The awards gave him the financial security to broaden his education with unpaid internship and volunteer experiences. 

“My internship at the VCU Health Department of Strategy and Marketing exposed me to a side of health care that I didn't know much about,” he says. “You learn a lot in the class, but that internship gave me experiences that I wouldn’t have been able to have otherwise. Because I was financially supported, I had the freedom to focus on those extra aspects of my education.”

Receiving merit-based scholarships also motivated Warner to continue living up to their standards of excellence.

“Getting that kind of scholarship is an honor, and it makes me want to be worthy of that honor,” Warner says. “I want to be a good steward of the funds I was given.”