Residency Sites Expand
The Robbins Healthcare MBA Program partnered with several new residency sites in the past year, connecting students to more industry leaders across the country. New sites include Stellus Rx, Mercy Health System, US Heart and Vascular, HCA CareNow, HCA Medical City in Dallas and HCA PSG in Denver.
With a national reach and a client base that includes industry pioneers such as Baylor Scott & White Health and agilon health, Stellus Rx provides pharmacist-led solutions that enable success in value-based care. Stellus Rx focuses on knowing the patients it serves and understanding their health needs to guide patients toward better outcomes. This could mean helping patients navigate through cost barriers that would otherwise force them to skip doses to stay within their household budget. It could mean educating patients about newly diagnosed conditions or new medications or even following up with physicians to advocate for patients’ needs. Stellus Rx improves the health of its patients by delivering medication support that previously did not exist.
The preceptor for Stellus Rx is Tony Willoughby, the company’s CEO and co-founder. For more than 20 years across several pharmacy and operational leadership roles with entrepreneurial ventures and Fortune 50 companies such as McKesson and Target, Willoughby has championed the role that pharmacy can play in changing the trajectory of health in communities nationwide.
Prior to this role with Stellus Rx, Willoughby served as President for Stellus Rx’s parent organization, Catalyst Health Group – which operates Texas’ largest clinically integrated network for primary care providers. Today, more than 1,000 primary care providers rely on Catalyst to support a combined total of more than one million patients. Willoughby earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Medical University of South Carolina.
Sam Atkinson serves as the preceptor for Mercy Health System. Mercy, one of the 20 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually.
Atkinson’s career includes significant experience at Mercy, where he currently serves as the executive director of Strategy & Operations Excellence. In this role, Atkinson serves as the liaison for the president and chief operating officer to drive strategic initiatives across Mercy’s Southwest Region. His primary focus is accelerating performance by identifying improvements to enhance cost efficiency and quality, while increasing satisfaction for patients, physicians and staff. Previously, as practice manager III for Mercy’s Pain Management Program, he managed six business units composed of 27 providers and 50 coworkers within their Orthopedic and Neuroscience service lines. Atkinson received his education from Missouri State University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Administrative Management and a Master of Health Administration.
Founded in 2021, US Heart and Vascular is a leading provider of cardiovascular services, delivering care via more than 200 physicians, expanding across five states in 2024. They seek to elevate the coordinated care experience, create high-quality/lower-cost services, and provide a less bureaucratic standard of care.
Serving as a preceptor at US Heart and Vascular is Sara Sommers Wilks. An alum of the program, Sommers Wilks received her undergraduate degree from Baylor University, followed by her MBA from the Robbins Healthcare MBA Program. After a decade of experience in the healthcare industry, she is now working as US Heart and Vascular’s regional president in the South Texas market. Sommers Wilks is practiced at overseeing operations for numerous clinics, profit and loss management, strategic growth and improving processes across the platform.
Based in Austin, Dawna Hansen serves as preceptor and assistant vice president of HCA Urgent Care in the Central and West Texas Region. A graduate of Western Governors University, Hansen is a dedicated healthcare executive with more than 25 years of experience in multisite operations with a proven track record of implementing strategic initiatives to enhance patient care, improve operational efficiency, and drive financial performance. In her current role, she is responsible for over 300 providers and more than 1,200 staff across 80 clinic locations and leads strategic planning for organic growth to maximize volumes and revenue.
Mark Whitley is a preceptor at Medical City Healthcare (a part of HCA Healthcare), which is one of the largest healthcare providers in the North Texas area, including more than 5,500 active physicians, 7,400 nurses and 18,600 employees. Whitley earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas and a graduate degree from Trinity University. He serves as the senior vice president of Network Assets for the North Texas division of Medical City Healthcare and has held this position for more than 20 years. In this role, he supports a division of more than 20 hospitals, focusing on the strategic alignment of these facilities and the acquisition of assets such as freestanding emergency rooms. Whitley has been a strong advocate for residents in the North division, playing a crucial role as a mentor in their development.
Rachel Higgins currently serves as a preceptor in Denver as a part of HCA Healthcare Physician Service, but began her journey with HCA in 2016 as an administrative resident in the MidAmerica Division. She subsequently transitioned to become an area practice manager for Urgent Care Services in the South Atlantic Division. In 2019, Higgins returned to her hometown of Denver, assuming the role of market manager for Urgent Care Services in the Denver market. She became director of Physician Services in 2021, serving in that role across multiple HealthONE hospitals, and was promoted to division assistant vice president of Practice Operations for the Continental Division in 2024. Higgins completed both her Bachelor of Arts in Medical Humanities and her MBA in Healthcare Administration at Baylor University.
Our students are making the most of their residency experiences, growing both as leaders and healthcare professionals.
“One leader can dramatically change the culture of an organization, and culture has a closer link to profitability than I ever would have guessed,” said Sarah Skinner, administrative resident at US Heart and Vascular. “Relationship building is the foundation for any meaningful change in an organization.”
“Going from the classroom to the administrative residency is no easy feat,” said Marshall Garcia from HCA in Denver. “You are essentially starting at day one and constantly learning not only all facets of the healthcare industry, but also how to be an effective servant leader. This residency has afforded me the opportunity to become more confident in my abilities and find comfort in being uncomfortable."
