09 Mar EMPH Student Trishna Singh Awarded 2026 Lee Thomassen Healthcare Finance Fellowship
The UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Executive Programs Office in the Department of Health Policy and Management is proud to announce Trishna Singh as the 2026 recipient of the Lee Thomassen Healthcare Finance Fellowship.
Currently a Senior Performance Improvement Consultant at Premier, Inc., Trishna was selected by the faculty for her mastery of accounting and finance coursework and her promise in financial management. This fellowship is awarded in memory of beloved Executive MPH alumnus and faculty member, Lee Thomassen, MPH, MBA (EMPH Class of 2012).
While Trishna’s core passion lies in maternal and neonatal health equity, she recognizes that “good intentions” require “good balance sheets” to survive. For Trishna, the EMPH finance curriculum hasn’t just been about numbers—it’s been about ensuring that programs for vulnerable populations don’t disappear due to poor funding structures.
“First I want to express my gratitude for this opportunity. For too long, programs serving vulnerable populations, especially in perinatal health, have been underfunded or discontinued not because they lack impact but often they do not have a sustainable financial structure,” Trishna explains. “With the skills gained in finance and accounting, I hope to now have the tools to be a part of that change. By understanding proformas and reimbursement models, I can now build programs that don’t just serve communities but survive long enough to transform them. Financial management is ultimately the language of sustainability and for historically marginalized communities, sustainability itself is equity.”
In her professional role at Premier, Inc., Trishna leads national maternal quality improvement initiatives. The EMPH program has provided her with new skills to speak the language of C-suite executives, bridging the gap between clinical data and financial viability.
“This curriculum has given me fluency in the financial and operational pressures that many executives face daily,” she explains. “Now I can position data not just as insights, but as a strategic asset that justifies investment. I can connect patient outcome data to margin, strategy, and long-term financial viability.”
As she prepares to graduate this June, Trishna credits the EMPH community for helping her integrate quality improvement with a rigorous financial framework.
“The program helped me gain the skills to connect my background in quality improvement, health equity, and cost improvement with a strategic and financial framework. I want to step into roles where I can shape how systems think about the continuum of care with an equity lens. The mentorship I received from professors and alumni throughout these past two years has been instrumental in shaping how I can best apply this degree into my next steps.”
When she isn’t mastering complex healthcare proformas or visualizing data in Tableau, Trishna can be found exploring the Los Angeles coffee scene. “I’ve been lucky to explore the city through the coffee scene and will give a shout out to Eyes Peeled on Robertson! They have a phenomenal banana latte.”
Please join us in celebrating Trishna’s achievement and follow her work in maternal health and healthcare consulting. “I’d love to continue to connect with alumni so please add me on LinkedIn!”
Trishna will be formally recognized with this honor at the UCLA HPMAA Leaders of Today, Leaders of Tomorrow Annual Dinner on May 18, 2026.
About Lee Thomassen Healthcare Finance Fellowship
Established in memory of Lee Thomassen, MPH, MBA (EMPH ’12), this $1,000 fellowship supports returning second-year EMPH students who demonstrate excellence in finance and accounting, carrying forward Lee’s legacy of financial expertise and dedication to the healthcare field.