Leading change

MPH in Healthcare Management graduate Sofia Tovar is focused on driving meaningful change across the health system landscape. Throughout her time at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health under the Department of Management, Policy, and Community Health, she has combined leadership, hands-on experience, and a clear sense of purpose to shape her path in healthcare administration.

In her role as president of The Board, a student-led organization for leadership and management, Tovar has gained expertise in communication, strategy, and networking. As president she strengthened student engagement through social programming while launching “Career Conversations,” a series connecting alumni with current students.

Through “Career Conversations”, she helped create space for mentorship and career exploration. The organization also supported the 16th Annual Fleming Case Competition, coordinating a national event that brought together eight teams and required high-level leadership and logistical planning.  

Beyond student leadership, Tovar expanded her experience in graduate school by participating in Consulting Club at the Texas Medical Center. There, she competed in case competitions and served as a strategy consultant on a pro bono project for a health technology startup, gaining practical, client-facing experience. In addition, her role as a program assistant for the American College of Healthcare Executives Southeast Texas Chapter introduced her to administrative fellowships and mentorship opportunities that further shaped her professional trajectory. 

Her interest in healthcare management is rooted in her early experiences in patient care. “After working in patient care, I learned that I wanted my place in medicine to be on the management side, where I can focus on creating an environment that supports the people providing care while improving the outcomes for those receiving it,” Tovar said. “Public health drew me in because it allows me to study the populations we are serving while learning the skills needed to make the entire system work better for everyone involved.” 

For her, the rewarding part is seeing how it takes a collaboration of experts to run a health system. Viewing the intersection of public health and medicine within complex health organizations provided an in-depth experience and furthered her mission to lead change. 

“Seeing how these collective efforts translate into care for the community is what keeps me motivated. The challenge is navigating the complexity within these massive systems. Because there are so many moving parts and stakeholders involved, implementing change requires patience and persistence,” shared Tovar. Balancing that systemic complexity while staying focused on the mission is a constant learning process. 

Following graduation, Tovar will take her next step in her career as an administrative fellow at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. In this role, she looks forward to deepening her expertise in health care operations and leadership. This represents a unique opportunity post-graduation at one of the leading institutions in the U.S. “I am looking forward to receiving direct mentorship from executive leaders and learning from experts across the organization. This fellowship is the perfect next step for my career, as it provides a structured environment to refine my management style and contribute to high-impact projects that improve the healthcare experience for both the care team and the patients.” 

Reflecting on her time at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, Tovar points to one defining theme: making the most of every opportunity.

“I recognized early on that being a graduate student provides a unique window of opportunity, and I made it a point to seize every professional door it opened, especially in the Texas Medical Center,” she said.

Whether through classroom engagement, networking, or pursuing experiences across different settings, Tovar approached each opportunity as a chance to learn—an approach that continues to guide her as she begins the next chapter of her career.