Meet Our Administrative Fellows

Current Fellow

2024-2025

Sparkle Sillim, MHA, Cornell University

Sparkle Sillim graduated from the Sloan Program in Health Administration at Cornell University. Her home is in the Bronx, New York City, but she was born and raised in Ghana. She began her college career at Bronx Community College where she studied Liberal Arts and Sciences with a concentration in Chemistry. Sparkle then transferred to, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in human biology, health and society at Cornell University. During her time there, she took a wide range of courses that deepened her interest in holistic care and more specifically population health with an emphasis on social determinants of health (SDOH). She then stayed at Cornell to complete her master’s degree while being a teaching assistant for multiple courses.

During her summers throughout her undergraduate years, she interned at The Enclave Nursing and Rehabilitation Center as an administrative and patient relations intern working closely with the human resources department. For her graduate summer internship, Sparkle interned at the Cleveland Clinic, Florida, as an administrative intern for the Medical Operations, Florida Region. After enjoying her internship, she knew she had a passion for working in the hospital operations space and is looking forward to starting her fellowship at Montefiore Einstein. She is particularly excited to work for the community she now calls home. 

Outside of academics, Sparkle loves to listen to music, watch TV shows (all genres except horror), and getting to know her friends on a much deeper level with games like We’re Not Really Strangers.

2023-2024

Albert Wah, MPH, Boston University

Albert Wah graduated from The University of Buffalo in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in Health and Human Service. Post-graduation he worked as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in Far Rockaway, Queens. As an EMT he witnessed firsthand the health inequities faced by disadvantaged populations. These experiences highlighted the systemic issues within healthcare and motivated Albert to delve into healthcare administration. Albert also interned at Gracie Square Hospital (GSH) in the quality improvement department as part of the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) Summer Enrichment Program. As an intern he assisted in the implementation of a new Falls Assessment and Prevention program and participated in a survey by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Post-internship he accepted a full-time role as a quality analyst with GSH.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Albert resumed working as an EMT and joined New York City’s Office of Emergency Management COVID-19 Hotel Isolation Program. His experiences during the pandemic further motivated Albert to pursue his Master of Public Health at Boston University’s School of Public Health. To complete his practicum requirement, Albert interned with DocGo, a mobile health provider. There, he credentialed the practice into new states to prepare for a service area expansion. Following the internship, he assumed responsibility for overseeing the practice’s medical malpractice insurance renewals across all states and managing physician payroll.

Albert is eager to embark on his fellowship and begin serving Montefiore’s community. IIn his free time, Albert loves to travel, exercise, learn new skills and ride his bike around New York City.

Previous Fellows

2021-2022

Wendy Huang, MHA, Columbia University
Revenue Cycle Engagement Manager, Professional Services

Wendy Huang graduated from New York University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Global Public Health and Applied Psychology. Her devotion to healthcare stemmed from serving underserved communities in diverse settings, ranging from a political campaign to a local nonprofit to hospitals across New York City. After her role as community organizer on Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou’s 2016 campaign, Wendy volunteered at Bellevue Hospital as a Health Leads advocate connecting patients and families to community-based resources and government-funded programs based on socioeconomic needs. She then worked at NYU Langone – Brooklyn as an administrative intern in the postpartum and nursery department where she gained an interest in the impact of operations on patient care.

Realizing the multiple facets that impact access, quality, and cost of care, Wendy decided to pursue her Master of Health Administration at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the healthcare system from a management perspective. During this time, she interned at The John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF) where she worked with industry leaders in philanthropy and geriatrics to urgently improve care for older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. She conducted market research on acute and long-term care facilities to advance grant development and drafted academic publications with notable organizations, such as the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and National Academy of Medicine. She has published a book in collaboration with JAHF and IHI to spread the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement and teachings.

Post—matriculation, Wendy is thrilled to begin her career in hospital administration at a leading academic medical center like Montefiore whose commitment to the community is unparalleled. In her free time, Wendy enjoys traveling, exercising to HIIT and Pilates, and urban hiking while eating her way around the city.

2020-2021

Khadyja Sarr, MPH, Boston University
Project Manager of Special Projects, Faculty Practice Group

Khadyja Sarr, a New York native, graduated from Howard University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in healthcare management. During that time, she interned at the Department of Family Medicine at Howard University Hospital and gained a keen understanding of the registration process for patients. Khadyja was also a charter member and Co-President of GlobeMed at Howard University, an organization that assisted in bringing the value of public health to the forefront at her university. She was a certified peer educator for GlobeMed, which also gave her the opportunity to develop and coordinate workshops designed to educate and create behavioral change related to substance abuse, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.

After graduating, Khadyja pursued her Master of Public Health degree, concentrating in healthcare management at Boston University School of Public Health. While there, she interned at the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine during the school year. Additionally, Khadyja also interned at Mount Sinai Health System in the corporate supply chain department as part of the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) Summer Enrichment Program. While interning there, she worked on a project to address outstanding invoices for three out of the eight hospitals in the system. In the 10-week internship, she was able to resolve over 250 invoices valued at $2.25M.

Having always been passionate about community service, Khadyja is an active member of Sister to Sister International, Inc. Within this organization she has served as a mentor, panelist, scholarship recipient—among other roles throughout her matriculation of high school, college and graduate school and now as a young professional.

After spending nearly six years away from home, Khadyja is excited to be back, especially now, with the opportunity to work in an organization like Montefiore. Serving in the community that she grew up in has always been a goal of hers, and she is thankful to be able to do so with such a committed health system. In her free time, she likes to paint, travel and cook new recipes—as a self—described “foodie,” being back in New York City is a dream come true!

Fellowship Alumni