Marissa Hernández

About Marissa Hernández

First-generation: From frontline to finance.With over eight years of experience across the University of California Health system including my most recent role supervising administrative staff at UC Davis Health, I have the honor of serving UCLA Health as their inaugural Administrative Fellow in Health System Finance.My journey in healthcare administration started at the frontlines of patient care, working as an Emergency Department scribe at San Francisco General Hospital, as a front desk clerk at La Clínica de La Raza Women\'s Health Department, and as a front desk clerk at UC Davis Health. Throughout the early stages of my career, I’ve had the privilege of serving diverse patient populations and witnessed firsthand how system-level decisions influence healthcare delivery.Drawn to leadership, I progressed into roles with greater responsibility and was selected to become an administrative supervisor for the second largest inpatient nursing unit at UC Davis Health. In this pivotal role, I discovered that leading teams and overseeing inpatient operations could be a powerful catalyst for transforming the workflows and financial decisions that sustain healthcare delivery for entire communities.To strengthen my administrative leadership skills in a high-performing organization, I pursued an MBA with a focus on business operations and finance at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management. Business school provided me with the foundation to advance as a leader and step confidently into the field of healthcare finance.In 2025, I was selected to become UCLA Health\'s first Administrative Fellow in Health System Finance. As a Finance Administrative Fellow, I work with hospital leadership to strategize initiatives in revenue cycle management and financial services. I collaborate with analytic and decision support teams to use data-driven insights for forecasting, transition planning, and resource optimization. With cross-functional exposure in finance and operations, I lead projects that connect financial strategy with clinical priorities to improve patient care outcomes.Outside of work, I am actively involved in the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), and serve on the executive board of the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives (NALHE) Northern California chapter.I’m proud to have returned to Los Angeles as a first-generation college graduate who grew up in the San Fernando Valley, with the opportunity to give back to the same community where I was raised.

Experience

1. Administrative Fellow

   UCLA Health

   Jul 2025 — Present

   Selected as UCLA Health’s inaugural Finance Administrative Fellow in a 12-month program emphasizing strategic financial management and executive leadership.• Partnered with senior finance leaders, including the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, to support enterprise-wide financial initiatives and lead high-impact projects across budgeting, financial analysis, revenue cycle management, and system improvement.• Participated in executive leadership meetings, contributing to decision-making processes that influence system-wide financial operations and strategic planning.• Gained hands-on experience in project definition, execution, and results dissemination under the mentorship of executive sponsors and senior directors.Developed core competencies in:• Healthcare financial planning, budgeting, and performance improvement in hospital and clinic settings.• Cross-functional collaboration with physician and administrative leaders.• Professionalism and leadership in high-stakes healthcare environments such as acquisition and transition planning.• Business planning, financial analysis, and critical thinking in a high performance organization.

Education

• San Francisco State University

  Health Professions Post-Baccalaureate Program

• University of California, Davis

  B.S. Biological Sciences

• University of California, Davis - Graduate School of Management

  Master of Business Administration

Skills

• Research
• Teaching
• Event Planning
• Editing
• Microsoft Excel
• Data Management
• Data Analysis
• Social Media
• Social Networking
• Time Management
• Customer Service
• Leadership
• Teamwork