From Patient Bedside to Boardroom: How Personal Experience Fueled a School of Health Student’s Journey
(February 27, 2026) — For many students, the path to a graduate degree is a straight line between their undergraduate studies and graduate program. For Kathryn (“Katie”) Kalhorn (C’23, G’27), a Master of Science in Health Systems Administration (MHSA) student, her journey was defined by pivots, a family medical emergency, and an unshakeable calling back to the Hilltop.
Kalhorn’s connection to Georgetown began long before she entered the MHSA program. As an undergraduate, she was drawn to the university’s multidisciplinary approach and the Jesuit value of cura personalis, or care for the whole person.
“I loved the community and the mission,” Kalhorn said, reflecting on her time in the College of Arts & Sciences. “I wanted to explore a lot of different things and see what passions I found along the way. Georgetown empowers you; it teaches you that you have a role to play in the world at large.”
Kalhorn graduated from Georgetown’s College of Arts & Sciences in 2023.
Finding a New Purpose
Kalhorn, who completed her undergraduate studies in government and psychology, initially envisioned her career as an attorney and started working as a paralegal after graduation. After her mother was hospitalized at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, however, Kalhorn began to take a step back from her focus on law school after admiring the care her mother received, especially from nurses and other support staff.
“I saw the nursing team and how they interacted with me as a family member and her as a patient,” Kalhorn said. “That changed my entire perspective. I knew I did not want to pursue a clinical path, but I saw this whole other administrative side too, and they were making a positive impact during the hardest time in our life. I realized: That’s what I want to do.”
Kalhorn with her mother, Kay Kalhorn, and father, Chris Kalhorn. Her mother’s experiences as a patient and her father’s work as a physician helped inspire Kalhorn’s choice to pursue a career in health care administration.
While her mother was still a patient, Kalhorn interviewed for a position with the Patient Advocacy and Experience Department at MedStar Georgetown. “It was a little surreal having my second interview for the position in a conference room directly across from my mom’s room,” said Kalhorn. “But I felt I was just being pulled into this community and seeing a way to use the skills Georgetown had equipped me with to make an impact.”
As an administrative coordinator, Kalhorn found work she felt called to do, including managing patient concerns, launching a patient library and making pet therapy rounds to patients.
“People don’t usually come to a hospital on their best days,” Kalhorn said. “By the time they get to advocacy, they are typically frustrated and just want someone to listen. To be there for them on their hardest days is a massive privilege.”
Bringing the Classroom to Work
While working at MedStar Georgetown, Kalhorn started her graduate work in the School of Health. When exploring programs to further her interest in a career in health systems administration, Kalhorn knew there was only one place for her. The Georgetown MHSA program offered the right balance of rigorous management training and the mission-driven ethics she valued.
Kalhorn’s work as an administrative coordinator at MedStar Georgetown included making pet therapy rounds to patients.
“I knew I wanted to study in this MHSA program,” said Kalhorn. “It’s a very well-rounded, multidisciplinary approach. We talk about health care finance, talent management and patient experience. It encourages critical thinking from all angles, from the payer side, the provider side, and the patient side. I enjoy thinking through all of it.”
Kalhorn has now moved into a new position at MedStar Georgetown as the executive assistant to the chief nursing officer and vice president of nursing. She describes finding an interesting synergy between her studies and applying what she’s learned to her current role.
“It was daunting at first, starting the program and a new role at the same time,” Kalhorn said. “But seeing these things play out in real time, taking what I learn in class every night and seeing it in our weekly leadership meetings the next morning, is fascinating.”
Kalhorn’s daily role involves supporting top nursing leadership, but she also co-leads the hospital’s Sustainability Council. She’s found that her classroom discussions on quality and safety indicators translate directly to her work in reducing patient length of stay and hospital waste.
Looking Toward the Future
Kalhorn credits her diverse graduate school cohort, which includes classmates working as bedside nurses, finance professionals and tech experts, with broadening her approach to the work of health systems administrators.
“Every conversation is informed by a different perspective,” Kalhorn said. “How a medical assistant and a finance professional approach the same complex problem is totally different. It’s a skill to be able to think about those approaches in a system as complex as health care.”
As she looks toward her second Georgetown graduation, Kalhorn is excited to continue furthering operations and advocacy in the health care field, keeping patients and their families at the forefront.
The journey from a government major to a health care administrator is a testament to the power of a Georgetown education to empower and provide the skills to adapt. “I’m just glad I didn’t go straight to law school,” Kalhorn said. “Things change in super unexpected ways, and I know I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
Heather Wilpone-Welborn
GUMC Communications