This summer, I have had the opportunity to intern at Parkland Health under Jared Lange ‘08 and his Operational Transformation team, where I gained insight into the multifaceted operations at one of the largest safety-net county hospital systems in the country.
Throughout the internship, I rotated through several hospital departments to understand the important roles they play both within the hospital and throughout the community. From disaster management and the North Texas Poison Center to homeless outreach and addiction psychiatry, I learned that healthcare extends far beyond treating patients—it also involves education, prevention, support, and service to the community.
My most impactful experiences came in the country’s busiest Emergency Department and Parkland’s world-renowned Trauma Department. During my time in these departments, I learned that doctors and health professionals cannot win every battle or cure every patient. As a naive 19-year-old student, I quickly realized that it is unattainable to save every life
that comes through the trauma center, teaching me a life lesson that I will never forget. Although it was a challenging reality to face, the experience strengthened my desire to pursue a career in healthcare.
When I wasn’t in the poison center learning about patients with king cobra bites or amputating limbs in the operating room, I was with Jared Lange ’08 and his operational transformation team: OpEx, Analytics, Productivity, Project Management, and Call Center. This team collaborates with departments across Parkland Hospital to ensure its systems operate eWiciently and eWectively. With Parkland serving as a safety-net hospital for Dallas County, it is essential that its resources, staW, and processes are managed eWiciently so patients can continue receiving timely, high-quality care. My summer project focused on developing a more eWicient staWing plan, implementing guardrails, and reducing the amount of labor required for transporting Parkland employees to work during winter storms in Dallas. The number of rides requested in the 2026 storm increased by 512% from the 2025 storm, pushing towards an unsustainable outcome. The outcome of my project was working with the IT department to implement an Employee Self-Service page allowing workers to input their necessary information and request a ride digitally. This would, in turn, reduce the work required from Parkland’s Police Department that would fulfill requested rides. From this opportunity, I learned how collaboration, technology, and thoughtful process improvement can solve complex operational challenges.
I am incredibly grateful to Wabash College and Jared Lange for providing me with this summer opportunity. I gained more knowledge and experience than I could have imagined and created lasting memories during my time in Dallas.
