Current Fellows

Alana Newman, LMSW, MPH
Tulane University

Alana Newman received her Bachelor's of Science degree from the University of Arizona, where she was involved in numerous health related research studies. After completing her undergraduate degree, she worked as a behavioral health therapist at a center for children with autism as well as at a mental health hospital. Alana then went on to receive dual Master's degrees in both Public Health and Social Work from Tulane University.

As a graduate student at Tulane University, Alana worked as a patient navigator for Tulane Medical School's student run clinic. Alana also interned at Ochsner Multi-Organ Transplant Institute, where she oversaw a research project aimed at improving the psychosocial evaluation tool currently utilized for assessing potential transplant candidates.

Alana has a passion for improving the health care system through innovation, patient centered care and a multidisciplinary focus.

Leslie Stapleton, MHA
George Washington University

Leslie Stapleton is a Master of Health Administration student at the George Washington University. Prior to pursuing her master’s degree, she attended the Indiana University of Pennsylvania in her hometown of Indiana, Pennsylvania, where she majored in Biology and played college basketball.

Throughout her undergraduate studies, Leslie interned at Allegheny Health Network and the IRMC Physician Group in western Pennsylvania. Last summer, she spent her time working in the radiation oncology department at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory Healthcare. She looks forward to working in her interest areas of operations and finance and expanding her knowledge of cancer care.

Mahrukh Yasin, MHA
Johns Hopkins University

Mahrukh Yasin joins MD Anderson as an administrative fellow while currently pursuing her MHA from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Mahrukh is a native Texan, born and raised in Arlington. She attended The University of Texas at Austin, where she majored in Public Health with a concentration in Healthcare Policy and Management and obtained a certificate in Business.

Prior to joining MD Anderson, Mahrukh worked in Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine on their analytics team where she had to opportunity to be a part of several process improvement projects related to capacity management and throughput. She is passionate about improving the front line of care, specifically by focusing on areas related to patient experience and quality improvement in order to provide superior, patient-centered care.