MHA student demonstrates leadership in action in a most critical year

By Sally Crocker

Student Hina Ajaz

In an election year like no other, UNTHSC Master of Health Administration (MHA) student Hina Ajaz stepped up in a major way to help get out the vote and advocate for state and local initiatives supporting public health and health equity.

Ajaz plans to work in health policy after graduation, perhaps as a legislative health advisor or in another role where she can make a difference on behalf of healthier communities.

An Arlington resident working toward graduation and the launch of her professional career later this spring, Ajaz was elected as one of the youngest Tarrant County precinct chairs in her district one year ago at age 24.

Last summer, she became one of the youngest Delegates to attend the Texas State Convention, virtual in 2020, where she engaged with legislators, candidates, other leaders and influencers on important issues like COVID-19 response and prevention, addressing infant mortality in Tarrant County, Medicaid expansion, rural healthcare needs and the impact of certain laws and policies on the health of diverse and minority populations both in her district and beyond.

Running for Delegate usually involves campaign expenses for flyers, website development and other materials, but as a student with limited resources, Ajaz found support from the Young Democratic Caucus of Tarrant County, giving the boost she needed to enter the race.

Ajaz is a Pakistani American second-generation college student who is active in the Texas Muslim Caucus and the Texas Asian American Pacific Islander Caucus. Her work as a graduate student has also included a health policy internship with Emgage USA, the country’s leading Muslim American voter engagement organization.

In 2020, she volunteered for local and U.S. Presidential campaign phone banks to support her chosen candidates.

She collaborated with others to connect with voters in new ways during the pandemic, when visiting door-to-door wasn’t always advisable and digital communications seemed the better way to go.

She worked for the U.S. Census in an effort to get every resident counted.

She took on an international affairs research project for a state legislative proposal.

Her energy and commitment are reflective of a growing number of young voices at HSC and elsewhere leading change in their communities today.

“I really felt like this was my calling, my way of stepping up to leadership,” she said. “Between classes, my internship and volunteer efforts, there were a lot of long nights, but this is exactly where I want to be and what I want to do.”

Her work at HSC, Ajaz says, has gone a long way in inspiring her and offering a greater perspective on “how important it is to be a good leader.”

“HSC has given me a strong background in how policies are implemented and how people can be affected, especially populations that may be disproportionately impacted in achieving their healthiest life possible,” she said.

HSC’s MHA program, within the School of Public Health, prepares students for healthcare leadership roles with a focus on the social determinants of health related to how people live, learn, work and play. Health is influenced by many elements, including genetics, behavior, environmental and physical influences, medical care and social factors. All of these categories, according to the CDC, are interconnected. These determinants have a major impact on people’s health, quality of life and life expectancy.

During the pandemic, Ajaz said she has been inspired by her MHA cohorts, the strengths and bonds that have been forged between her fellow students “building each other up and growing together,” and by HSC faculty, her program directors and advisors, who “have led by example, demonstrating how important it is to be a good leader.”

“One of the most important things I’ve learned in public health and the MHA program so far,” she said, “is that everyone’s voice is important, that we shouldn’t be afraid to weigh in, take a position and stand up for the programs and causes that are critical to our communities’ good health and well-being. This is what I plan to continue doing in the future.”

Recent News

Abe Clark
  • Research
|Mar 28, 2024

Dr. Abe Clark honored with international research award

Abbot “Abe” Clark, PhD, FARVO, FAAO, regents professor of pharmacology and neuroscience in the School of Biomedical Sciences at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, has received the International Society for Eye Research 2024 Ernst H. Bárány Prize.   The awar...
Processed With Lensa With Pt12 Filter
  • Research
|Mar 28, 2024

Dr. Steven Romero receives American Physiological Society award for excellence in research

Dr. Steven Romero, associate professor of Physiology and Anatomy at the School of Biomedical Sciences at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, was named the 2024 Henry Pickering Bowditch Award Lecturer by the American Physiological Society. The lectureship is awarded to ...
Screenshot 2024 03 28 At 8.50.12 am
  • Our People
|Mar 28, 2024

Physical therapy student lands prestigious role in national organization

When Jonathan Hansen was an undergraduate intern at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital, he encountered a man who had just suffered a stroke. The patient’s right side was completely paralyzed. Hansen, now a first-year student in The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Wort...
Jackie In Dc
  • Our People
|Mar 27, 2024

Personalized Health and Well-Being student repays generosity through advocacy

In 2019, The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth student Jacqueline Green said she felt hopeless. She became pregnant while experiencing hard financial times, and she didn’t have insurance. Compounding her stress was terrible grief. Her mother-in-law suddenly passed away,...