MHA student receives 2026 David J. Falcone Student Achievement Award

Lillian Rivas, a second-year Master of Health Administration student at the University of Oklahoma Hudson College of Public Health, received the Oklahoma Hospital Association’s (OHA) 2026 David J. Falcone Student Achievement Award at the association’s 107th annual statewide conference.

The award is presented annually to a health administration student for outstanding achievement. It was renamed in 1996 to honor the late Dr. David J. Falcone, who chaired the University of Oklahoma College of Public Health’s Department of Health Administration and Policy from 1992 to 1996.

Rivas is interested in health care quality, pediatric health and community health. Her internships have given her experience in quality improvement, operations and community outreach. At Mercy Health, she supported projects in the Operations of Excellence department focused on organizational performance and patient experience. With INTEGRIS Health’s Community Wellness Department, she contributed to the Hispanic Initiative through public health research, outreach and community partnership efforts.

Rivas also interned with WellSpace Health’s Quality Assurance and Improvement Department in California, where she supported outreach, quality improvement initiatives and programs addressing gaps in care and health outcomes.

As president of the OU Healthcare Executive Student Association, Rivas has created professional development opportunities, built connections with health care leaders and strengthened communication between students and program leadership.

Rivas said the award reflects the support she has received from her family, mentors, professors, friends and colleagues throughout her academic and professional journey. She is grateful to her Hudson College of Public Health mentors and professors for helping shape the leader she is becoming.

“I am excited to continue learning, serving, and growing,” Rivas said, “always with the goal of creating a better health care environment for the communities of Oklahoma.”