Alumni
The Health & Society alumni community reflects the diverse paths students pursue after graduation. Our graduates apply the interdisciplinary perspectives they developed at UT Austin across fields such as medicine, public health, policy, research, law, and community leadership. Through their work, they continue to examine how social structures, policy, and culture shape health outcomes. We are proud to highlight alumni who are making meaningful contributions in their communities and professions while carrying forward the values of the Health & Society program.
Read more about our Alumni below!
Meet Kate!
Kate Gist
Graduation Year: 2021
Degree: B.A., Health & Society
Certificate: Spanish for Medical Professions
Current Role: MD/MPH Candidate, UT Medical Branch (UTMB)
Career Interests: Emergency Medicine, Primary Care
Kate Gist graduated from UT Austin in 2021 with a B.A. in Health & Society and a certificate in Spanish for Medical Professions. After graduation, she worked as a medical assistant in an Austin neurosurgery clinic and as a health room assistant at Northeast Early College High School and International High School. She also spent a year in Santanyí, Mallorca, Spain teaching English to elementary school students. Kate is currently pursuing her MD/MPH at UT Medical Branch in Galveston and hopes to practice medicine in Texas.
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MJ Black
Graduation Year: 2024
Degree: B.A., Health & Society
Minor: Business Healthcare
Current Role: Master of Health Administration (MHA) Student, Trinity University
Career Interests: Healthcare administration, healthcare operations
MJ Black graduated from the University of Texas in 2024 with a degree in Health & Society and a minor in Business Healthcare. She is currently pursuing a Master of Health Administration (MHA) at Trinity University. MJ is passionate about improving healthcare operations and aims to build healthcare systems that are more efficient, transparent, and patient-centered.
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Olivia Osburn
Graduation Year: 2019
Degree: B.A., Health & Society; JD, Wake Forest Law School
Minor: Certificate in Food and Society
Current Role: Healthcare Attorney
Career Interests: Healthcare law and policy, healthcare regulation, and artificial intelligence in healthcare
Olivia Osburn advises corporate healthcare clients on regulatory, compliance, and transactional matters, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate governance, and the growing role of artificial intelligence in healthcare. She works closely with physician groups and healthcare organizations on practice management, contract structuring, and long-term strategic planning. Her regulatory work includes advising clients on the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Stark Law, corporate practice of medicine, and licensure requirements. She also counsels organizations on legal and policy considerations surrounding the use of AI in healthcare, including data use, confidentiality, and liability related to AI-supported clinical decision-making.
Olivia earned her law degree from Wake Forest University, where she served as Executive Director of the Pro Bono Program and an Articles Editor for the Wake Forest Journal of Law & Policy. While in law school, she helped found the Wake Forest Medical Legal Partnership, expanding interdisciplinary support for patients facing legal barriers to care.
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Allison Welch
Graduation Year: 2020
Degrees: B.A. Health & Society, B.A. English
Minor: Sociology
Current Role: Judicial Law Clerk, Supreme Court of Texas
Career Interests: Appellate litigation, healthcare law and policy
Alison Welch graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2020 with degrees in Health & Society and English and a minor in Sociology. After graduation, she worked as a Legal Assistant at a law firm in the Dallas area before beginning her studies at the University of Texas School of Law in 2021.
During law school, Alison served as a Student Practitioner in the Immigration Clinic and as a Teaching Assistant in the Beck Center for Legal Research, Writing, and Appellate Advocacy. She earned her J.D. in 2024 and currently serves as a Judicial Law Clerk at the Supreme Court of Texas, where she assists with drafting judicial opinions, preparing for oral arguments, and writing memos that help the Court determine whether to grant or deny Petitions for Review.