The MHA program at the University of Utah is pleased to welcome several new faculty:
- Eric VanEpps, PhD, joined us in summer 2017 as assistant professor of marketing. Eric earned his PhD in Behavioral Decision Research from Carnegie Mellon University in 2015 and completed a two year post-doctoral fellowship at the School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, VA Center for Health Equity Research & Promotion. Eric teaches Marketing for Health Professionals and Behavioral Economics and Health Policy.
- Michael Bronson, MBA, JD, Administrative Director, University of Utah Community Clinics, joined us this fall as an adjunct instructor. Michael previously was clinic manager for two of University of Utah’s ambulatory health centers. Michael will be teaching Healthcare Operations.
- Douglas Hammer, MPH, JD, Vice President and General Council, Intermountain Healthcare, joined us in November as an adjunct instructor. Mr. Hammer has for many years been a member of the Board of Directors of the American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA). He has been with Intermountain Healthcare for 30+ years. Doug will be teaching Healthcare Law.
- Brent James, MD, MS joined us as Adjunct Professor in November 2017 and will be teaching courses for our MHA program and for a new Certificate in Quality Management and Leadership. Dr. James is world-renowned for his influence and work to improve the quality of patient care while reducing the cost of treatment. He will be teaching Quality Management, Patient Safety, and Population Health Management and is leading the development of our new Certificate program.
Our faculty have also been recognized for their accomplishments:
- Joseph Horton, MHA, joined our MHA faculty in 2012 after retiring from Intermountain Healthcare where he had been senior vice president of hospital operations and CEO of Primary Children’s Hospital. This fall Joe received the Daniels Fund Leadership in Ethics Education Award for his efforts to put ethics at the heart of his Business Ethics class, a course that is a required part of our MHA curriculum.
- Steve Walston, PhD, MPH, completed a second edition of Healthcare Strategic Management, which will be published by Health Administration Press in January 2018.
- Debra Scammon, PhD, MS, received an award from the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute for a project entitled “Creating Caregiver Provider Partnerships.” This project is a continuation of an earlier PCORI funded Pipeline-to Proposal award for a project entitled “Taking Care of Our Parents.” Both awards aim to reduce the burden on family caregivers by facilitating their integration into the care teams of primary care providers of elderly patients.
Our students have also demonstrated their expertise:
Four of our MHA students took first place in the ACHE Western Regional College Bowl held in Los Angeles, CA in April. It was the first time that a team from a Utah school participated and our first trip to a regional competition. Students representing us were Jordan Ballam, MHA/PMBA, Aaron Fanello, MHA, Amanda Snyder, MHA, and Jeff Spear, MHA.