Kimberly R. Enard is an Associate Professor of Health Management & Policy and Director of graduate health care management programs (residential MHA and executive MHA) in the College for Public Health & Social Justice at Saint Louis University. Her professional background encompasses more than 15 years of management and consulting experience with large integrated health systems in areas involving strategic planning, business development, marketing, public relations, service line management, program planning and evaluation, quality improvement, community outreach, and internal/external communications. Dr. Enard has been board-certified in healthcare management since 2003 and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). Prior to transitioning to the healthcare industry, Dr. Enard worked as a journalist in local and national media markets.
Dr. Enard’s overarching research goal is to address health disparities using community-engaged, patient-centered approaches that recognize the complex, multilevel factors that influence each person’s health and well-being over their life course. Dr. Enard investigates the characteristics of communities, health systems and patients that shape processes and outcomes of care, with a particular focus on safety-net populations. She is also interested in examining decision-making mechanisms that may influence disparities related to access to care (when and where safety-net patients seek and receive care) and quality of care (unwarranted variations in care), and in partnering with communities to develop policies, practices and tools that empower patients and improve patient-provider relationships.