Chair, VCU Department of Health Administration

About the College of Health Professions

VCU’s College of Health Professions, consisting of nine departments and a center, includes U.S. News and World Report top-ranked programs, with occupational therapy, rehabilitation counseling, nurse anesthesia, and healthcare administration all ranked within the top ten. As of Fall 2024, the College’s student body included over 1,300 individuals, with over 400 undergraduates and more than 900 graduate and certificate students. 

With a focus on building a strength-based culture, the College has an accomplished and highly active group of 200-plus faculty and staff who embrace and respect individuals with different perspectives, backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences. The College cultivates transformational research and innovation through collaborative partnerships across the University and with external stakeholders. Since 2018, CHP research awards are up 150% and yielded $7.9 million in new awards in FY24.

The College of Health Professions serves as an international leader in the education of excellent, innovative and responsible allied health professionals. The College, responsive to the needs of society, promotes excellence in healthcare service and encourages collaborative research that generates state-of-the-art and specialized knowledge. Educational formats are technologically advanced and accessible to students through on-campus and distance learning.

The College is an integral part of Virginia Commonwealth University and its Medical College of Virginia campus. The College recognizes the importance of being accountable to students and their families, the Commonwealth, faculty, staff, alumni, and other benefactors by using resources effectively. Strong linkages with clinical educators, preceptors, and the community are essential to the success of the College.

The College serves and represents its member departments. It is organized in a decentralized structure that empowers the departments to achieve leadership in each of their respective disciplines. The College derives its strength from professional collaboration that is based upon cooperative interdisciplinary education, research, and service.

About the Department of Health Administration

Originally established in 1949, the Department of Health Administration  strives to create business-savvy leaders prepared to reimagine healthcare.  The department continues its 75-year legacy by offering four major degree programs: a Master of Health Administration that is ranked seventh in the nation, a Professional Master of Science in Health Administration– Hybrid online, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Health Services Organization and Research, and Bachelors of Science in Health Services - face to face, online, or hybrid. In addition, the department offers four graduate certificates in health equity, healthcare finance, sustainability and health, and long-term aging studies. The Department offers dual degrees in health administration and law in collaboration with the University of Richmond. There is also a dual MD/MHA program established with the VCU School of Medicine. Current enrollment includes 58 MHA students, 40 MSHA students, 230 BSHS students with 100 minors, and 11 doctoral students, with goals to increase enrollment in all programs. Both Masters programs have been continuously accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) and received a full, seven-year reaccreditation in 2024.

The Department employs fourteen full-time research and teaching faculty members, of which six are endowed professorships, including the chair position. In addition the department is supported by four staff members. The faculty have diverse research interests, including financial management, analytics and informatics, organization management and theory, and hospital operations. The faculty are dedicated to providing a high-quality education to their students, including teaching courses for students who have a healthcare management concentration within VCU School of Business’s Executive MBA program. The President of VCU holds a faculty appointment in the Department of Health Administration.

Chair, Department of Health Administration

The Chair of Health Administration ensures the growth and quality of the Department’s programs. Accountable to the Dean of the College of Health Professions, the Chair is the primary administrator for the department and maintains final authority on all matters within the policies and procedures of the College and the University. As a member of the College’s Executive Committee, the Chair collaborates with the Dean’s Office and other Department Chairs to promote the mission of the College throughout the University and the healthcare industry. The Chair is responsible for maintaining educational excellence in teaching as well as supporting faculty extramural research and scholarship. Other responsibilities include developing relationships with alumni, representatives and key leaders of the healthcare industry, mentoring faculty development, and securing resources for future growth. This is a 12-month tenure-track position, open to the ranks of Associate Professor and Professor, and holds the Bracken professorship.

The Chair assumes the following responsibilities: 

• Ensures the effective governance and management of the department in accordance with the procedures of the College of Health Professions and Virginia Commonwealth University. 
• Ensures acquisition of funds and human resources to support Department’s programs and functions through justification of University funds and procurement of external support. 
• Fosters alumni relationships to continue strength of alumni engagement and their important  support of the department.
• Ensures efficient functioning and internal communications within the Department. 
• Ensures the effective management and allocation of departmental resources. 
• Ensures collaborative management of program planning and curriculum development with the entire department’s faculty. 
• Ensures and maintains the quality and relevance of the educational programs. 
• Ensures faculty development and accountability through establishment of a faculty development plan, providing opportunities for professional growth, and  establishment of productivity measures and faculty evaluation criteria/norms. 
• Develops and maintains an acceptable balance of faculty, teaching, research, and scholarly activities based on the resources of the department. 
• Promotes student engagement and supports the innovative integration of technology in student learning. 
• Ensures effective recruitment and advisement programs are established for prospective and current students.