DHA Alumni Spotlights

Dr. Tony Coleman is Assistant Hospital Administrator of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, Inc. Fontana and Ontario Medical Centers in San Bernardino County, California, 314 licensed bed tertiary and 186 licensed bed acute care hospitals serving the high desert an Inland Empire at large. He currently leads 800+ FTE's in multi-campus tertiary and acute care hospital operations support responsibility and accountability of 500 licensed beds, including birth, medical / surgical, intensive care, cardiovascular intensive care, mental health, emergency services, pediatrics / NICU and more. In his current role, Dr. Coleman oversees all support services, including facilities operations (3 central utility plants) and construction ($90 million annual project base), food and nutrition services, housekeeping, supply chain, safety, clinical technology, telecommunications, security and parking services, and property management. Prior to his current role, he served in the U.S. Navy as hospital Chief Financial Officer, Director of Human Resources, Patient Administration Officer, Ambulatory Care Clinic Administrative Officer and nuclear-powered aircraft carrier medical department operations officer. Dr. Coleman earned his MHA from the Medical University of South Carolina and he is a member of several national healthcare organizations, including the American College of Healthcare Executives, and the National Association of Health Services Executives (past national treasurer). He is a proud Navy veteran with 20 years of active commissioned and enlisted service.

I pursued a DHA degree to follow my passion of eliminating health disparities after realizing the poor access to quality health care that rural minorities face. A DHA degree has equipped me to specifically address these risks through research that supports sustainable health policy and can ensure a permanent solution to health disparities not just in rural African American communities, but in every community, that faces a health disparity.

Radical Differences in Hypertension Claims Rates for Medicaid Patients: Has It Changed Since 1991?

Dr. Adam Higman brings extensive management and consulting experience to his role as Partner at Press Ganey, having worked with more than 75 hospitals and health systems ranging from critical access hospitals to large academic facilities throughout the United States. Dr. Higman joined Press Ganey in July 2017, through Soyring Consulting, where he served as an executive vice president. In addition to leading a number of large-scale redesign projects requiring strategic planning, market analysis, facilities planning and activation and volume projection and feasibility studies, he has conducted assessments and overseen implementations focusing on quality, operational efficiency and growth planning for areas including clinical, diagnostic and support services; care management; and interventional services. Dr. Higman also has analyzed staffing, redesigned scheduling and coordinated implementation efforts with medical, clinical and support staff members; has extensive experience in vendor management and in standardization of supplies, contracts and system controls; and has led a number of model-of-care redesign projects to improve operational efficiency and lower labor costs. Prior to his work at Soyring Consulting, Dr. Higman worked for a full-service strategic health and science communications agency advising health systems, advocacy groups, pharmaceutical and medical device companies. He holds a master's degree in media management from Syracuse University's Newhouse School and a Doctor of Health Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).

Having worked in healthcare for a while, I did not have any specific education tailored to healthcare specifically and noticed an increasing number of executives from Academic Medical Centers and large health systems with doctoral degrees even if they did not have a clinical background. I pursued the degree to help round out my knowledge of health system management and administration. The degree has been a great asset in my new role working with hospitals throughout the country.

Survey Deficiency Data as a Quality Measure for HOPDs and ASCs in Florida

Dr. Stefanie Corbett is a healthcare educator, consultant, and author. She has a special affinity for seniors, and has devoted her professional career to advocating for and advancing the quality of healthcare for the older adult population. Dr. Corbett held various senior leadership roles in public and private organizations before founding a healthcare consulting firm in 2014, Corbett Healthcare Solutions, to assist post-acute care organizations with regulatory compliance and operations management. As Department Chair and Assistant Professor, she leads the Health Care Administration and Human Resources Department at Limestone College, where she wrote the curriculum and designed the courses for the Master of Business Administration - Health Care Administration Concentration. She previously served as the Deputy Director of Health Regulation for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, where she was responsible for enforcing regulatory compliance at 6,000+ licensed facilities/agencies across the state, overseeing the certification and licensing teams, monitoring major policy issues at the state/federal levels, leading the promulgation of state regulations, and providing guidance to various healthcare stakeholders. Dr. Corbett obtained a DHA from the Medical University of South Carolina, an MHA from University of South Carolina-Columbia, and a BA from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She is the author of Long-Term Care Quality Measures: A Guide to Data Analysis, Performance Improvement, and Public Reporting as well as The Theft Prevention Guide for Senior, and the co-author of The Long-Term Care Compliance Toolkit. Dr. Corbett is also an active member of several professional associations and community service organizations.

The DHA degree allowed me to be a competitive applicant for senior management positions in both operations and academia. I learned how to synthesize and analyze data, and use it for decision-making, which opened doors for additional research-based job opportunities. The DHA also offered great professional networks with healthcare leaders, other students in my cohort, and faculty with field and teaching experience. I made life-long relationships that I have maintained since graduation.

Does It Pay to Make the Grade? The Association Between Quality and Financial Performance in Nursing Homes

Dr. John Tejeda is a result-focused Executive Healthcare Administrator with over 20 years of experience in acute care management, sales, market development, clinical education, clinical research, strategic planning, and operations management. He is a highly motivated executive leader with a Masters in Physician Assistant Studies and a Doctorate in Healthcare Administration and Leadership. Dr. Tejeda has provided operational leadership as System Director of a Physician Assistant Department overseeing 200 plus advance practice providers implementing strategies reducing costs and increasing revenues more than $3M annually. He has worked in partnership with Physician Networks and Industry throughout his career, teaching the latest cutting-edge technology in Cardiac Surgery and Electrophysiology. Dr. Tejeda is currently seeking an executive leadership position as VP of Operations, VP of Clinical or Medical Affairs, President of a Business Unit, Associate Dean of Health Sciences, or Chief Operations Officer.

I pursued the DHA degree because graduates of the DHA program will be prepared to assume leadership roles in academe and practice. They will work as faculty members in health-related educational programs, as health system leaders facilitating team building and interprofessional collaboration, and as policy advisors and advocates.

Do Costs in a Published Markov Model Reflect Medicare Payments for Patients With Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation

Dr. Kinneil Coltman is the Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer for Atrium Health, where she is responsible for leading the organization's diversity and inclusion strategy and developing a health equity agenda alongside physician leadership. With over 62,000 teammates and 12 million patient interactions each year, Atrium Health is one of the leading healthcare organizations in the Southeast and one of the most comprehensive, not-for-profit systems in the country. Prior to her appointment at Atrium Health, Dr. Coltman held dual appointments as Chief Diversity Officer for Greenville Health System-now known as Prisma Health-and the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville. Dr. Coltman holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, a Masters in Cross Cultural Studies from the University of Houston - Clear Lake, and a Doctor of Health Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Coltman is a 2006-2007 Fellow in the Health Research and Educational Trust's Cross Cultural Leadership Fellowship, sponsored by the American Hospital Association. Her research interests include diversity in leadership and interventions to promote equity within healthcare systems, and she has lectured across the United States on these topics.

In your doctoral education, you are learning a lot of seemingly different things at warp speed. At some point along the way, though, there is this magical moment in which all the disparate pieces of your education suddenly fit together. In essence, you begin to see health care administration from every angle and perspective. You learn to understand the big picture.

The Impact of Minority and Women Leaders on Healthcare Employee Satisfaction