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Health Administration Faculty Profiles

Our Faculty

Rob Haley headshot

D. Rob Haley, PhD, MBA, MHS

Professor & DHA Interim Chair
rhaley@unf.edu

Full Biography

Courses Taught  

  • HSA3111: Introduction to Health Administration
  • HSA3383: Quality Management in Health Care
  • HSA6144: Health Organization and Delivery
  • HSA6149: Health Planning and Marketing
  • HSA6905: Health Policy

Research Interests  

  • Financing and Access to Health Care
  • Value-Based Purchasing and Quality Care
  • Global and Public Health 

Biography

Dr. D. Rob Haley is the Director of the Master in Health Administration Program and a Professor with the University of North Florida's Brooks College of Health’s Department of Health Administration His research is focused on healthcare quality and patient safety. He served as an evaluator of graduate health administration programs for the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).

Dr. Haley received his Ph.D. in Health Policy and Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Public Health, MBA from the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business, and MHS from the University of Florida’s College of Public Health and Health Professions. He served as a hospital administrator for a large, integrated healthcare delivery system and as a Senior Director for Florida Blue. Dr. Haley is a J. William Fulbright Senior Specialist in Global and Public Health for Egypt and the United Arab Emirates and served on the Fulbright Public and Global Health Review Committee.

Contact Information
rhaley@unf.edu
Building 39, Room 4039A 

Hanadi Hamadi headshot

Hanadi Hamadi, PhD

Professor & Director, Center for Aging Research
h.hamadi@unf.edu

Full Biography

Courses Taught  

  • HSA 3160: Health Care Marketing
  • HSA 3991: Health Econ and Quant
  • HSA 4150: Introduction to Health Policy
  • HSA 6905: Health Policy

Research Interests  

  • Economical Burden of Chronic Disease
  • Medicare and Medicaid Financial Reform
  • The Relationship between Health Policy and the Behavior of the Healthcare System
  • Secondary Data Analysis
  • Complex Survey Data Analysis

Biography

Dr. Hamadi came to the UNF in August 2014. She received her MS from George Mason University and her PhD from the University of South Carolina in Health Services Policy and Management with a concentration in health policy. Her research agenda focuses on (1) the evaluation of health outcome initiatives (HOIs), with an emphasis on cost-effectiveness and policy impact of social determinants-focused Health outcome initiatives; (2) the relationship between HOIs and population health, and (3) the evaluation of state-by-state Medicaid-related policies and their impact on reimbursement, physician behavior, and cost-containment efforts. Dr. Hamadi has also collaborated and continues to collaborate in the research area of value-based purchasing and quality of hospital care with several faculty members from the MHA program.

Contact Information
h.hamadi@unf.edu
Building 39, Room 4017A

Jeffrey Harrison headshot

Jeffrey Harrison, PhD

Professor & Director, Doctor of Health Administration (DHA) Program
jeffrey.harrison@unf.edu

Full Biography

Courses Taught  

  • HSA 4922: Health Care Capstone

  • HSA 6188: Health Care Capstone

Research Interests  

  • Strategic Planning in Healthcare

  • Disaster Medical Response 

  • Decision Support Systems

  • Organizational Performance and Assessment

Biography

Jeff received his Master’s in Business Administration from the College of William and Mary in 1975 and his Masters in Health Administration degree from the Medical College of Virginia in 1977. Subsequently, he earned his Ph.D. in Health Services Organization and Research from Virginia Commonwealth University, Medical College of Virginia Campus in 2002. Jeff is a Professor in the Health Administration Program at the University of North Florida where he teaches Strategic Planning, Healthcare Finance, and Health Information Technology. Jeff has over twenty-five years’ of experience in the healthcare industry and has provided professional development seminars on a wide range of topics. He has published extensively in the areas of Management of Change, Healthcare Technology, and Healthcare Strategic Planning. Jeff has published thirty-nine professional articles and three book chapters. Most recently he published the following book: “Essentials of Strategic Planning in Healthcare” (2010), Health Administration Press, Chicago, Illinois. The second revision of this book is currently in Press. Jeff is a Certified Healthcare Executive and a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. He was selected as one of the “Top 100 Health Administration Professors”, by the MHA Guide in January 2013. Additionally, he was selected as the “Most Influential People in Jacksonville Health Care”, in June 2013 by Jacksonville Magazine.

Contact Information
jeffrey.harrison@unf.edu
Building 39, Room 4040A

Brent Johnson headshot

Brent Johnson, JD, MHA

Instructor
brent.johnson@unf.edu

Full Biography

Courses Taught 

  • Health Law
  • Health Policy 

Research Interests

  • Health Law and Health Policy 

Biography 

Brent Johnson, JD, MHA, is the President of a local law firm that represents physicians & healthcare professionals. His practice encompasses physician employment agreements, contract negotiations, mergers and acquisitions, fraud and abuse issues, regulatory compliance, professional licensing, physician disciplinary issues, healthcare investigations, hospital privileging, and Medicare appeals.

At UNF, Professor Johnson teaches undergraduate courses on Health Law and Health Policy.

Previously, Professor Johnson served as an officer and attorney in the US Navy JAG Corps. He worked as Trial Counsel at Naval Air Station Jacksonville and served overseas as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and Staff Judge Advocate at Naval Base Guam. His duties included legal assignments at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Naval Air Station Atlanta, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, GA, the USS SIMPSON (FFG-56), and the USS TRUMAN (CVN-75).

Contact Information
brent.johnson@unf.edu
Building 39, Room 4016

laree moody headshot

LaRee Moody, PhD

Associate Instructor & Director, Bachelor of Health Management (BHM) Program
laree.moody@unf.edu

Full Biography

Courses Taught  

  • HSA 4004: Professional Skills Development

  • HSA 4850: Health Administration Internship

  • HSA 4111: US Health Systems

  • Human Resources for Health Care

  • Aging Policy and Politics

Research Interests  

  • BHA Internships 

Biography

LaRee Moody is the Program Director for the Bachelor of Health Care Administration Program at the Brooks College of Health. LaRee Moody is a registered nurse with master's and doctorate degrees in health care administration.

Contact Information
laree.moody@unf.edu
Building 39, Room 4053

Sinyoung Park headshot

Sinyoung Park, PhD

Associate Professor
sinyoung.park@unf.edu

Full Biography


Courses Taught  

  • HSA3160: Health Care Marketing
  • HSA3522: Managerial Epidemiology
  • HSA6196: Quantitative Analysis for Health Services

Research Interests  

  • Health Care Organization
  • Organizational Theory
  • Population Health
  • Health Care Outcomes 

Biography

Sinyoung Park, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Administration at the University of North Florida. Dr. Park obtained her doctoral degree in Health Services Research from the University of Florida in 2014 and her M.S. in Health Administration at the University of Colorado at Denver and her M.P.H. in Health Policy and Management from Seoul National University in Seoul, Korea. Her research areas are in Healthcare Organization, Organizational Theory, and Healthcare Outcomes. Her previous work revolved around analyzing the impact of provider services networks on Florida Medicaid managed care on the healthcare process and outcomes. Her current research topics focus on population health management in the hospital industry and patient experience in hospital settings. Particularly, she is interested in hospitals’ commitment to population health and how it translates into patient outcomes. She has published articles in the Journal of Health Care Finance, Journal of Healthcare Management, Journal of Health Administration Education, and others as well as presented at scientific conferences.

Contact Information
sinyoung.park@unf.edu
Building 39, Room 4053

Shyam Paryani headshot

Shyam Paryani, MD, MS, MHA, FACRO

Clinical Instructor & Director, Executive Master in Health Administration (EMHA) Program
n00088686@unf.edu

Full Biography

Courses Taught  

  • HSA 6385: Quality Management in Healthcare
  • HSA 6991/3514: Essentials of Practice Management
  • HSA 4922: Healthcare Capstone

Research Interests  

  • Health Care Quality
  • Oncology
  • Practice Management

Biography

Shyam Paryani attended the University of Florida, where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering magna cum laude and a Master’s Degree in Nuclear Engineering/Radiation Physics. He also earned a Master’s in Health Administration from the University of North Florida in 2002. In his second year of college, Doctor Paryani was admitted early to Medical School in the Junior Honors Program. After graduating from Medical School and being inducted into the National Honor Society of Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA), he traveled west to Houston, Texas for his internship. He received training in Internal Medicine at the University of Texas and an M.D. Anderson Hospital. Following this, he kept traveling west and landed in Stanford, California, where he received his training in Radiation Oncology. Following the completion of his training in 1983, he returned to Jacksonville to join his father and Doctor Walter Scott in practice. He helped found the Florida Radiation Oncology Group (FROG). He has served on the UNF Foundation Board, the College of Health Dean’s Council, and the Health Administration Advisory Board. Dr. Paryani was selected as the UNF Distinguished Alumnus in 2007 and the Distinguished Alumnus of the Department of Health Administration in 2017.

Contact Information
n00088686@unf.edu
Building 39, Room 3009B

headshot of Kay Thiemann

Kay MB Thiemann, M.B.A., FACHE

Instructor & Director, Master of Science in Health Informatics (MSHI) & Executive Director, BCH Leadership Institute
k.thiemann@unf.edu

Full Biography

Courses Taught

  • HIM 6267 Health Informatics & Interoperability
  • HSA 6991  Practice Management
  • HSA 6396  Strategic Planning for Health Information Systems
  • HSA 6186  Healthcare Leadership and Organizational Theory
  • HSA 4111  US Healthcare Systems
  • HSA 3191  Health Information Systems
  • HSA 4170  Healthcare Finance
  • HSA 4922  Capstone — Health Administration

Research Interests

  • Healthcare Leadership
  • Coaching and Professional Development
  • Hospital Quality and Safety

Biography

Ms. Thiemann has over 33 years of experience in healthcare administration, including hospital leadership, healthcare IT, and medical practice management.   She is an emeritus Assistant Professor of Health Systems Engineering from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and is a fellow with board certification from the American College of Healthcare Executives.  She completed her undergraduate degree in Business Finance from Minnesota State University (Mankato) and has an MBA from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. Ms. Thiemann's research interests include healthcare leadership, coaching and professional development, and hospital quality and safety.  She has presented nationally and internationally on a variety of topics in healthcare administration.

Contact
k.thiemann@unf.edu
Building 39, Room 4017A

Jasper Xu headshot

Jasper Xu, PhD

Associate Professor & Director, Master of Health Administration (MHA) Program
jasper.xu@unf.edu

Full Biography


Courses Taught  

  • HSA4111: U.S. Health Care System
  • HSA4170: Health Care Finance

Research Interests  

  • Health Care Economics
  • Health Care Finance
  • International Health
  • Epidemiology

Biography

Jasper holds a Ph.D. degree in Statistics from the University of Georgia, as well as a Master’s degree in Health Administration from the University of North Florida. Prior to joining UNF Jasper has been working at Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. since 2009. He has served as a leading biostatistician to support multiple projects across JJVCI Global Product Platforms, including Presbyopia and Emerging Technologies. He has been a vital and critical team member in the launch of ACUVUE® Advance Plus and 1-Day ACUVUE® Moist Multifocal contact lenses. In addition, he has been leading a cross-functional project to provide a more robust and compliant data model specification to map clinical data. He also oversees the statistical services of a variety of clinical research organization (CRO) partners as well as provides on-site training to qualify their services.

Contact Information
jasper.xu@unf.edu
Building 39, Room 4054

Mei Zhao headshot

Mei Zhao, PhD, MHA

Professor & Interim Dean, Brooks College of Health
mzhao@unf.edu

Full Biography

 

Courses Taught

  • HSA 4170: Health Care Finance
  • HSA 5177: Health Care Finance
  • HSA 6196: Quant Analysis in Healthcare
  • HSA 6958: Study Abroad

Research Interests  

  • Organizational Financial Performance
  • Quality and Patient Safety
  • Value-Based Purchasing
  • International Health 

Biography

Dr. Zhao is the Chair of the Department of Health Administration. She received her Ph.D. in Health Services Organizations and Research from Virginia Commonwealth University and her Master's in Health Administration from Shandong University, Jinan, China. Dr. Zhao has participated in several research initiatives, including studies of financial pressures affecting hospital quality of care and health promotion and disease prevention services in rural hospitals. She has been the principal investigator for a multiyear grant from the Brooks College of Health Brooks Research Grants in which her research team examined organizational and financial influences on multi-dimensional aspects of the nursing home quality of care. She has published widely in numerous journals including Inquiry, Health Policy, Health Care Management Review, Health Services Research, and others. Dr. Zhao won the Outstanding International Leadership award due to her great contribution to propelling the University toward internationalization in the spring of 2009. She was also the recipient of the 2010-2011 Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Awards at UNF. Because of her great achievements in higher education, she obtained the Outstanding Leadership Education Award in 2012 from Jacksonville, Florida. Due to her exceptional contribution to the Jacksonville area, she won the City of Jacksonville Mayor’s Asian American Association Board (MAAAB) Outstanding Community Service Award in May 2015.

Contact Information
mzhao@unf.edu
Building 39, Room 4032