Melinda Brown, director of the Gipson Center for Healthcare Leadership at Missouri Southern, has added another title: undergraduate program reviewer.
She was recently selected by AUPHA (the Association of University Programs in Health Administration) to join a small team that determines program certification.
“It’s great exposure for Missouri Southern, as well as the Gipson Center for Healthcare Leadership,” said Brown. “It’s also a tremendous honor and I feel like being on this committee will help us eventually become AUPHA certified.”
Currently, there are only 45 undergrad programs across the country that have received AUPHA certification. MSSU can apply for it once the first Healthcare Administration cohort graduates, which will be May of 2021.
The bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration at MSSU was launched last fall, and the numbers continue to be impressive. The program’s goal was to start with 25 students. It began with 54, and currently has 80.
Brown will join her AUPHA team in Salt Lake City in June to work on the certification process for another undergrad program.
The Association of University Programs in Health Administration is a global network of colleges, universities, faculty, individuals and organizations dedicated to the improvement of health and healthcare delivery through excellence in healthcare management and policy education. Its mission is to foster excellence and drive innovation in health management and policy education, and promote the value of university-based management education for leadership roles in the health sector. It is the only non-profit entity of its kind that works to improve the delivery of health services – and thus the health of citizens – throughout the world by educating professional managers.