Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Quality and Process Improvement

Peter Mallow, Ph.D., is currently the chair and director of the MHSA program as well as the director of the HECOR program at Xavier University. His research interests include understanding complex healthcare systems and how decisions are made with respect to uncertainty, value, efficiency and equity. His methodological expertise is in conducting economic evaluations and outcomes research to make explicit the tradeoffs involved in these complex decisions. He has earned several awards for his research and has been published in several leading health services journals. Prior to joining Xavier, Mallow served as the Program Director, Health Economics, Market Access and Outcomes Research for Cardinal Health and Associate Director of Health Economics at CTI Clinical Trial and Consulting. Mallow earned his Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati where he served as an adjunct faculty member from 2015 to 2017.

Dr. Eileen Steinle Alexander is an Associate Professor in Health Services Administration at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A. She has dedicated her career to demonstrating the value of collaborative team processes & quality improvement, driven by data, regional need and educational excellence. She teaches Epidemiology, Quality Management, Global & U.S. Health Systems, & Health Ethics & Law.

Prior to doctoral study, Dr. Alexander had a successful career as a practitioner in Quality & Risk Management, hospital epidemiology, infection prevention and surgical education, while guiding her hospital through 4 successful TJC IC inspections. During doctoral studies at the UC College of Medicine, she received an NIH-T32 Trainee grant in molecular (genetic) epidemiology of children’s environmental health to study families at risk for diseases caused by shared environment & genetics.

She partners locally and globally to support health improvement. Over 80 Xavier students have completed her Community Service Learning (CSL) courses, many representing Xavier locally, regionally and nationally as “women and men for others.” In 2019, Dr. A was awarded the prestigious Xavier University Research Mentor of the Year Award. Prior awards include numerous grants, as well as the Young Investigator award from the International Eosinophil Society. In 2022, she was awarded the Ignatian Educator of Distinction.

Her publications include twin and family risk modeling for eosinophilic esophagitis, pathology scale development, population stratification bias, systematic review, artificial intelligence systems, community service learning and diversity recruitment.

DJ Bodziony is an experienced healthcare leader with a history of leading finance, operations and strategy activities for nationally recognized health systems and physician practices. Professionally, DJ spent seven years working at Cincinnati Children’s as a financial manager in Pediatric Surgery before taking a role as the Business Administrator of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Surgical Oncology, and Vascular Surgery at the University of Cincinnati. Recently, he relocated to Denver for a role at CommonSpirit Health, where he serves as the Regional Director of the Oncology Service Line for Colorado, Kansas, and Utah.

DJ was in the first graduating class of the BSHSA program at Xavier and later returned to campus to complete his MBA. Since graduating, he’s remained active as an Adjunct Faculty member first at the University of Dayton, and now at his alma mater. DJ’s educational philosophy is to bridge the gap between the classroom and the workplace, and he accomplishes this by designing courses that empower students to apply textbook concepts to contemporary healthcare. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has served as an internship preceptor for the HSA program at Xavier.

Kim has over forty years of experience in nursing, and hospital leadership. She is committed to improving the quality of care, the service provided to patients and their families, and the value associated with the care and service in healthcare. Kim strives to deliver results by providing a great place for staff to work and physicians to practice medicine. She is committed to holding herself and others accountable for delivering excellent results.

Kim retired in 2020 after being a CEO of a rural hospital for more than twenty years. In addition, she has been a hospital manager, a Chief Quality Officer, a Chief Operation Officer, and a Chief Nursing Officer. Kim is committed to continual learning. She has experience in teaching and applying the concepts of process improvement to support individual and corporate learning. Kim has a BSN, and an MBA. In addition to teaching at Xavier, she teaches undergraduate and graduate students at Bowling Green State University.

Amber Chere’ Brogden, MHSA completed her undergraduate degree in Communications from the University of Cincinnati in 2003 and her Master of Health Services Administration from Xavier University in 2007. She has served in various leadership and managerial roles and has experience working in interdisciplinary teams, physician practice, revenue cycle, and teaching. She has a passion for improving those in her sphere of influence and is a strong proponent of seeing others reach their maximum potential.

Dr. Rick Browne received his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Indiana University and is a licensed psychologist in the State of Ohio. He teaches courses in ethics, management, professional development and the US healthcare system. He does research in the area of health administration pedagogy and interprofessional education.

Ruben Diaz, MHSA, M.A. CCC-SLP is the Director of Operations for Primary Care at Premier Physician Network (PPN). He graduated with a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology from the Catholic University of Manizales, Colombia (South America) in 1993. He was an Adjunct Faculty Instructor for the Health Science Department at the same institution and worked as a medical speech pathologist until December of 1998. He migrated to the United States in early 1999 and completed a master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Cincinnati. Following his graduation, he became a pediatric Speech Pathologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He was the Clinical Program Manager before pursuing a similar role at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio.

He completed his Executive MHSA degree at Xavier University in 2019. During his tenure at Premier Health, he has been involved in different leadership roles including Project Manager for the Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine Program and a manager for the Physician Relations program.

Ruben has a passion for mentoring and helping others develop their careers within and outside of the organization. He is a recognized local and international presenter of clinical and leadership topics. He is a member of the American Speech-Language & Hearing Association, the Ohio Speech-Language & Hearing Association, and the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Eddie Hooker is currently a Professor in the Department of Health Services Administration at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. He also is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Cincinnati. His areas of expertise include: emergency medicine, epidemiology, health services management and public health. Dr. Hooker received his B.S. degree from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia. He earned his M.D. degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School.

He then completed his residency training in Emergency Medicine at the University of Louisville. As a full-time faculty member at the University of Louisville from 1991 until 1996, Dr. Hooker served as Associate Professor and Director of Resident Research. He was very active in brain trauma and stroke research. Dr. Hooker most recently practiced emergency medicine at a private hospital in Cincinnati where he was active in cardiac research. Since 2005, Dr. Hooker has been teaching in the Department of Health Services Administration at Xavier University. In the spring of 2007, Dr. Hooker earned his Doctorate in Public Health from the University of Kentucky. Dr. Hooker continues to be active in emergency medicine and public health research. He has authored more than 20 publications in leading emergency medicine journals, published many book chapters and continues to have an active research agenda. Dr. Hooker serves as an editor for Emedicine, an online clinical knowledge base. He is the medical advisor for Indian Hill Schools. Dr. Hooker lives in Cincinnati with his wife and four children. His hobbies include genealogy and cooking.

Dr. Ashley White is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Services Administration at Xavier and an Epidemiologist. She teaches Quantitative Methods and Applied Epidemiology courses. Her research focuses on the geospatial analysis of health services to understand and improve healthcare inequities. Dr. White is from Cincinnati, and she completed her undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences/Biology at Xavier University. She then completed a Master of Public Health, with a concentration in Health Education and Promotion at the University of Cincinnati and her Ph.D. in Epidemiology at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. White worked for the Northern Kentucky Independent District Health Department and Cincinnati Health Department between her masters and doctoral degree programs, and also served as a Research Business Coordinator at the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus.