Allyson Hall, PhD, New Program Director

Allyson Hall, PhD, professor in the Department of Health Services Administration has been named program director of the UAB Graduate Programs in Healthcare Quality and Safety.

Hall has studied access and systems to care for vulnerable populations for over three decades. She will lead UAB’s Master of Science in Healthcare Quality and Safety, as well as a Graduate Certificate that is the most popular graduate-level certificate program at UAB.

“Allyson’s research on care transitions, patient experiences and health outcomes gives her a unique and important perspective on healthcare quality and safety issues,” said Christy Harris Lemak, Ph.D., chair, Department of Health Services Administration (HSA). “She is also an experienced program director who brings that leadership to this role.”

HQS new adjunct faculty add combined 40+ years of healthcare experience

HQS faculty welcomes Dr. Rod Brace and Dr. Ron Wyatt. They both will serve as Credentialed Course Instructors (CCIs) and each has strong ties to healthcare quality practice.

Rod Brace is teaching our HQS 600 Introduction to Clinical Quality Improvement. He is managing partner, Relia Healthcare Advisors in Houston, which provides expertise in high reliability healthcare, organizational design and leadership development. Brace recently retired as the Regional President and Chief Learning Officer after 20-years with the Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston. He holds a doctorate and an MBA in management, with a research emphasis in employee engagement, motivation and leadership.

Ron Wyatt (MSHA Class E41) is teaching our HQS 635 Healthcare Policy and Regulation. He serves as the Chief Quality Officer at Cook County Health and Hospitals in Chicago. Wyatt spent six years as Medical Director of Healthcare Improvement Division at The Joint Commission where he promoted quality improvement and patient safety by influencing public policy and legislation and leading the information and education resources. He has over 20 years of clinical experience, including Veterans Affairs, U.S. Military, federally funded community health centers in Missouri and Alabama. In addition, Wyatt is a George W. Merck Fellow with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). He holds an MD and an MSHA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

HQS Graduates Impact the Field of Practice

Dr. Kathy Monroe (MSHQS 2016 and HQS Cert 2014) is lead author on an article in Pediatric Quality and Safety. The article is titled “Quality Initiative to Improve time to Antibiotics for Febrile Pediatric Patients with Potential Neutropenia.” One of her co-authors is HQS faculty member Dr. Leslie Hayes.