Online Master of Health Administration

Program Coordinator

Dr. RuthAnn Althaus is a professor of health administration and program coordinator of the Master of Health Administration online program. She has experience in business and international business education, which supports her research interests in U.S. health system financing and organization, comparative health systems, ethical issues in health administration and business, and the role of multinational business in socioeconomic progress in developing countries.

Dr. Althaus has a Doctorate of Philosophy in Health Education and Adult Education from the Ohio State University, a Master of Public Health from the University of Illinois Medical Center, and a Master of Business Administration from Illinois Benedictine College. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist and a 2006 recipient of the Gold Best Case Award from the North American Case Research Association.

Valarie Blake teaches law with a specialization in health care. Before entering the higher education sector, she was a senior research associate in the ethics division of the American Medical Association, where she studied, taught, and drafted policy in the area of medical ethics. Previously, Ms. Blake served as an Advanced Bioethics Fellow at the Cleveland Clinic, conducting research, teaching, and providing community service in bioethics.

Ms. Blake holds a Juris Doctorate with a specialization in health law and bioethics from the University of Pittsburgh, a Master of Arts in Bioethics from Case Western Reserve University, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Pittsburgh. Her research and writing interests center on regulatory issues in assisted reproduction, issues in global health, and research ethics and regulation.

Dr. Bolles has 20 years of experience in higher education, including being with the MHA online program at since 2009. In addition to being faculty at Ohio University, Dr. Bolles is the curriculum coordinator and an assistant professor in health promotion at a university in southeastern North Carolina.

Dr. Bolles received a Doctor of Philosophy in Health Studies with a concentration in Community Health from Texas Woman’s University, a Master of Arts in Exercise and Sport Science from UNC Chapel Hill, and a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from SUNY College at Cortland. During his master’s degree curriculum at UNC Chapel Hill, Dr. Bolles became passionate about the study of epidemiology. One of his favorite areas of study in epidemiology is the United States’ reaction to HIV and AIDS, and what we should learn from the processes of discovery and surveillance of HIV and AIDS in the United States.

Edward Budd has been working with Ohio University’s online MHA program, since its inception, as a professor and facilitator. Mr. Budd is CEO of a major urban not-for-profit hospital and medical center where he previously served as chief financial officer. Mr. Budd has also served as director of finance for a metropolitan health system, and assurance manager for a large accounting firm.

He earned a Master of Management in Finance and Health Services Management from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Public Accounting from Loyola University Chicago. He is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA).

Dr. Ewy is currently the CEO of a non-profit international pharmaceutical repackager and labeler, where he is responsible for operational and financial leadership including all aspects of operations, human resources, and donor relations. Prior to that role, Dr. Ewy was the CEO of a specialty acute care hospital. Dr. Ewy also had a private law practice for several years that focused on the areas of personal injury and medical malpractice. In his law practice, Dr. Ewy participated in arbitrations and mediation, negotiated and drafted settlement agreements, participated in depositions, conducted legal research, and drafted and argued motions and briefs.

Dr. Ewy was an adjunct professor for the University of Oklahoma, College of Pharmacy for six years. He has spoken on the topic of health care law to various pharmacy and optometry groups. He has also presented lectures on health care law, policy and procedure development, and organizational structure and control.

Dr. Ewy earned his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy; his Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, School of Law; and his Master of Health Administration from A.T. Still University.

Keith Graham has over a decade of experience as a financial analyst and controller with a Virginia hospital now owned by a Fortune 100 company. Prior to his positions with the hospital, Mr. Graham was a cost accountant, cost analyst, and accounting manager for various corporations located in Virginia.

Mr. Graham’s academic background includes 15 years of teaching and mentoring online, as well as course and curriculum development for online courses. Mr. Graham prides himself on having a day-to-day individualistic approach with students, which allows for positive interfacing, proactive problem solving, and timeline maintenance for completion of assignments.

Mr. Graham holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Management from Liberty University and a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Management from Emory & Henry College. He is also an advanced member of Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), having served on several committees over the years.

Dr. Granby has worked in the area of health care management while serving 20 years in the United States Navy as a senior health care executive. Her research interests include preventive health services for females in the military, cultural competence in health care, and ethical legal issues in health care.

Dr. Granby earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Studies with a health sciences concentration from Old Dominion University. She earned a Master of Science in Management from Troy State University and a Bachelor of Science in Allied Health from Albany State University (Albany, GA). She is also a Fellow in the American Academy of Medical Administrators (FAAMA).

Dr. Brett Hicks possesses an extensive background in health care administration, global public health, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief covering over 20 years in the U.S. and countries such as the Philippines, Australia, Bangladesh, Kenya, Pakistan and Iraq. Dr. Hicks is a certified emergency manager (CEM). He is an active member of the International Association of Emergency Managers and holds membership in the Delta Mu Delta International Honor Society for Business Administration and the Delta Epsilon Tau National Honor Society.

Dr. Hicks earned a Doctor of Health Sciences from Nova Southeastern University, a Master of Public Health from Emory University with a focus in health policy and management, a second Master of Arts degree in Homeland Security from American Military University with a focus in emergency and disaster management, as well as a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Human Resources Development from Hawaii Pacific University. In addition, he has earned an executive certificate in leadership and management from the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame.

Dr. Horn is a Certified Public Accountant and a Health Facility Administrator licensed in the state of Indiana. His experience includes public accounting, various controller and CFO positions, and over 26 years of health care finance and administrative positions. Dr. Horn has served as CEO for four rural general acute care hospitals. Currently, his focus is on long-term care having served as Superintendent of the Indiana Veterans’ Home and as Administrator of proprietary Skilled Nursing and Rehab Centers as well as Retirement Facilities.

Dr. Horn’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Indiana State University, a Masters in Health Services Administration from the University of St. Francis, and a Doctor of Health Education (D.H.Ed.) degree from AT Still University (online). He has taught traditional University courses for over twenty years and has been involved in the online environment since beginning his D.H.Ed. program in August 2007.

Dr. Phillip Jackson is a facilitator within the online MHA program. He is board certified in health care management and served 30 years in the U.S. Navy as a senior health care administrator working in military hospitals around the world. Dr. Jackson’s experiences also include several years as a financial manager and senior program/budget analyst for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Health Affairs. He has taught a range of health care management, leadership, finance, accounting, and business courses. Dr. Jackson’s research interests include cultural competence in health care, safety net care, and leadership.

Dr. Jackson is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), professional in the Academy for Healthcare Management (PAHM), and member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA).

Walena Valencia’s experience includes 34 years in public and private health care finance and administration, as well as in health consulting and payer experience at all levels of care. Her leadership experience includes eight years in Medicare program administration, four years in a regional long-term care system, and 11 years in a large county health system, as well as many years of leadership roles in university and community health systems. One of her most exciting experiences has been participating in a startup county hospital, including its medical education programs.

Within the Medicare Division of the BlueCross BlueShield Association, she assisted corporate attorneys interpret reimbursement regulations for settlement agreements, write position papers, and prepare witnesses for Provider Reimbursement Review Board (PRRB) hearings. She has served in management training and development roles at the local, regional, and national levels of both payer and provider systems.

Walena Valencia couples an extensive health care finance and administrative career with an MBA in Operations Management (Operations Research Techniques) from DePaul University, an MSPH from Walden University, and a BSC in Accountancy. She has participated in Graduate Certificate programs in Health Services Management (Northwestern University), Long Term Care Administration (University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), Home Health Management (UIC), and Gerontology (UIC), and is a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator in the state of Illinois. Ms. Valencia is currently completing her PhD in Public Health (Epidemiology).

Dr. Weingarten has spent his entire career in health care. As a teenager he worked as a hospital orderly (patient care attendant) in both acute care and long-term care facilities. He enlisted in the Navy where he worked as a hospital corpsman, receiving field combat training and working in a variety of acute care hospital settings, including general surgery, surgical intensive care, and labor and delivery. Dr. Weingarten left the military after four years to pursue his education.

Working the night shift at a psychiatric facility, Dr. Weingarten studied economics during the day and ultimately received his Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Memphis. He went to work for a large, urban acute care hospital where he was responsible for running simulations on the impact of Medicare’s transition from fee for service to prospective payment reimbursement. During his nine years at the hospital, Dr. Weingarten earned his PhD in business with a major in economics and a specialty area in health care.

After leaving the hospital, Dr. Weingarten spent 15 years as a senior analyst with a Medicare subcontractor working to improve the quality of care to Medicare beneficiaries. In this capacity he worked on many external quality review audits and served for two years as a certified HEDIS compliance auditor for the NCQA, traveling around the country auditing managed care and physician organizations.