Vernease Herron Miller, M.H.A., J.D. has been appointed chair of Pfeiffer Universityís department of health administration and director of healthcare programs.
While her new role took effect on July 1, Miller, who is also a full professor of health law and administration, will continue to teach required courses in both the undergraduate and graduate health administration programs.
A member of Pfeifferís faculty since 1999, Miller was chosen in 2005 as the first professor in Pfeiffer Universityís 125 year history to be granted a sabbatical leave. During that time, she served as a faculty fellow with the Institute of Emerging Issues at North Carolina State University.
Committed to community service, Miller is board chair and managing director for the Carolinas Association for Community Health Equity (CACHE), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the elimination of health disparities throughout North and South Carolina.
Miller holds a bachelorís degree in political science from Chatham College (now Chatham University); a masterís degree in health administration from St. Josephís University and a Juris Doctor degree from The American University, Washington College of Law. Her career includes positions in executive healthcare management and acute care hospital and public health administration. She and her husband, Keith Miller, live in Charlotte and are parents to three adult daughters and one son.
Pfeifferís master of health administration program is one the largest in the country with 461 students registered for the current semester. It offers health service managers the opportunity to gain leadership skills necessary to thrive in health service industries of the 21st century.
By combining the fields of business and health service administration, the programs emphasize the practical applications needed to master the managerial, financial, legal and ethical considerations of todayís health service environment. The MHA degree program has been ranked a Top 25 ěBest Buyî among graduate healthcare programs and boasts more than 1,200 graduates, many of whom hold key executive leadership positions in the major healthcare systems throughout the Carolinas. Classes are offered in Charlotte, Raleigh-Triangle Park and numerous hospital-based cohort locations.