The courses in the Executive Doctor of Science (DSc) in Healthcare Leadership curriculum prepare executives to lead more effectively and proactively address current and future challenges. Our highly successful and unique blended course format – a mixture of online and on campus learning – means you will enjoy both lively face-to-face sessions with your instructors and classmates and the convenience of distance learning that allows you to continue your responsibilities at home and in the office.

The program is paced so you can complete your doctoral degree in only three years. There are two years of coursework and one year of applied dissertation research. The program includes three (3) four-and-a-half day on-campus sessions each year.

For a list of courses and course descriptions, please download the following: UAB DSc Curriculum (PDF)*.

Program Structure*

*Curriculum information is subject to change. Due to the overlapping-cohorts format, the order of courses depends upon the year in which the student enters the Program.

Here for You

From well before you officially apply to long after you earn your doctoral degree - we are here for you. We understand this is a monumental journey in your life. We are here to support you and guide you every step of the way. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Director of Operations to streamline your journey. Together, we can advance your education and your career starting today.

How to Apply

Prepare the following documents to upload to your application:

• Your updated resume/CV
• An organizational chart, highlighting your position within your organization
• Short essay responses to the following topics:
  1. Statement of career objectives that will be advanced by the program.
  2. Overview of professional experiences that will contribute to learning outcomes of other students.
  3. Years of management experience and areas of responsibility.
  4. Scope of experience in creating and managing budgets.
  5. Experience in managing human resources.
  6. Experience as a healthcare executive that has shaped your practice of leadership.
  7. Most significant professional leadership accomplishment.
  8. Personal traits that have been influential for professional advancement.
  9. Steps taken to secure your organization’s support and commitment to the program.

The following items are also required:

• Three recommendations from professional contacts. The online system will require you to enter the names and email addresses for all three recommenders. The system will send them an email with a link to the online recommendation form.
• Transcripts from all universities previously attended (including those from which you did not earn a degree). (Please note: If you are admitted, the Graduate School requires official transcripts to be sent from the issuing university to UAB. However, unofficial copies can be uploaded into the online system for the purpose of committee review.)
• Submit the application fee:
  • Domestic Applicants - $50
  • International Applicants - $60

The Executive Doctoral program is intended for healthcare executives who are seeking to engage in a rigorous course of study that will also permit them to retain their demanding work and life responsibilities. DSc students are interested in continuing a practice-focused career, as opposed to the academic career sought by most PhD students.

Admissions Requirements

Qualified applicants will have a minimum of five years of mid- to senior-level managerial experience in the healthcare industry.

In addition, qualified applicants will preferably have a master's degree in health administration; health informatics; business administration; or a related field.

Your degree(s) must be from an accredited institution.

As of January 2010, the UAB Graduate School has approved a waiver of the GRE/GMAT requirement for all applicants to the Executive Doctoral Program. Note: admission requirements to the Residential PhD Program are not affected by this change.

International students must submit recent scores from an English Proficiency Exam, unless you meet one of the following criteria.

The cost is $36,600 per year for each of the three years. A non-refundable deposit of $1,000 is required at the time of acceptance to the DSc program. The deposit is applied to the tuition and fees for the first semester.

Executive DSc Tuition includes:

• All tuition and fees.
• All books and learning materials.
• All meals during on-campus sessions.
• All required software that is necessary for coursework.
• Costs associated with supporting distance learning technologies.
• Speaker costs associated with national experts brought to Birmingham.

Students enrolled in the DSc program will not experience tuition increases during their three-year period of enrollment.

If you are interested in financial aid, visit the UAB Office of Student Financial Aid website.

Benefits to You as a Leader

• Increase your value to your organization.
• Open new doors to advancement.
• Obtain advanced problem-solving skills and depth of knowledge in areas vital to healthcare leaders.
• Network with healthcare leaders from across the country.
• Develop highly refined organizational leadership skills more advanced than you will find in a master's degree program.

Benefits to Your Organization

• Convenience
  Students can continue in their executive roles throughout the program, remaining productive leaders for their organizations while engaging in an advanced educational experience.
• Problem-Solving
  The program prepares leaders to apply sophisticated analytical skills to solve problems within their organizations and to develop managerial recommendations based on the application of course principles and concepts. Applied research is supervised by our faculty, some of the top experts in the healthcare field.
• Investment
  Investing in executive doctoral education for its leaders is an investment in the future success of the organization. The program enriches the skills of senior leaders to better demonstrate the depth of knowledge in a variety of functional areas, plan strategically from a system-wide perspective, conduct applied research, and utilize evidence-based practices to make management decisions.
• Leadership
  Developing leadership skills specifically targeted to your healthcare organization is a primary objective of this program. UAB has a history of producing leaders who are respected on both a national and international level. Our alumni have received numerous awards from professional associations such as the American College of Healthcare Executives for their leadership in the field.

We hope you can join us on Friday, June 7th for our inaugural colloquium and the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the program.

In response to your requests for continuing dialogue and interaction with your colleagues in the DSc program, we invite you to the inaugural DSc Colloquium on Healthcare Leadership. The Colloquium will highlight organizational innovations and analytical work you, our DSc graduates and students, have undertaken in your organizations. Following this event, we will celebrate 10 years of the Executive Doctor of Science (DSc) in Healthcare Leadership program.

General Information

Questions?

Contact Leandra Celaya at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 205-934-3588.

Who are our graduates?

They are some of the brightest leaders across the U.S. They are people like you who wish to engage in a rigorous course of study while retaining work and life responsibilities. They are people like you who wish to continue a practice-focused career rather than the academic career sought by most PhD students.

What are they saying?

100% of graduates who rated our program, rated their overall education experience as ‘excellent.’

Meghan McCarthy, DSc

System Director of Community Health, PeaceHealth

Cheris Kline, DSc

Senior Product Manager, TriZetto Healthcare Products

Henry Thompson, DSc

CEO, Community Health Center of Richmond, NY

Robert Peterson, DSc

CEO, Millinocket Regional Hospital, ME

Jennifer Strahan, DSc

Vice President Operations, ABOUT Healthcare

Douglas Whitman, DSc

Program Lead, Master of Health Administration Program/Assistant Professor of Health Administration, Webster University

Edward Sharpless, DSc

Founder and President, Sharpless

Michael Griffin, DSc

CEO & President, Ascension DePaul Services of New Orleans

Jeremy Lyman, DSc

CEO, Blue Mountain Hospital

Michael Malaise, DSc

Sr VP of Communications and External Relations, Parkland Hospital

Cardwell Feagin, DSc

Chief Operating Officer, Viva Health

Armika Berkley, DSc

Chief Administrative Officer, Kaiser Permanente

Jon Law, DSc

District Chief Strategy Officer, El Paso County Hospital District DBA University

Grant Tribble, DSc

President and Chief Operating Officer, Benson’s Inc.

Mark Lombardi, DSc

SVP, Provider Strategy and Partnerships, Thyme Care

Tara Dixon, DSc

Mentor/Leaders in Equitable Evaluation and Diversity (LEEAD) program (Mentor), SCORE Mentors/Expanding the Bench

Isabell Pacheco, DSc

Chief Administrative Officer, Michigan Health Information Network Shared Services (MiHIN)

Gemini O. Majkowski, Col, USAF, BSC, DSc

IMA to the Commander, 711 Human Performance Wing and Chief, Air Force Biomedical Science Corps Wright Patterson AFB, OH

Leon E. Moores, DSc

Pediatric Neurosurgery System Medical Director, Inova Physician Enterprise

Christi G. Pierce, DSc

COO, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center

Michael A. Wiechart, DSc

President and Chief Operating Officer, TeamHealth Inc.

Naof Alansary, DSc

Director, Healthcare Management Program, The University of Dammam

Khanhuyen Vinh, DSc

Principal, Partners in Healthcare Solutions

Patrick Falvey, DSc

Chief Operating Officer, Baptist Health

Preston Simmons, DSc

University of Washington Foundation Board - Emeritus Status, University of Washington

Lucas Higman, DSc

Partner, Press Ganey

John R. Lovett, DSc

National Director, Clinical Development, Benchmark Human Services

Mark Slyter, DSc

President & CEO, Arizona East Valley Market, Dignity Health

Alfonso Gatmaitan, DSc

President, AWG Advisors

Shawn Ulreich, DSc

Chief Nurse Executive and SVP Clinical Operations, Corewell Health

Yanni Yu, DSc

Product Director, HEOR, Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals

Joseph Webb, DSc

Chief Executive Officer, Nashville General Hospital

Faraz Ahmed, DSc

COO, Saint Luke's Physician Group, St. Luke's Health System

Cindy Reistroffer, DSc

Senior Consulting Manager, Press Ganey

Tom McDougal, DSc

CEO and Founder, Badlands, LLC

Emily Koudelka, DSc

Director, Finance and Business Development, St. Louis Children’s Hospital

Kenneth Cochran, DSc

Managing Director, Delivery Systems, Health Management Associates

Polly Davenport, DSc

SVP Ministry Market Executive Ascension IL, Ascension

Kerry Gillihan, DSc

Past President, Home Care Services Division, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Timothy Harlin, DSc

CEO, Centurion Health

Thomas Hunt, III, DSc

VP/Chief Physician Executive, Musculoskeletal Institute, Lee Health

Joseph John, DSc

Executive Administrator and Vice President, Surgical Services, Emory Health Care

Rick Wallace, DSc

Program Director & Professor, Health Organizations Administration, Northeastern State University, Broken Arrow, OK

Barbara Guerard, DSc

Senior Vice President, Peoples Health

Raymond Snead, Jr., DSc

Chief Financial Executive, Galloway Consulting

Mary Temm, DSc

President, Temm & Associates, Inc.

Kathleen Adams, DSc

Director, Revenue Cycle Solutions, Warbird Consulting Partners

Mark Anderson, DSc

James Burkhart, DSc

Vice President of Business Development, Capital Growth Medvest

Forrest Daniels, DSc

CEO, Rhode Island Free Clinic

Edward Heath, DSc

Chief Executive Officer, Muhlenberg Community Hospital

Virginia Razo, DSc

Chief Executive Officer, Curry Health Network

John McWhorter, III, DSc

Senior Vice President and COO, OhioHealth

Lisa Jones, DSc

Past Vice President of Clinical Services, Owensboro (Ky.) Health

Vance Chunn, DSc

Chief Executive Officer, Cardiology Associates of Mobile, Inc.

Betty Mortensen, DSc

President, Innovative Healthcare Solutions, Inc.

Holly Jarek, DSc

Consultant Pediatroc Long Term Care, Holly Jarek Consulting

Deana Nelson, DSc

Senior Vice President of Administration and Corporate Priorities, Lakeland Regional Health

Ian McFadden, DSc

President and CEO, The Hospital Guide

Tiffany Cabibbo, DSc

Chief Nursing Officer, Mount Nittany Health System

Stephen Cullen, DSc

Chief Strategy & Operations, Aero Smart Communities

Timothy Attebery, DSc

Chief Executive Officer, Cardiovascular Associates of America

William Breen, DSc

CEO and Co-Founder, Honeycomb Management Services, LLC

Rita DiLeo, DSc

Professor, University of Scranton

Dawn Ahner, DSc

SVP and Chief Financial Officer, Summa Health

Keith Brady, DSc

Founder and Principal - KDB Healthcare

Phillip Mazzuca, DSc

CEO, Williamson Medical Center

Charles Hagood, DSc

Managing Partner, Press Ganey Consulting

William Tuttle, DSc

Assistant Professor, Health Administration, Baptist College of Health Sciences

Muhammad Al-Midani, DSc

CEO and Owner, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Center

Terry Knight

Chief Development Officer, VIVA Health

Neil Thornbury

CEO, T.J. Regional Health

Ginger Biesbrock

EVP Care Transformation, MedAxiom

Ginger Henry

Chief Operations Officer, Baptist Medical Center South

Roland Shapley

Assistant Professor, Texas State University

Sean Prados

Principal, Prados & Associates

Tom Ozburn

CEO, TriStar Centennial Medical Center

Suzanne Garber

Chair of the Board, Board Director, CEO, Houwzer

Rochelle Richards

CEO, Akasha Center for Integrative Medicine

Teresa Zyczynski

Director - Global Health Economics & Outcomes Research, Bristol-Myers Squibb

Kemberly Blackledge

Chief Revenue Cycle Officer, Nashville General Hospital

Warren Smedley

Vice President, Petauri-Kinect

Kena Norris

Executive Director, Children's Community Physician Association (CPPA)

Wafick-Mohamed

Executive Director, Patient Research Quality and Regulatory Compliance, Stanford Health Care

Neel Pathak

Program Director, Executive Healthcare MBA Program, Creighton University's Heider College of Business

Khalid Al-Khalifa

Deputy CEO, King Hamad University Hospital - Bahrain

Wendy Smith

Managing Director, Managed Care Reinsurance at Aon

Cesar Landeros

Chief Financial Officer, Center for Family Health & Education

John Walsh

Chief Administrative Officer, University of Louisville Health

Kofi Cash

Senior Executive, CashGroup

Charles Lee

Healthcare Administrator, Naval Hospital Pensacola

Shannon Burger

Chief Executive Officer, Cempa Community Care

Michael Chua

Assitant Professor, Global Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto

Jolynn Suko

Regional Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, SSM Health

Shane Pilcher

Administrative Director, Chief Information Officer, Siskin Hospital

Sanober Ajani

Department Adiministrator, GI Medical Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center

Ryan Allen

Chief Information Security Officer, UAB Hospital

Perry Ann Reed

COO and SVP, Nicklaus Children's Health System

Ishwari Venkataraman

Principal, Adira Management Consulting

Cory Onward

Chief Operating Officer, Damien Center

Jason Kimbrell

Chief Executive Officer, HCA Florida Palms West Hospital

Keyla Cooper

Director for Administration, Chief Resource Management, Defense Health Agency

Miranda Sedillo

Chief Operations Officer, Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless

Faculty & Staff

Jane Banaszak-Holl, PhD

Department Chair and L.R. Jordan Chair in Health Services AdministrationThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SHPB 530E
205-934-1735Scholars Profile

Nancy M. Borkowski, DBA, CPA, FACHE, FHFMA

Distinguished ProfessorThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SHPB 554
205-996-2336Scholars Profile

Scott Buchalter, MD

Chief, Quality, Planning and Strategy, UAB Health SystemThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SHPB 650C
205-996-5732Scholars Profile

Leandra Celaya, MSc

Assistant Professor and Director of Operations, Executive Doctor of Science (DSc) in Healthcare Leadership ProgramThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SHPB 555
205-934-3588Scholars Profile

Phil Cendoma, PhD, MSHA, MBA, FACHE

Assistant ProfessorThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SHPB 550E
205-996-1422Scholars Profile

Patrick A. Grusenmeyer, ScD, FACHE

Associate ProfessorThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SHPB 550B
205-996-5773Scholars Profile

Allyson G. Hall, PhD

ProfessorThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SHPB 558
205-934-1672Scholars Profile

Leslie W. Hayes, MD, FAAP

Professor of Pediatric- Critical Care and MSO for Childrens of ALThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SHPB 650C
205-638-9387Scholars Profile

Kristine Ria Hearld, PhD

Professor and Director, PhD in Administration-Health Services ProgramThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SHPB 563
205-934-1670Scholars Profile

Larry R. Hearld, PhD

ProfessorThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SHPB 557
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S. Robert Hernandez, DrPH

Distinguished ProfessorThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SHPB 530F
205-934-1665Scholars Profile

Steven Howard, PhD, MBA

Director, M.S. in Healthcare Administration (Executive), Associate ProfessorThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SHPB 590B
205-934-1677Scholars Profile

Amy Y. Landry, PhD

Howard W. Houser Endowed Professor in Health Administration,
Director, Executive Doctor of Science (DSc) in Healthcare Leadership ProgramThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SHPB 556
205-996-7767Scholars Profile

Christy Harris Lemak, PhD, FACHE

ProfessorThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SHPB 580E
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John McWhorter, III, DSc

Credentialed Course Instructor
COO, OhioHealth
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SHPB 553
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Michael A. Morrisey PhD

Professor Emeritus, UAB Health Policy and OrganizationThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
RPHB 330
205-934-6041Scholars Profile

Bisakha "Pia" Sen, PhD

Professor and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Endowed Chair in Health Economics at UABThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
RPHB 330R
205-975-8960Scholars Profile

Kimberly Smith, PhD

Assistant Professor
UAB Family and Community MedicineThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
205-996-6508Scholars Profile

Jeff M. Szychowski, PhD

Professor and Chair of Biostatistics in the School of Public Health at UABThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
RPHB 327J
205-975-9135Scholars Profile