Whitman Named Health Care Management Program Coordinator at UA Business School

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Dr. Marilyn V. Whitman has been named coordinator of the Health Care Management Program at The University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Commerce.

Whitman has been an instructor in the program for the past two years. She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science at Stetson University in 1998, a master’s degree in public administration from the University of North Florida in 1999, and a doctorate in public policy and administration from Auburn University in 2006.

For the past two years, she has taught both graduate and undergraduate courses at UA and coordinated the health care management program’s internship program.

She has an extensive non-academic background in health care that includes serving as a program coordinator for the Diabetes Treatment Center at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika, as well as physician systems coordinator. In the latter position, she was responsible for installing programs to allow physicians and staff to access patient data more quickly and efficiently.

“We are fortunate to have someone of Dr. Whitman’s background and qualifications on our faculty,” said Dr. Rob Morgan, head of the business school’s department of management and marketing.

Whitman is a native of West Palm Beach, Fla., and she is fluent in Spanish. She is a member of numerous professional health care organizations, including the Association of University Programs in Health Administration, the American College of Healthcare Executives and the Medical Group Management Association

“I am especially interested in hospital administration,” Whitman said, “as well as physician relations and the issue of workforce diversity.” She said her research interests include the impact of organizational factors on access and quality of care on racial and ethnic minority groups, specifically the Hispanic/Latino population.

The Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration was established in 1919, and in 1929 it became the 38th school to earn admission into the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business.

The excellence of the UA business school has been acknowledged on a national level. The undergraduate program is ranked 29th among public universities by U.S. News, and the Culverhouse School of Accountancy is ranked 15th among public universities by U.S. News. The graduate accounting program is ranked 15th and the undergraduate program 14th by Public Accounting Report.