Business & Economics Welcomes Gheens Associate Professor of
Healthcare Management From senior class president at Henry Clay High School to nutritionist and RN, to research director and professor, to healthcare executive and higher education administrator, Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Whitis prides herself on being a lifelong learner.
Bringing that love of learning and extensive experience in clinical medicine and research as well as executive business administration back to central Kentucky, Whitis joined the business and economics department this year as Gheens Associate Professor of Healthcare Management. While clinically active as a registered nurse and dietician, Whitis served as a faculty member of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Kentucky before moving into research at the UK College of Medicine. After serving as executive director of cardiovascular research, Whitis enrolled at the University of Southern California for doctoral work in public finance, organization development, administrative theory, and higher education administration. Provost Rosemary Allen says Whitis “really does share that broad comprehension of the nature of the field—not just from the business side of it, but also from the healthcare provision side.” On the West coast, Whitis excelled in executive administrative roles at both public and private health systems, medical centers, and college campuses. According to Dr. Tom Cooper, Chair of the Business Administration and Economics Department, “The breadth of Dr. Whitis’s experience makes her an exceptional person to fill this position. She has held management positions in numerous healthcare organizations at a variety of levels, ranging from chief nursing officer to director of operations to board member. In several of those positions, she was responsible for strategic planning and quality improvement, so she has first-hand
experience with many major issues facing healthcare providers today.” According to Whitis, Georgetown College is in a unique position to provide students with integrity-based training in healthcare administration: providing not just skills to solve problems and acquire knowledge, but the ability to “reconcile these difficult, difficult decisions” made at the administrative level. Healthcare is different from other industries, she points out, “because in healthcare, you’re talking about life and death.” Students pursuing accounting in a hospital system, for example, need to “understand the anatomy of a healthcare financial organization” says Whitis. “I have worked in a system in which the business officers were required to do rounds with the clinical side, so they didn’t become so detached—their vision and mission of their work had a home.” Connecting students’ vision and mission as administrators to real-world experiences is key. What Whitis doesn’t want, she says, are students who leave Georgetown for a career in healthcare administration “having never set foot in a healthcare facility.” As Dr. Whitis explores the possibility of a new major in healthcare administration, she hopes to learn what it means to be a distinctly Georgetown proud program producing graduates who are wellequipped to enter the complicated world of healthcare administration. Building on Georgetown’s heritage as a Christian liberal arts institution — already home to talented and caring faculty — a rigorous, integrity-based program in healthcare administration can flourish.
The Society of Healing Arts offers mentoring and leadership for Georgetown College Pre-Health Association students. Young alumni in healthcare fields are invited to campus each spring to share their life experiences and offer guidance for those interested in pursuing careers in healthcare. Left: Panelists this spring included Dr. Carson Keally ’10, D.M.D.; Dr. Amanda Bolton ’10, Ph.D., Neurobiology; Dr. Matt Birdwhistell ’04, D.O. (Osteopathic Physician/Internal Medicine); Dr. Rachel Thomas ‘08, D.O. (Osteopathic Physician/Pediatrics); and Dr. Carrie Meek Gaby ’07, M.D. Not pictured: Ms. Amanda Scott Wombles ’08, Physical Therapist.
Fall 2015 | GC MAGAZINE | 6