Health Care Management Program

Background

Dr. Parks is an Assistant Professor in Health Care Management at Appalachian State University. She has taught healthcare management courses at the undergraduate level and graduate level since 2013. Dr. Parks has worked in healthcare administration for the last fifteen years with experience in both hospital and health plan administration as well as academia and research. In 2016, Dr. Parks completed her Doctorate in Public Health from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, and she worked as a Research Associate for the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research from 2009-2017. Dr. Parks was awarded the Roemer Award in Social Justice and a dissertation fellowship for her work expanding access and implementing quality improvement efforts in a nationwide HIV referral network. Parks also received a Masters in Technology Management from Georgetown University as well as her Master in Business Administration from the Quantic School of Business and Technology and multiple certifications from the Harvard School of Business. Dr. Parks obtained her Master of Public Health degree and her Bachelor of Science degree in Health Science from California State University, Fresno. Dr. Parks currently serves as the Society for Public Health Education’s Board Trustee for Professional Preparation where she works with faculty members across the nation to design and share curriculum and best practices for educating public health and health sciences students. Dr. Parks herself has multiple certifications in healthcare and public health including the Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES), Certification in Public Health (CPH), Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), Certified Professional Patient Safety (CPPS), Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (CLSSBB), Project Management Professional (PMP) and more. If you have questions about specific continuing education opportunities, graduate school, or certifications, Dr. Parks would love to share her experiences and learn about your interests as a student or prospective student. Dr. Parks looks forward to getting to know each student and their unique career interests and personalities as part of our learning community.

During her time as a healthcare administrator, Dr. Parks worked as a director of quality in inpatient healthcare facilities and as the director of managed Medicaid and Medicare health plans for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. In her role as a Research Associate at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research from 2009-2017, Dr. Parks provided statistical analysis and grant writing workshops for the UCLA Health DATA Program and severed as a researcher and grant writer on community based participatory research projects on the topics of environmental justice, health services for older adults, and chronic disease prevention funded by the CDC REACH CORE program and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dr. Parks has shared her research at multiple national conferences and enjoys partnering with students to prepare and submit research for presentation and publication. Her current research agenda includes healthcare quality topics such as patient experience in long term care settings, performance improvement, healthcare workforce preparation and mentorship, mental health, information technology, and telehealth. Aside from professional life, Dr. Parks enjoys spending time with her three children, traveling, and running and hiking in the Appalachian Mountains.

Education

• DrPH, Health Services Leadership, University of California, Los Angeles, 2016
• MBA, Business Administration, Quantic School of Business and Technology, 2019
• MTech, Technology Management and Analytics, Georgetown University, 2018
• MPH, California State University Fresno, 2008
• BS, Health Science, California State University Fresno, 2006

Current Courses Being Taught

• HCM 3630 Health Services Organization Behavior & Design (Undergraduate)

Professional Affiliations / Organizations

• National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ)
• American Public Health Association (APHA)
• Society of Public Health Education (SOPHE)
• Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA)
• Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
• American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)
• Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS)
• American Society of Healthcare Risk Managers (ASHRM)
• Project Management Institute (PMI)
• Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE)

Research Interests

• Healthcare quality improvement and health information technology, specifically the use of technology to develop tools and improve quality and access to health services
• Physical, mental, and emotional health and wellness of workers and families during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Healthcare administration workforce development, professional preparation, mentorship, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)

Selected Presentations and Publications

• Parks, A., Manley, M. (2021) “Pandemic Effects on Advance Care Directive Attitudes and Completion Rates amongst Medicaid Population in Inland Empire”. SOPHE Webinar Presentation and Society for Public Health Education (SOPHEdX) Conference.
• Parks, A., Lazari, M. (20201) Physician and Staff Responses to Non-facility Specific Patient Experience Feedback with Post-acute Care Transitions. American Public Health Association (APHA) Conference.
• Parks, A., Lazari, M. O’Dell, B. (2020) Self-reported mentorship needs and preferences of health administration and public health students. American Public Health Association (APHA) Conference.
• Parks, A., Lazari, M., O’Dell, B., Cheema, K. (2020). Best Practices for Preparing Students for the Health Education Workforce through the Integration of Practice and Theory. Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE).
• Parks, A., Lazari, M., (2020). It’s All Fun and Games: Leveraging Gamification to Develop Decision Making Skills in Health Services Administration Students. AUPHA 2020.
• Parks, A., Lazari, M. (2019). Best Practices for Preparing Students for the Workforce through Mentorship. The Chronicle of Mentoring.
• Parks, A., Lazari, M. (2019). Mentorship in the Health Professions. The Chronicle of Mentoring.
• Parks, A., Munoz, J. (2019). Exploring the Difference between the Perception of the Effectiveness of Provider Communication across Ethnicity Categories and Education Level. Southern California Public Health Association.
• Parks, A., Brown, N. (2019). Public Health Workforce Training Gaps: Differences in Self-Reported Skills across Educational Categories in the Public Health Workforce”. Southern California Public Health Association. Los Angeles, CA. 10/14/2019.
• Parks, A., Lazari, M. (2019). Advancing the Healthcare Quality Profession by Developing Direct Educational Pathways. National Association for Healthcare Quality – NAHQ NEXT Conference.
• Parks, A., Lazari, M. (2015). NAHQ Leadership Model Series: Communicating Effectively for Change and Improvement. Journal of the California Association for Healthcare Quality.
• Parks, A. (2014). Our New Charge: Expanding the Quality Landscape by Cultivating a Culture of Adaptability and Inclusion. Journal of the California Association for Healthcare Quality.
• Parks, A., Lazari, M. (2014). NAHQ Leadership Model Series: The Art of Data Management. Journal of the California Association for Healthcare Quality.
• Zane, J., Toy, P., Parks, A., et.al. Diminishing the health burden caused by disproportionate exposure to air pollution through local community action to change policies and practices. 2012 American Public Health Association (APHA) Conference.
• Wallace, S. Zane, J., Toy, P., Parks, A., et.al. From the ground up to the sky: Bringing aging and child advocates together to expand traditional air quality coalitions. 2012 American Public Health Association (APHA) Conference.