Alumni/ae Spotlight

Jeffrey P. Harrison (Ph.D., 2002; MHA, 1977; MBA, 1975)
Assistant Professor, Health Administration
University of North Florida
Jacksonville, Fl

Jeff Harrison is currently on the faculty at the University of North Florida where he has a faculty appointment in the Brooks College of Health and the Coggin College of Business. He teaches courses in Health Economics, Healthcare Finance, Health Information Technology, Managed Care, and Strategic Management.

Following his graduation from the MHA program, Commander Harrison (retired) had a distinguished career as a Navy Medical Service Corps Officer where he was awarded two Navy Achievement medals, three Navy Commendation medals and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. Some of his leadership positions include: Chief, Outpatient Administration at the Naval Regional Medical Center, Long Beach, CA, Deputy Director for Professional Development at the Naval School of Health Sciences, Bethesda.  MD, Chief Operating Officer at the Naval Hospital, Patuxent River, MD, Director of Medical Operations for the Commander in Chief U.S. Atlantic Fleet Norfolk, VA and a Senior Health Policy Analyst in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) Washington, DC.
Committed to lifelong learning, Jeff initially completed a Masters in Business Administration at the College of William and Mary.  Subsequently, he was competitively selected for a full scholarship from the Navy which led to his MHA degree from the Medical College of Virginia in 1977. Later in his career he was selected by a Board convened by the Chief of Naval Personnel for a full scholarship leading to a PhD in Health Research. He once again enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University, Medical College of Virginia Campus, where he earned his PhD in 2002.

Jeff Harrison is the author of over twenty articles or book chapters on disaster response and health care management. Additionally, Jeff has provided professional development seminars to thousands of healthcare executives.  His areas of expertise include:  “Disaster Planning”, “Management of Change,” “Healthcare Technology” and “Corporate Compliance.”
Jeff Harrison has participated in multiple working and original research endeavors over the past 15 years and collaborated on several research grants. The most recent grant is a 2004-2007 grant – “The Impact of Quality and Efficiency on Value in Healthcare” funded by the Brooks Research Foundation. The co-principal investigator in this grant is a fellow MCV PhD alumnus, Lieutenant Colonel Coppola.

Jeff Harrison has had teaching appointments at numerous universities throughout his career to include: Long Beach City College, the Naval School of Health Sciences, Northern Virginia Community College and Virginia Commonwealth University.
Jeff Harrison has attained numerous honors in professional societies and is a Certified Healthcare Executive as well as a Fellow, in the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). He received the Senior Health Care Executive Regents Award for ACHE in Northern California during 2001. He is a member in the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) and the Academy of Health. He previously served a four year term as a member of the Editorial Board for the journal Hospital and Health Services Administration published by American College of Healthcare Executives.

In addition to his current teaching responsibilities in Health Administration, Jeff has been credentialed by the California State Universities system in the areas of Accounting, Business Management and Industrial Management. Further career interests include a position in University administration at a future date.