The VCU College of Health Professions announced the appointment of two new faculty members who recently joined the Department of Health Administration.

They are Saleema Karim, Ph.D., and Nathan Carroll, Ph.D. Both will serve as associate professors in health administration.

“I am excited to welcome Saleema and Nate to the College,” said Paula Song, Ph.D., Richard M. Bracken Chair of the Department of Health Administration. “Their extensive backgrounds in teaching and research expertise in healthcare financial management will be a tremendous asset to our department as we continue to prepare students to become innovative leaders across healthcare.”

Karim comes to VCU after serving in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, in Little Rock, Ark. Throughout her career, she has taught classes in healthcare financial management, operations management, and quality. Karim’s research interests include hospital financial performance, quality and access, disparities and reimbursement/payment systems.

“I am looking forward to being part of the health administration and VCU team and the opportunities to collaborate and innovate with faculty, to teach and motivate the next generation of health administration students and to be involved and influence policy within VCU,” said Karim. “I hope to contribute and have a positive impact on the VCU community, state, nation and globally.”

She received her Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C.; Master of Business Administration and Master of Health Administration from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and doctorate in health services research with a minor in financial management from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Carroll previously was assistant professor in the Department of Health Services Administration at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His research focuses include value-based payment, organizational responses to changing reimbursement systems, the financial management of health care organizations and return on investment for quality improvement activities.

“I have enjoyed the chance to teach great students over the past seven years, and learned a lot about training students to make good financial decisions for the organizations they go on to lead,” said Carroll. “I'm looking forward to bringing those skills to the students I'll be working with at VCU. Similarly, I've learned a lot about how financial incentives impact organizations' delivery of care, and I'm hoping to use that insight to develop partnerships with some of the accomplished researchers in the department, at the university and at the medical center.”

Carroll received his Bachelor of Science in commerce (finance) and economics from the University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce; a Masters in Health Administration from VCU; and doctoral degree in health services organization and policy, from the University of Michigan, Department of Health Management and Policy, in Ann Arbor, Mich.

“VCU has done so much for me and I grew a lot during my time in the MHA program,” he said. “As a student I remember being impressed by the high bar the faculty set as teachers, but also as researchers. The current faculty have continued to maintain those high standards, and I'm really excited to participate in that tradition and that I get to do so with a great group of colleagues.” 

The VCU Department of Health Administration is a premiere research department geared toward creating innovative, compassionate, and business-savvy leaders to reimagine healthcare. The Master of Health Administration program is rated in the top five among its peers in the country by U.S. News & World Report.