The Department of Health Services Administration

paustian@uab.edu

Pamela E. Paustian, MSM, RHIA, Blackboard Vista Certified Senior Trainer is a full-time Assistant Professor and Program Director in the BS in Health Care Management program, and Distance Education and Quality Management Coordinator, in the Department of Health Services Administration (HSA) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Ms. Paustian holds a MS in Management, a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Computer Information Systems, a BS in Health Information Management, and is currently pursuing her PhD in Educational Leadership and Strategy. She has twelve years of experience in information systems as a distant education director, project manager, corporate trainer and information technology instructor. She currently teaches the Survey of Health Professions, Survey of Administrative and Clinical Information Systems, Organizational Behavior, Human Resources Management and Operations Management courses in the Health Sciences and Health Information Management programs.

As Distance Education and Quality Management Coordinator, Ms. Paustian supports quality education by working jointly with the School of Health Professions’ faculty and staff to produce effective online courses and supplemental materials. She actively participates in the development and training of faculty members in areas of instructional design and in the use of specific instructional technology tools within the school and also serves as the schools Blackboard Vista Administrator.

Ms. Paustian’s research interests include cultural competence education with health care administration education; innovative teaching methodologies in health professions education; design and evaluation of distance education systems and computer-assisted instruction; and development and use of computerized information and communication systems in healthcare organizations.

Ms. Paustian has worked with research investigators, professional associations, and healthcare facilities implementing wireless decision support systems; database development; planning, deployment and maintenance of server-based instructional support systems; and location-aware capacity management solutions. Her service to professional associations includes listserv management and technology support in addition to the more traditional roles of reviewing papers and working on committees.

In addition to her responsibilities at UAB, Ms. Paustian provides corporate training in business microcomputer applications and digital electronics, she consults to academic and professional organizations considering or implementing distance education programs and consults with hospitals on streamlining the flow of patient data and process improvement.