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Meet our Masters in Healthcare Administration Faculty

Adrian C. Zappala, Ph.D.

Adrian Zappala

Adrian Zappala

Professor & Dean of Graduate Studies

Ph.D., Capella University
M.S.Ed., Monmouth University
M.A.T., Monmouth University
B.A., Monmouth University

Dr. Adrian Zappala serves as the Dean of Graduate Studies and concurrently as Professor of Organizational Leadership and Management at Peirce College. He joined Peirce College in 2012.

He has completed graduate work (Master's and Doctoral degrees) in Educational Leadership and Adult Education. Additionally, he has completed the Management Development Program (MDP) at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education and has published and presented extensively in the fields of adult education, educational leadership, higher education, distributed learning and faculty development.

His expertise and consultation has been sought out by varied institutions both within and outside of the United States - particularly with institutions and organizations seeking to serve the growing population of post-secondary students. In total, he has over a decade of experience in faculty and administrative roles in institutions dedicated to serving the professional development needs of nontraditional adult learners. Prior to entering higher education, he served as an educator in the public schools of New Jersey - where he is a lifelong resident.

While at Peirce College, he led the development of the College's first graduate program, the Master of Science in Organizational Leadership (MSOLM), which launched in 2013. The MSOLM program has successfully recruited and graduated students since then. Dr. Zappala then led efforts to successfully launch the College's second graduate program, the Master of Science in Healthcare Administration (MSHCA) in 2016, and was likewise instrumental in the efforts to launch all graduate courses in the College's innovative Peirce Fit modality - maximizing access to quality education for all learners regardless of modality.

Contact Adrian C. Zappala, Ph.D.: azappala@peirce.edu

    In the Masters of Science in Healthcare Administration (MSHCA) program, the faculty's primary goal is to prepare healthcare practitioners for leadership roles in various sectors of the industry. Our professors guide our students through the utilization of a variety of skills to implement an organizational improvement and change initiative within a healthcare organization and to conduct action research on best practices in healthcare administration.

    When introducing you to the program, the faculty will enable you to develop and understanding of the history of the United States' healthcare system and how it has evolved in theory and practice through economic, financial and regulatory challenges. You'll learn the moral values and ethical principles applicable to complex healthcare organizations and glean a comprehensive understanding of the bioethical and socio-ethical issues of the current day and historical periods. Because contemporary systems are so complex and varied you'll also be taught lessons on healthcare law and compliance to better understand the unique challenges of emerging innovative models of healthcare delivery.

    Because this is a masters-level program, our MSHCA faculty will offer lessons on how to perform as a leader in the healthcare field, imparting in you crucial knowledge about the cultural and technological diversities you'll encounter as a manager in the field.

    Your final coursework includes a faculty-guided virtual healthcare environment with patient flow, from which you will walk away with the knowledge of how to provide detailed analytics for generating effective, safe and quality healthcare improvement. In your capstone, the Healthcare Administration faculty will have you demonstrate your comprehensive understanding of healthcare practices and theories with respect to leadership, research, planning and process implementation.

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