The Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama System recognized two professors in the School of Health Professions’ Department of Health Services Administration with university-wide appointments at their June 4, 2020, meeting.
Eta Berner, Ed.D., director of the UAB Center for Health Informatics for Patient Safety/Quality, was named UAB University Professor. Nancy Borkowski, DBA, professor of healthcare management and organizational behavior, was named UAB Distinguished Professor.
“Drs. Berner and Borkowski do transformative work that is considered central to the narratives in their field,” said Andrew Butler, Ph.D., dean, School of Health Professions. “These honors are reserved for the most acclaimed and accomplished of the nearly 3,000 faculty on campus. They are an inspiration to our students, and I congratulate each of them for setting the standard for merit in higher education.”
“We are delighted that the University is honoring these two outstanding members of our team. Drs. Berner and Borkowski have each contributed much to our Department, the School of Health Professions, UAB and the field,” said Christy Harris Lemak, Ph.D., chair, Department of Health Services Administration. “These University-level professorships bring additional prestige and recognition to their work. We are honored to work with them every day and we are grateful for their tireless dedication to excellence and to our mission of developing leaders to shape tomorrow’s health care.”
Eta Berner: UAB University Professor
Berner, who joined UAB faculty in 1986, is a fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society and the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics. She also serves as a senior scientist for the Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research and Education and a senior scholar for the Lister Hill Center for Health Policy. Her work has been published in leading journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, Academic Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.
She is editor of the book Informatics Education in Healthcare: Lessons Learned, now in its second edition, and the book Clinical Decision Support Systems: Theory and Practice, now in its third edition. Berner was the first in the School of Health Professions to have an online course certified by Quality Matters, a nationally recognized faculty-centered peer review process and she received the 2019 Joseph F. Volker Award, the highest honor given to faculty in the School of Health Professions.
Nancy Borkowski: UAB Distinguished Professor
Borkowski, a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the Healthcare Financial Management Association, is recognized internationally as an academician and has a visiting professor appointment in the School of Health Services and Management at the Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China. She has earned many accolades for her work including the Exemplary Service Award (ACHE), the Jessie Trice Hero Award (Health Choice Network), Excellence in Service Award (School of Health Professions) and the Frederick T. Muncie Gold Award (HFMA).
She is a certified public accountant, board certified in health management with more than 20 years’ experience in the healthcare industry. Borkowski, who is a Quality Matters Certified Master Reviewer, has also served in numerous leadership roles in healthcare organizations such as the Academy of Management’s Health Care Management Division, the ACHE’s Southern Florida Regent’s Advisory Council, the South Florida Healthcare Executive Forum, and the Alabama Healthcare Executive Forum.
About the Awards
The University Professor title is awarded for scholarly achievement, professional excellence, achievements, academic excellence, and service to UAB and the community.
The Distinguished Professor title is designated for accomplishments bringing great credit to UAB, academic service, international scholarly recognition, outstanding performance, peer recognition. dedication to excellence, and exemplary character and integrity.
