Charles Ellis Jr., Ph.D., has been named chair of the department of speech, language, and hearing sciences. He comes to UF in July from East Carolina University, where he is a professor and director of doctoral education in the department of communication sciences and disorders. He also serves as the research core director for the East Carolina University Center for Health Disparities.
As a 2005 graduate of PHHP’s doctoral program in rehabilitation science, Ellis is well-acquainted with UF’s long history of excellence in speech-language pathology and audiology.
“I have benefited greatly from my training in the UF RSD Ph.D. program,” Ellis said. “I entered the program with 10 years of clinical experience as a speech-language pathologist and the wide range of program experiences prepared me for a successful career in academia. The chair position attracted me because of the opportunity to return to the UF environment, which is stimulating and rewarding.”
In his research, Ellis has focused on understanding outcomes associated with adult neurologically-based disorders of communication, and factors that contribute to the lack of equity in service provision and the outcome disparities that exist among African Americans and other underrepresented minority groups.
A Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Ellis was awarded ASHA’s Certificate of Recognition for Special Contribution in Multicultural Affairs in 2011.
The UF department of speech, language, and hearing sciences has a strong cadre of faculty at all career stages, Ellis said, and he plans to build upon the department’s strengths to align with UF’s international reputation in research and teaching.
“The department’s vision will extend well beyond department/programs rankings (which are important) and establish a brand within the disciplines of speech-language pathology and audiology that is known for quality education, development of leaders and great citizens in the field, and world-class research that is integrated across the department’s programs,” Ellis said.
Ellis received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Georgia and spent 10 years in clinical practice as a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist. After earning his doctoral degree, he received training in health outcomes disparities at the Medical University of South Carolina Center for Health Disparities Research and the Health Services Research & Development, Targeted Research Enhancement Program at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston.
His most recent research has emphasized telepractice and economic issues associated with communication disorders; specifically, the costs and cost-effectiveness of speech-language pathology interventions. He has authored or co-authored more than 125 peer-reviewed journals articles, five book chapters and has over 150 presentations to his credit related to Parkinson’s disease, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and health disparities and minority health issues.
Lee Revere, Ph.D., M.S., joins the college in July as chair of the department of health services research, management and policy. She currently serves as a professor in the department of management, policy and community health at the University of Texas Health Science Center Houston School of Public Health, and as the director of the George McMillan Fleming Center for Healthcare Management.
The Fleming Center educates Master of Public Health students in the healthcare management concentration, doctoral students focusing on health management and health policy, and health care professionals and managers through its executive training programs. She also has teaching responsibilities in UT Health’s schools of nursing and medicine. As UT Health’s co-director for Interprofessional Education, Revere works with her team of interprofessional colleagues to develop and implement curricula-based activities that bring together teams of students from across the health science center.
In her research, Revere has focused on the impact of fiscal policies on organizations and the patients they serve. She has received more than $6 million in external funding and published more than 50 peer-reviewed manuscripts contributing to the science of process improvement and implementation, payment reform and resulting outcomes, and health care price transparency for consumers. She was recently named an American Medical Association Health Systems Science Scholar.
“As a nation, we continue to scrutinize the rising cost of health care, which has been my research focus,” Revere said. “I have spent a great deal of time evaluating different payment structures and understanding the impact on patient-level quality and safety. I continue to be interested in the intersection of financial policy, payment reform and value-based incentives, and how these impact health care delivery. Specifically, exploring how the organizations adapt their structure, processes and networks to ensure they provide high quality, consumer-focused and sustainable care.”
Revere earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Trinity University and a Ph.D. in health policy and management from the University of South Florida College of Public Health. Prior to earning her doctorate, she held positions in the field of quality and managed health care with SunHealth Alliance, Christus Health System, Humana Health Plans and HealthHelp Networks. She has facilitated comparative utilization and benchmarking projects, aggregated and analyzed clinical quality data and spearheaded statewide managed care contracts. She left industry to pursue an academic career in health care, with the aim of coupling academic rigor with management practice.
A Florida native, Revere was drawn to the chair position for the opportunity to network and bring people together.
“At heart, I am a connector; I look for mutually beneficial opportunities to bring researchers and industry leaders together,” Revere said. “At the University of Florida, I look forward to networking and collaborating within the college, across the campus and throughout the state to support our faculty, expand our research and develop our students into impactful leaders.”
