Ann M. York, Ph.D., is an associate professor with the Master of Health Care Administration program in the College of Health Sciences with research interests in evidence-based medicine in particular and qualitative research in general.
Dr. York’s journey to research took a circuitous path, but her goal was always to become a university professor. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Western Michigan University and a master’s degree in physical therapy from Duke University. After working as a physical therapist in a variety of settings from Johns Hopkins to New Zealand, she stepped into middle and senior management positions in health care organizations—all the while continuing to teach part-time, read research journals, and design studies in her head.
In 1996, York completed a PhD in Health Services from Walden University, winning the outstanding dissertation award for her work. She joined DMU in 2003, and has led several research studies looking at best practices for teaching evidence-based medicine using online modules. This work has resulted in a number of publications and presentations, and more projects are in the pipeline. She is also currently involved with a research study through the ICTCR to look at qualitative outcomes of physician and nurse satisfaction with electronic ICUs.
While York feels her previous experience as a clinician and manager have helped her target meaningful qualitative research studies, she is thoroughly enjoying having the luxury of having research as a primary focus. It’s a dream come true.
