MU School of Medicine Department Chair Named to Wesbury Professorship

Eduardo J. Simoes, MD, MSc, MPH, chair of the Department of Health Management and Informatics and the Health Management and Informatics Alumni Distinguished Professor, has been named the Dr. Stuart A. Wesbury Jr. Distinguished Professor in Health Management and Informatics.

Simoes served as an adjunct faculty member for many years before becoming chair of the department in 2011. He began practicing medicine in Brazil and later worked for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Before coming to MU, Simoes served as the Director of the Prevention Research Centers Program Office at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Simoes’ research in public health informatics focuses on ways to more efficiently prioritize funding for public health programs.

Under Simoes’ leadership, the Department of Health Management and Informatics provides two degree programs in health administration and health informatics, in addition to several certificate programs. Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education, the department is the fourth largest MHA program in the U.S., according to Modern Healthcare’s 2016 rankings. The department boasts a 100 percent placement rate of graduates in fellowships and full-time positions within three months of graduation and recently has been approved by the Institute of Industrial Engineers to train and prepare students for the Six Sigma Lean Green Belt Examination.

The Wesbury professorship is named for Stuart A. Wesbury Jr., PhD, longtime health care administrator and pioneer of the MU health management program. Wesbury served as the program’s chair from 1972 to 1978. He is a former president and chief executive officer of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Funds for the endowment supporting the professorship were generously provided by former students of Dr. Wesbury, other alumni and friends.

“The success of the Department of Health Management and Informatics at MU speaks to dedicated, effective leadership and the work of excellent faculty and students over the years,” Wesbury said. “It was my pleasure to be part of the department’s early history, and I am proud of this new connection with Mizzou and the department.”