By Erin Jester
Brittany Crown and April O’Neal were recognized at an awards ceremony held during the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions’ annual holiday breakfast December 3.
Crown joined the Department of Health Services Research, Management and Policy in 2022 as an academic program specialist.
Although new to the department, she dove in and made significant contributions to a successful accreditation visit by the Commission on Accreditation for Healthcare Management Education, a colleague wrote.
Last year, Crown managed more than 100 applications to the Master of Health Administration program while simultaneously updating and improving the department’s admissions process. She was later invited to join the two faculty members on the admissions interview team and is an integral part of the interview process.
Crown has also created resources for enhancing faculty productivity during remote work, contributed to the development of a weekend professional M.H.A. program and assisted students with case competition prep, leading to several national wins. Colleagues have described her as “the glue of the MHA program.”
“Brittany Crown embodies the qualities of an outstanding employee. Her contributions, initiative and positive influence make her a deserving candidate,” a colleague wrote.
April O’Neal, program manager and academic program coordinator for the social and behavioral sciences Ph.D. program, joined PHHP in 2023.
O’Neal was originally hired as an administrative specialist in the office of Dean Beth Virnig. She has since become the primary support to George Hack, Ph.D., the associate dean for educational affairs, and Mattia Prosperi, Ph.D., the associate dean of artificial intelligence and innovation, among others.
In addition, O’Neal is the coordinator for the social and behavioral sciences Ph.D. program, assisting with recruitment, admissions and registration, coordinating student events, managing course activities, collecting syllabi and course evaluations, and monitoring graduate submissions.
“Employees like April, who work tirelessly behind the scenes, constantly find ways to streamline work for others and step up often, taking on more than their share of responsibility while maintaining a high level of care for others, are rare,” wrote a colleague.