UF student places third in national health administration paper competition

University of Florida graduate student Melissa Harper has placed third in a national student paper competition sponsored by the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Harper, a master’s of health administration student in the College of Public Health and Health Professions’ department of health services administration, captured third place in the organization’s Hill-Rom Management Essay Competition in Healthcare Administration. Harper received a $1,000 award and transportation funding to present her paper at the Congress on Healthcare Management this month in Chicago.

Harper’s article focuses on health-care organization Web sites and the factors that constitute a high-quality, consumer-friendly site. Her paper addresses the current use of the World Wide Web in health care and possible future uses of Web sites by health-care organizations. She also provides recommendations on conception, design, ownership and maintenance.