{"id":1298,"date":"2019-12-03T09:30:31","date_gmt":"2019-12-03T17:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=1298"},"modified":"2024-07-23T14:36:54","modified_gmt":"2024-07-23T21:36:54","slug":"online-master-of-public-health-student","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/online-master-of-public-health-student\/","title":{"rendered":"Online Master of Public Health program helps health systems administrator advance his career"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Zachary

Zach Harris is pursuing his third degree from Oregon State University. The first two \u2013 a bachelor’s in sociology and an MBA \u2013 he earned on campus in Corvallis. Now he’s learning 100% online.<\/p><\/div>\n

Former OSU Beavers football player in key role for Hawaii’s largest private employer<\/h2>\n

Zach Harris can see himself working in the executive-level management of a health care system. He has already made Portland Business Journal\u2019s 40 Under 40 list when he oversaw ambulatory operations for Doernbecher Children\u2019s Hospital in Portland, Oregon.<\/p>\n

Now, he\u2019s an administrator in charge of ambulatory services at Queen\u2019s Health Systems in Honolulu, Hawaii, the state\u2019s largest private employer.<\/p>\n

To make it to the C-suite, Harris is pursuing a Master of Public Health degree online from Oregon State University<\/a> \u2013 the same university where he earned bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees that helped launch his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI stayed with Oregon State because of the quality experiences I had and the education I\u2019ve been able to use my entire life,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

“<\/span>I wanted to make sure that I got a high-quality experience instead of going fast and just pushing through a program. Oregon State has brand equity.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Harris was accepted into six Master of Public Health programs. Oregon State Ecampus was his first choice because of the competitive cost and the program\u2019s reputation. The online MPH is offered by OSU\u2019s College of Health<\/a>, which was the first college of its kind in Oregon to be accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to make sure that I got a high-quality experience instead of going fast and just pushing through a program,\u201d Harris says. \u201cOregon State has brand equity.\u201d<\/p>\n

He earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in sociology from Oregon State in 2007 and an MBA in entrepreneurship from OSU’s College of Business<\/a>, finance and management in 2010. After working in the health care field for 10 years, pursuing a second master\u2019s degree has become the means to achieving his professional goals.<\/p>\n

Oregon State\u2019s online MPH degree gives students the skills, knowledge and credentials to be industry leaders.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very evident that population and public health are key to the effective delivery of health care,\u201d Harris says. \u201cBeing able to help a health system implement population health services will make me more marketable in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Harris one of many Beavers athletes to tap into Ecampus<\/h2>\n

Many Oregon State student-athletes \u2013 present and past, like Harris \u2013 find great value in learning online with OSU Ecampus. Here are stories about others who did so while starring for the Beavers.
\n\u2022\u00a0Ruth Hamblin<\/a>, women’s basketball
\n\u2022\u00a0Sydney Wiese<\/a>, women’s basketball
\n\u2022\u00a0Dylan Wynn<\/a>, football<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

He took his first Ecampus online class in 2005, when he was an offensive lineman for the Oregon State football team. Back then, Harris didn\u2019t even own a computer and used one in a dorm lobby. Since then, there\u2019s been a major shift in the delivery of education to online, and he has adapted with it.<\/p>\n

He communicates with his instructors and classmates by email, text and phone, and he uses Oregon State\u2019s online learning portal, Canvas, to constantly stay engaged. He has used video to participate in a class debate and interview the head of a nonprofit working on AIDS advocacy in Brazil.<\/p>\n

\u201cTechnology is now second-nature,\u201d he says. \u201cEverything is happening online.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harris balances his work responsibilities, overseeing 200 employees and a $70 million budget, with his studies. Oregon State\u2019s Master of Public Health program provides a great deal of personal support to students, with regular guidance from faculty, advisors and an internship coordinator.<\/p>\n

To complete the degree\u2019s internship requirement, Harris plans to create an evidence-based intervention at work through Queen\u2019s Health Systems\u2019 native Hawaiian health program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While pursuing his second master\u2019s degree, he has been able to continue the activities he enjoys, including spending time with his girlfriend and learning to surf and paddle board. He also enjoys the flexibility to complete his coursework in a part-time capacity without sacrificing his career.<\/p>\n

Harris is on track to complete the 60-credit Master of Public Health program in spring 2021. The advice his father gave him is the same advice he shares with anyone considering career advancement by earning a master\u2019s degree online.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t let it stress you out,\u201d he says. \u201cYou get out of the program what you put into it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span> 3<\/span> minute read<\/span><\/span>Zach Harris can see himself working in the executive-level management of a health care system. He\u2019s an administrator in charge of ambulatory services at Queen\u2019s Health Systems in Honolulu, Hawaii. To make it to the C-suite, Harris is pursuing a Master of Public Health degree online from Oregon State University \u2013 the same university where he earned bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees that helped launch his career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":1299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,6,678,3,8],"tags":[91,424,169,25,24],"class_list":["post-1298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-ecampus","category-faculty-and-programs","category-features","category-students","tag-college-of-health","tag-master-of-public-health","tag-online-degrees","tag-online-education","tag-online-learning"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/zachary-harris-master-public-health.jpg?fit=744%2C483&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-kW","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1581,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/public-health-masters-erin-devlin\/","url_meta":{"origin":1298,"position":0},"title":"Oregon State Everywhere: ‘I am so grateful to have taken this path’","author":"Erin Devlin","date":"November 1, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\"If it weren't for the online program at Oregon State Ecampus, I would not have had the chance to get the Master of Public Health. 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