By Ryan Clark
CHS Communications Director

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 24, 2023) — Sarah Kercsmar, PhD, MHA, has been named Chair of the Department of Health and Clinical Sciences in the University of Kentucky’s College of Health Sciences.

Kercsmar, who has been with the University for almost 20 years, joined the faculty in the College of Health Sciences in 2017 after stints with the College of Nursing and the College of Communication and Information.

An associate professor in CHS, Kercsmar has most recently served as Program Director and Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Clinical Leadership & Management program and the Certificate Director for the Clinical Healthcare Certificate program. 

Previously, she spent seven years as a faculty member in the College of Communication and Information, where she was the coordinator for the Composition and Communication courses in the School of Information Science. She also served as a coordinator for NIH grants for the College of Nursing and as a grassroots organizer for the American Lung Association of West Virginia and the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free West Virginia. 

She has also served on a number of University committees, ranging from Undergraduate Council to Academic Computing and the Information Technology Advisory Committee.

But for the last six years, the Department of Health and Clinical Sciences has been her home.

“From significant growth in our undergraduate programs to a global pandemic that caused us to reevaluate almost everything we do, we have seen changes unlike any I think we could have imagined,” she said. “As we look to the future, I am excited to dream about what is possible for our department and serve the best group of faculty and staff around. Together, we’ll set goals and continue serving our students through excellence in teaching and high-quality research and scholarship.”

Kercsmar has a PhD from the University of Kentucky in Communication (with a cognate in Educational Policy and Evaluation) and an MA and BA from Marshall University in Communication Studies. This year she added a Master in Health Administration to her resume.

She will succeed Karen Badger, PhD, MSW, who for the last four and a half years has served in the role. Badger will continue to fulfill the responsibilities of the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Undergraduate Education but will assume additional duties, including collaborating with the Dean on all matters of executive function, including but not limited to, strategic partnerships, policy development and interpretation, philanthropic efforts, and negotiation with internal and external constituents to support the priorities of the Dean and the College. 

Badger will also provide leadership to assess workforce needs and facilitate strategic program growth and expansion of educational offerings that align with healthcare workforce needs and demands. In response to these executive level functions, she will now have the title of Vice Dean.

Kercsmar said she is looking forward to increased collaboration. 

“I have been at the University of Kentucky for almost 20 years now and have learned so much from previous roles in the Colleges of Nursing and Communication and Information,” she said. “The connections and the colleagues I’ve met from across campus will help me and our department as I move into this new role.”

“Dr. Kercsmar is a lifelong learner who has served the College and University in many ways,” said Scott Lephart, PhD and Dean of the College of Health Sciences. “She is enthusiastic and well-prepared to lead both the instructional and research mission of the department. Her enthusiasm extends beyond the classroom, and I know she is poised and ready to take this next exciting step.”

See her CV here.
 

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

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