Distinguished physician and researcher Dr. Evelio Velis has spent the last 23 years helping Barry University students launch careers in healthcare and public service.
Since joining the faculty in 2002, he has taught in the College of Health and Wellness, the School of Business and Public Administration, and the School of Podiatric Medicine. He currently serves as director of the Master of Public Health and Master of Science in Health Services Administration degree programs, including the MSHSA-MPH dual degree.
Dr. Velis is also an internationally recognized expert in pediatrics, public health, and population health. His significant body of research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and featured at numerous professional conferences. Generations of Barry students have had the opportunity to learn from this aspect of his career as well.
“I’m kind of the old guard here,” Dr. Velis laughed, reflecting on his time at the University and all he has accomplished. He says he is always looking for new opportunities to expand his knowledge and pass it on.
Dr. Velis recently began teaching in the online Master of Business Administration in Health Services Administration program, which has given him the chance to work with a dynamic new range of students preparing for leadership roles in business and healthcare.
The program is designed for professionals transitioning to healthcare from other industries in addition to those currently in the field. “It’s not only nurses, physicians,” Dr. Velis said. “We’re seeing a lot of interest among clinicians in general.”
He likes how the MBA HSA program empowers his students, enabling them to earn a graduate degree without taking a career break. “The flexibility due to the online delivery format is very important for these students,” he said. “Especially because most of them are working professionals.”
Dr. Velis also appreciates how excited they are about learning, whether he is discussing epidemiology and biostatistics or law and operations.
“When they see the connections with the legal, ethical aspects, quality, evidence-based initiatives … they love it,” he said.
A Career Spanning Continents and Disciplines
When Dr. Velis first arrived on campus at Barry as a student in 1998, he was already a seasoned physician and public health practitioner. “I began my career practicing medicine as a pediatrician in the Cuban rural areas,” he said.
After graduating from The Higher Institute of Medical Sciences in Havana, Cuba in 1983, he spent more than two years serving patients in small towns across the Pinar Del Rio province, caring for children as well as their mothers.
In 1986, he went to work for the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), an international agency branch of the World Health Organization (WHO). For 13 months, Dr. Velis was part of the medical staff at an Algerian refugee camp in the Sahara Desert.
“It was intense,” he said, remembering the dire circumstances people at the camps escaped. The conditions they endured to survive were harsh, and entailed “deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation, lack of access to basic healthcare,” he said.
As the chief medical officer for pediatrics, his patients were among the most vulnerable. Helping them heal made the daily challenges of working in the camp worth the struggle. “To see the children smile, laughing, was incredibly rewarding,” he said.
Dr. Velis accepted another PAHO assignment afterward, with the Ministry of Health in Belize City, Belize. “I was working as an advisor in the area of health statistics and epidemiology,” he recalled. His role was to collect and analyze data on maternal health and infant mortality, plus communicable and non-communicable diseases.
Caring for AIDS patients and learning more about HIV as a young physician had sparked his interest in public health. His experience working for PAHO in Algeria and Belize confirmed the direction he wanted to take in his career. “I realized that we can really make a significant impact with basic and inexpensive public health interventions, so I started thinking about doing a little bit more in research and epidemiology,” he said.
Dr. Velis returned to Cuba and completed a PhD in biostatistics at European-American University before coming the United States in 1996. After settling in Miami, Florida he spent four years as a biostatistician and analyst working with local hospitals and healthcare systems.
While considering further possibilities for career advancement, he learned about Barry from a colleague. He remembers looking into the MSHSA program and thinking, “This is perfect for me.” Dr. Velis graduated in 2000, and within a few years began his career with the University.
Navigating Challenges, Promoting Best Practices
Dr. Velis says there is ample room for innovation in healthcare, and that he’s excited about the new ideas his students are bringing to the field. “The healthcare system in U.S. is a vast and extremely complex business with a lot of opportunities,” he affirmed.
Online MBA HSA coursework prepares graduates to address the real-world challenges of providing ethical care that meets industry standards. Students learn how to promote clinical best practices while keeping an eye on costs, among other aspects of effective administration.
Dr. Velis says physicians and nurses can also gain a better understanding of the federal regulations that apply to their work, in addition to state and local laws governing patient care.
“They need to keep pace with the significant changes in health law and their impact on the healthcare system,” Dr. Velis advised, noting how rapidly standards are evolving across the industry. Comprehensive knowledge of patient rights and safety guidelines is essential to effective risk management, he suggests, adding that ongoing assessment and evaluation is just as critical.
Dr. Velis argues that bringing the holistic perspective of public health into administration results in better outcomes for patients as well. He says that knowing the community—and the individuals to be served—is key to providing the best care.
“Any strategy that you want to develop and implement, you have to take into consideration social determinants of health … health disparities,” Dr. Velis explained. He notes that students are often surprised to learn how much they can enhance healthcare equity through positive leadership practices.
Developing and Supporting Healthcare Leaders
Dr. Velis strives to give his online MBA HSA students the same attention and support he received as a grad student at Barry. He says it begins with good communication, which is why he sends them video recordings of announcements and class content to help them stay connected.
“They need to see you,” Dr. Velis advised. “They need to feel that you are present, you are there for them.”
He relies on his students’ feedback to enhance his teaching as well, and he’s gratified to learn how much they benefit from his courses. “They appreciate these topics, and they understand the relevance of these topics for their own professional development,” he said.
Dr. Velis also praises his colleagues at Barry, and their devotion to helping students shine.
“I have to brag because of the quality, the caliber of the faculty that we have,” he said with a smile. “We are totally committed to helping students succeed educationally. We will stop at nothing to support their academic and professional goals.”
He says Barry professors understand that each person’s journey is different and recognize the obstacles that many students overcome to earn their degree.
“These students are making a huge effort,” he acknowledged. “We let them know that we really care, that we respect them, that we are proud of them.”
Dr. Velis believes many professionals choose Barry’s online MBA HSA program for these reasons, and because it is unique among business degrees. He says the coursework and approach to teaching reflects the University’s values, highlighting inclusion, social justice, and collaborative service.
“Barry’s mission and core commitment are extremely appealing to these students,” he said.
Dr. Velis is grateful that his work gives a diverse range of emerging leaders the knowledge they need to succeed in healthcare administration, including first-generation college students and those from minority populations underrepresented in the executive ranks of the industry.
“Many of our students have received promotions, both during the program and immediately following their graduation,” he said. “They develop and improve managerial-related competencies,” he added. “They expand their professional network.”
Dr. Velis has seen his three sons grow and thrive at the University during his time as a professor too. He is the proud father of two Barry bachelor’s graduates, one in mathematical sciences and the other with a major in information technology. His younger son is a current bachelor’s student in business. “We all love Barry so much,” he said. “It has had an impact not only on me, but my family.”
Dr. Velis is looking forward to his next decade of teaching, research, and mentoring, and to helping more students experience all that the University has to offer.
“Barry is a fantastic place,” he said. “It is an excellent option for those who want to increase their educational level and their potential.”