In August 2015, Mr. Charles F. Owens received Direct Appointment as Associate Clinical Professor for Georgia Southern University’s Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (JPHCOPH) and the Director of the Center for Public Health Practice & Research.  Under faculty appointment provides instruction in the JPHCOPH Health Policy & Management Division focusing on health care finance, workforce development and policy.  As the Director for the JPHCOPH Center for Public Health Practice & Research facilitates the integration of the JPHCOPH academic resources into local, state and national fields for application in communities and areas of research.  He administers various grant programs targeting specific areas of public health including but not limited to, Public Health, Emergency Medical Services, needs assessment, program evaluation, health systems planning and various other components within the health and health care arenas.

Beginning his health care career in 1991, his tenure in the health care industry exceeds 27 years.  Prior to joining Georgia Southern University, Mr. Owens served as the Executive Director of the Georgia Department of Community Health’s State Office of Rural Health and Primary Care Office.  Mr. Owens provided oversight to various programs focusing on improving the health care delivery system and health of Georgians in underserved communities.  These programs were supported by state and federal grant funds averaging over $9M annually.  Mr. Owens was appointed to Governor Nathan Deal’s Rural Hospital Stabilization Committee.  He also serves on the Board of the Georgia Rural Health Association.  Previously he received appointment by Kathleen Sibelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to serve on the 2012-2013 Human Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Negotiated Rulemaking Committee for Designation of Medically Underserved Populations and Health Professional Shortage Areas, and he has held a variety of leadership positions in rural hospitals.

Given his history it is evident that he has a strong passion for the preservation of essential health care services for rural and underserved populations.  Mr. Owens has served on numerous policy and program development initiatives all founded on the delivery of effective, efficient community-based health care focusing on the right care, at the right time and in the right setting.  Following these principles insures the greatest patient outcome, in the most effective delivery setting and in the most economical means for delivery.

Mr. Owens obtained his Master’s in Science majoring in Accounting from Georgia Southwestern College in 1992.  He previously obtained his Bachelor’s of Science majoring in Marketing from Valdosta State College in 1990. 

Disciplines: Health Policy and Management

Teaching Interests: Budget and Finance, Accounting Marketing