Faculty Profile

Biography

Ms. Teri Runo became the assistant director of the Masters in Health Services Administration (MHSA) program in July 2017 and has been with the program since its inception in 2013. Ms. Runo initially joined LECOM as an administrative assistant and became the program coordinator within her first year. Since assuming her new role as the assistant professor and the assistant director she has expanded her administrative duties to include curriculum development, faculty procurement, and training, marketing, recruiting, strategic planning, fiscal responsibilities, and compliance with the program.

Prior to joining LECOM, Ms. Runo dedicated 30 years to Abbott Laboratories. Throughout her tenure with Abbott, Ms. Runo held various positions within manufacturing, quality assurance, research and development, training, and regulatory compliance.

Ms. Runo joined Abbott Laboratories in 1973 as a manufacturing operator and became a quality assurance (QA) technician by 1976. While in QA, she performed chemical and physical analysis on incoming raw materials and final product evaluation.

In 1980, she advanced to a senior research and development technician where she conducted a wide array of research studies for new product development and various product improvement projects.

From 1986 – 1996 she held positions within training and development and was responsible for the development of manufacturing and management job descriptions, identifying performance improvement and evaluation tools. She was instrumental in the implementation of new quality systems, statistical process controls, and LEAN processes.

As the manager of training, she identified the training needs within the business and was responsible for identifying solutions, developing curricula, and measuring the effectiveness of those solutions. Her expertise in Ken Blanchard’s Situational Leadership, Zinger Miller-Frontline Leadership, and Teambuilding, Performance Dimension International-360 Feedback, Coaching Skills, Stephen Covey-Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and Alamo Problem Solving Skills, provided her with the expertise to implement a self-directed workforce by facilitating team-building efforts between the union and management team.

Relocating to Salt Lake City in 1996, she assumed the role of regulatory and compliance manager responsible for managing a staff of 40 employees and all activities pertaining to incoming and final quality assurance, laboratory services, product sterility, documentation and change control, printing and labeling shop, internal audit team, customer complaints, and corrective actions. Ms. Runo was also responsible for assuring regulatory compliance and the direct interface with the FDA and international regulatory bodies from Canada, Europe, and Japan.

Relocating to Abbott’s corporate office in 2003 allowed her to work with business partners across Abbott’s domestic and international sites to design, develop, and deliver an electronic corrective and preventive action system.

Ms. Runo’s final position prior to retirement from Abbott in 2005 was as senior compliance auditor where she assessed domestic and international sites for compliance with corporate, domestic, and international standards. Her responsibilities included providing senior management with potential compliance risks and liabilities.

After retirement from Abbott, the entrepreneur in Ms. Runo gave her the initiative to take on the fiscal risks responsibilities of owning and operating a small restaurant on Anna Maria Island. The essential duties included hiring and coordinating staff, procurement and preparation of food, maintaining inventories, adhering to food safety regulations, allocating resources, administering payroll, and ensuring customer satisfaction.

Ms. Runo’s years of experience within healthcare have allowed her to merge her management and business skills with academia. She is currently involved with an inter-professional research team that is evaluating the impact of integrating prescription drug abuse education in the medical professional curriculum. Additionally, Ms. Runo has also played a major role in the coordination of LECOM’s annual inter-professional research day. As assistant faculty, she has delivered courses in Healthcare Organizations and Administration, Communication, Population Health, Information Systems, and Quality Assurance.