Fall 2009 Faculty Files

Christina Swift
Recruitment and Promotions Coordinator

When asked what his favorite thing is about working at Xavier, Lin Guo, PhD, replies after a thoughtful pause, "People. I like [the] people around me. People care, they are considerate, friendly and they help each other. It is like a family." The family atmosphere is one of the reasons Guo has stayed at Xavier University since 1994. His experience with the program has ranged from data analyst, to assistant professor to associate professor since 2002.

Guo teaches quantitative methods for health care management and quality improvement techniques, an area in which he focuses his current research. He has been compiling the notes from his quality improvement class for a manual he plans to provide future students. Guo hopes the manual may eventually be marketable as a textbook and ultimately a book on process improvement for businesses. "I want it to become a classic book for businesses, not just in health care," he says.

It is no surprise that Guo has plenty of material to publish considering his background. He received an MS and PhD in industrial engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a BS in mechanical engineering from South China University of Technology, the People's Republic of China. Guo has published more than 20 academic articles and conducted more than 25 academic presentations. He has applied for five research grants and been awarded four. Guo has served as a consultant to Catholic Healthcare Partners and was part of the Health Improvement Collaborative of the Greater Cincinnati Health Council. He has logged many hours working for the State Children's Health Insurance Program and non-profit health care organizations. He has evaluated hospital readmissions and premature discharges for the Iowa Peer Review Organization and also performed data analyses for the Bethesda Work Capacity Centers in Cincinnati and the government of New Brunswick, Canada.

Guo's favorite memory of teaching involves the success of the program's students. "A student went to a hospital associated with the University of Chicago for residency and was hired with two other students from larger universities," Guo says. "At the end of the residency, our graduate was hired on as the director over the other two residents. It shows the competitive leadership abilities of our students nationally."

It also shows that the MHSA program is lucky to have such experienced faculty as Guo, without whom we would not have such successful graduates.