Ben Pratt, MHA, has been announced as the next associate chair of administration (ACA) for the department of neurology. He will begin work in this role on Sept. 14.
Ben brings more than 19 years of experience in clinical operations, financial management, strategic planning, and academic medicine administration to this position. He currently serves as chief administrative officer for Duke University Medical Center’s department of dermatology, overseeing fiscal affairs, human resources, operations, and administrative activities across clinical, research, and education missions. He also recently completed serving as interim chief administrative officer for Duke’s department of surgery, supporting central services and leadership during a transition period.
Prior to his appointments in these roles, Ben spent more than a decade in senior administrative roles in Duke’s department of surgery, helping manage this large department with $100 million in annual clinical revenue and $45 million in funded research.
During this time, he led and supported major organizational transitions, including the movement of neurosurgery and ENT divisions into department status and the creation of shared administrative services for the newly created ENT department.
Before his time at Duke, Ben was a business and finance leader at Drexel University College of Medicine, where he led budgeting, financial analysis, business development, contract management, and research administration efforts for the department of medicine. In this position, he helped develop new clinical programs and business lines, including a cardiology program, nuclear cardiology center, infusion center improvements, and faculty recruitment plans that generated new revenue.
His role as ACA for our department of neurology will be a return to UNC for Ben. He began his healthcare administration career as an administrative intern at UNC Health Care, where he worked on compensation redesign, business planning, ROI analysis, performance improvement, and patient satisfaction tools.