President’s Mission:

The lessons Harry Moon learned as a premier high school athlete in Alabama have stayed with him throughout his long and distinguished career. And the opportunities athletics presented him greatly shaped his higher education journey, as well.

Dr. Moon’s mother was a teacher and understood the value of a good education. She enrolled him in a small, all-boys school where he was exposed not only to great teachers, but also to a strong athletic program during his high school years. He excelled as an all-state basketball player and a state record-holder in the decathlon, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, 440-yard dash, and mile relay. His athletic success led to him being recruited by the University of Alabama, the University of Georgia, the University of Tennessee, and Tulane University, where he ultimately landed on an athletic scholarship.

“I accepted the Tulane offer because it was the best academically,” said Moon, reflecting the influence of his mother as well as his coach, who encouraged him to consider which school offered him the best opportunity going forward. “As my coach reminded me, I wasn’t going to have a huge future in track and field.”

The hard work, drive, dedication to his craft, and competitive fire that characterized those high school and college years remain at the heart of Moon’s many achievements as a world-class plastic and reconstructive surgeon, and an accomplished and renowned corporate and academic leader now assuming the presidency of Nova Southeastern University (NSU).

“Just as physicians pledge to uphold the highest standards in medicine,” Moon said, “I pledge to uphold the highest standards in leading our university. My commitment is driven by a deep-seated dedication to the well-being and success of our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the broader communities we serve.”

Dr. Moon has always reached for the apex in whatever goals he’s pursued. It’s no different now.

“Together, I know we’ll shape a future where NSU stands as a beacon of excellence in education, research, health care, and community impact,” he said.

“My role is to be the coach who helps to bring in superstars and hone the excellence of the team. The coach who supports and motivates the leaders, performers, contributors, and innovators who have led this institution to such heights already.”

Game Plan for Excellence

He’s begun articulating a vision focused on elevating NSU’s academic stature by increasing student selectivity, reducing the cost of attendance and time to degree completion, and investing in faculty talent.

Dr. Moon wants to take Nova Southeastern University to the top of Florida’s academic health care system, building strategic partnerships to foster growth. He plans to better integrate education and research to ensure excellent patient care, invest in advanced facilities, and leverage NSU’s strategic locations to expand clinical services across Florida.

He sees NSU at the pinnacle of America’s research universities in the future, expanding and amplifying its strengths in oceanography, health care, and biotechnology. He’ll start with an annual investment of $50 million or more in research and development to cultivate groundbreaking discoveries across academic boundaries.

Dr. Moon believes NSU can become pre-eminent in Florida’s “blue economy” and earn the distinction of being the “Woods Hole of Florida,” comparable to the world-renowned oceanographic institution in Massachusetts.

Also central to Dr. Moon’s vision is the need to build more mutually beneficial partnerships with companies, health care institutions, and other research organizations. He wants to diversify the university’s revenue sources, connecting with those who see and understand the value NSU brings to the region, state, and nation. His goal is to raise NSU’s endowment to $1 billion.

Winning Skills and Experience

Dr. Moon has been NSU’s executive vice president and chief operating officer since 2018. He led the COVID Response Team through the university’s transition to fully online learning during the pandemic, allowing NSU to sustain and increase enrollments. He also led the integration of NSU’s clinical practices to create NSU Health, a university-affiliated health care network. He reorganized the graduate admissions and student service organizations and led building and acquisitions that totaled more than one million square feet.

Dr. Moon has been a clinical associate professor of surgery since 2008 in the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine. He was appointed professor of anatomy in the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences in 2024. He was elected in 2024 as a Fellow Ad Hominem of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. The Royal College, founded five centuries ago under a royal charter from King James IV, is the oldest surgical college in the world, and now has more than 32,000 members in more than 140 countries. Dr. Moon is a frequently published researcher and sought-after speaker in the U.S. and abroad.

Prior to joining NSU, Dr. Moon was a driving force in the development of medical, health, research, and educational programs in South Florida for a quarter century as a leader in the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Dr. Moon is a respected civic leader and has served on the boards of many Florida-based organizations.

Dr. Moon earned his medical degree in 1978 from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and earned his bachelor’s degree in English at Tulane.

Lessons learned and understood as a young athlete shaped Dr. Moon’s lifetime of stellar achievement. He takes on a new challenge, but as always, clearly sees the finish line and the winner’s podium ahead.