Our faculty pursues new knowledge that transforms healthcare practice and social systems.
You can’t change the world with tunnel vision. Our diverse programs bring distinct expertise to a shared mission, complementing each other in expected and unexpected ways.
Students from two programs came together to produce a series of “Stairwell to Health” posters hanging on the stairwell landings in our main building. Nutrition students wrote the health-promoting tips; biomedical visualization students illustrated the advice with impossible-to-ignore graphics.
Recognizing the inseparable roles of physical activity and diet in daily health management, our programs in kinesiology and nutrition share a home department in AHS. Undergraduate students majoring in one field often choose a minor in the other.
The entry-level degree for a career in OT is a master’s, and our MS program is ranked 4th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. For undergrads preparing for OT graduate studies, we offer a social-science-based, interdisciplinary bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation sciences.
In 2016, the departments of OT and PT teamed up to develop and deliver training for 300 home care aides at the Chinese American Service League. Led by two professors and 19 students, the training covered techniques for helping seniors with impaired mobility transfer from one seat to another.
Alumni Austin Robinson ’12 MS KINES and Sofia Sanchez ’12 BS NUT teamed up to bring together their education in kinesiology and nutrition to create Beet Strong, a plant-based nutrition bar high in protein and fiber and made with ingridients which can increase blood flow and lower blood pressure.
Kelly Hsieh, associate professor of disability studies, leads “We Walk,” a project to assess the use of technology to promote physical activity in adults with intellectual disabilities and their family caregivers. Collaborator Shane Phillips, a physical therapy professor, brings expertise in the use of wearable monitors.
Health informatics professor Eric Swirsky teaches ethical practice courses in several AHS programs. His class in Ethics, Law and Professionalism in Rehabilitation Sciences is especially popular for students who want to work one-on-one with individuals in vulnerable situations.
Every year, several health information management students complete their required practicum at the campus clinic run by our Department of Physical Therapy. Students collect data, perform workflow analyses, support faculty research and more.
The rehabilitation sciences program draws its curriculum and faculty from every program in the college. Many students in this social-science based major choose a minor in disability and human development.
