Dean's Welcome Message
I am very pleased to welcome you to the College of Health Professions at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Our college is composed of the departments of Audiology and Speech Pathology, Diagnostic and Health Sciences, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy and the Division of Regenerative and Rehabilitation Sciences. Our campuses are located in Knoxville and Memphis. The College of Health Professions offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs taught by dedicated professors who take the time to provide personal advising and mentoring, so that students can achieve their career goals. Our college has a community of academic leaders who believe that interdisciplinary, diverse, and inclusive education and research are all critical to our success as professions in an ever changing society. We are excited about all of our programs, and I invite you to look at how you might develop your unique potential for growth to our college.
We have four nationally ranked programs, including Audiology (26th Nationally), Speech-Language Pathology (38th Nationally), Occupational Therapy (42nd Nationally), and Physical Therapy (49th Nationally). We are adding new programs which include an undergraduate (BS) degree in Health Sciences with tracks for medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, audiology and speech pathology, clinical laboratory sciences, kinesiology and many others. We have developed a PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences and are moving to develop additional graduate degrees in Regenerative Rehabilitation. Our faculty are engaged in research that is helping to discover new knowledge, which will lead to changing health treatments that impact the well-being and independence of members of our communities. The college faculty have received more than 6 million dollars in research funding last year alone, including national funding awards from the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense and the Department of Education as well as many foundations. We are truly excited about our future to be moving forward to assure the quality of our educational, clinical and research programs. We welcome you to join us in an academic environment that values inquiry, innovation, excellence, diversity, equity, inclusion, and compassion.
There are challenges in the shifting tide of today’s society and with it, the health care environment. However, you can be certain that your training at the UTHSC College of Health Professions will prepare you to be part of the constant need for delivery of health care across the spectrum of ages, ethnicities, social experiences and conditions, with inclusivity and equity, even in the variable landscape of health care. The training that you receive at the UTHSC College of Health Professions will be with faculty who see you as a person not a number. You will be exposed to innovative technology and teaching methods, opportunities to participate in health care at world renowned clinical and research institutions within our diverse metropolis area and these will provide you with opportunities to stretch your own professional boundaries. The training with our faculty will enable you to lead your clinic or health care discipline in providing state-of-the-art clinical care and outreach or be superbly prepared for engaging in research or pursuing other advanced degrees in life sciences and health care.
The UTHSC College of Health Professions is the right place at the right time and we want to join with you to make your training experience, exciting and fulfilling. The need for robust health and rehabilitation science research, teaching and clinical service for the community, state, and nation has never been greater, and UTHSC College of Health Professions is poised to be a national leader in all fronts.
We hope you will browse through our website and learn more about your professional interests and all that the College of Health Professions has to offer you as a student (we think you will be surprised). From active learning classrooms to clinical and basic science research labs, to international and community based clinical service learning opportunities, to telehealth applications for treatment, to advocating for our clients and professions, your experience and training at the UTHSC College of Health Professions will allow you to create and carve your own professional goals in a diverse environment of intellectual curiosity, discovery, compassion, inclusivity, equity, and collaboration.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions that you might have. I look forward to seeing you soon on campus and as part of our growing student body!
Stephen E. Alway, PhD, FACSM
Dean, College of Health Professions