UNMC’s School of Allied Health Professions will soon earn a promotion, becoming the medical center’s sixth college in July 2015. And the move is more than just a mere name change.
The Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education this month reviewed and unanimously approved UNMC’s proposal that the school officially become the College of Allied Health Professions. This followed the January approval by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents.
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“This is a very proud day for us at UNMC,” said Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. “This change accelerates the tremendous momentum our school, soon-to-be college, has seen in recent years as we continue to grow on our journey from excellence to eminence.”
Allied health at UNMC has been on a roll lately. Enrollment has grown — it is now second-highest among UNMC colleges, behind nursing. So has funding, both by private philanthropy, with six endowed faculty positions since 2010, and in research dollars, with an increase of 64 percent from 2009 to 2014.
Its educational programs are among national leaders in the use of simulation technology. The school’s physician assistant program was ranked No. 9 in the country in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. The physical therapy program has a groundbreaking role in developing the profession in China.
And 2015 continues to be a big year, as the school adds full-scale health professions programs at the University of Nebraska at Kearney campus beginning this fall.
Becoming a college puts UNMC’s programs under the spotlight on a national stage, allowing them to better compete for faculty, research funding, and the opportunity to expand educational programming, said Kyle Meyer, Ph.D., senior associate dean of the School of Allied Health Professions.
“We have been preparing for this day for several years, and now is the perfect time to do this,” Dr. Meyer said. “The national health care dialogue has focused attention on the necessity for accessible, affordable, high quality care, and there is a much greater emphasis on the role the allied health professions play in achieving these outcomes.”
The need for those professionals continues to grow in Nebraska and nationwide.
Allied health becomes UNMC’s sixth college, joining medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy and public health. UNMC also offers graduate studies as part of the university-wide Graduate College.
It is currently housed within the College of Medicine — for a few months more.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled for them,” said College of Medicine Dean Bradley Britigan, M.D.
Congratulations, Kyle. You have made great progress, and the designation as a new college is very fitting. Hal