Partner in a Revolution
Campaign for Delaware:
Positioning the College
for the Challenges Ahead
In July 1997, the University of Delaware consolidated its health-related programs into a single college. With some 130 faculty and 2,000 students, the College is already a vital and growing force in health education, outreach, and research.
The College centers its academic endeavors in four departments: Health and Exercise Sciences, Medical Technology, Nursing, and Nutrition and Dietetics. We offer nine undergraduate degree programs and five graduate degree programs that prepare students for a wide spectrum of careers in the health professions. All of our programs have in common a strong grounding in the sciences and an emphasis on practical experience in a multicultural environment. Whether our students are striving to become athletic trainers, dieticians, laboratory technologists, or nurse practitioners, the interpersonal skills they develop in a professional setting are essential to their success.
The number of students in the Department of Health and Exercise Sciences has increased dramatically since the mid-1980s in response to society’s recognition of the importance of physical fitness. Students in the department may pursue options in exercise and sport science (which includes cardiac rehabilitation and fitness management), health and physical education, athletic training, or recreation and park administration.
The department’s Sports Science Center is a state-of-the-art laboratory for analyzing the dynamics of human movement. Studies at the center range from investigations of athletes in peak condition to children with orthopedic disorders. At the Gait Lab, for example, Professor Jim Richards uses high-speed video equipment linked to a powerful computer system to analyze the biomechanics of children walking. The information helps orthopedic surgeons at Wilmington’s renowned A. I. du Pont Hospital for Children determine the best techniques for alleviating physical problems and enhancing human locomotion.
Faculty in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics are working closely with athletic teams to investigate optimal diets to enhance performance. Their goal is to develop diets that maximize strength and endurance and minimize body fat without jeopardizing health. Such research depends on the latest technology for accurately measuring body composition. Their findings could benefit not only figure skaters and football linebackers but also those outside the athletic community. Several studies are also under way in the department to investigate the effects of increased consumption of fruits and vegetables on cancer risk.
The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics exemplifies the College’s commitment to integrating the hands-on education of our students with research and community service. The department’s faculty and students work on collaborative projects with the University of Delaware Adult Day Care Center, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Cooperative Extension Program, the state divisions of aging and public health, and a variety of local health care facilities.
Students in the Department of Medical Technology also receive ample opportunities for practical experience. The laboratory components of courses offered by the department are outstanding. The large teaching laboratories are well equipped with sophisticated clinical instruments, and a low student-to-faculty ratio is maintained in the labs. In addition, each student gains practical experience in at least three different settings from among 22 clinical affiliates in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
The medical technology faculty contributes to the body of knowledge in the health sciences and serves as a resource in the Mid-Atlantic region for issues related to clinical laboratory science. For instance, the department provides quality assurance documentation and supervision for the laboratory testing done at the University’s Wellness Center. Associate Professor Raelene E. Maser conducts research in the field of diabetes, investigating the development and progression of complications. Assistant Professor Mary Ann McLane is studying the use of a group of proteins first isolated from snake venom as a tool in the treatment of heart attack, stroke, and cancer. And Assistant Professor Mary E. Miele is searching for genes that will inhibit metastasis of skin cancer.
In response to the diverse needs of its students, who range from traditional full-time undergraduates to working professionals returning for advanced degrees, the Department of Nursing has developed a variety of degree options and innovative methods of delivering quality instruction. For example, returning adult students who have previously earned degrees in other fields can pursue the accelerated second degree option, which offers them the opportunity to obtain a nursing degree in a 15-month period. Students may complete their degree requirements through a variety of course delivery options, including videotaped and World Wide Web-enhanced courses.
In addition to their required clinical practice, nursing students can also participate in faculty research. For example, two graduate students assisted in a study funded by the American Heart Association in which Associate Professor of Nursing Peggy Birney measured the efficacy of cardiac rehabilitation programs that include exercise, diet, and lifestyle counseling. The first study to look at both physiological and psychological factors together, her investigation found that participants in the program demonstrated significant changes in cholesterol and stress hormone levels that reflected decreased risk of heart disease. Psychosocial factors also played a role: subjects who participated in religious activities had lower levels of "bad cholesterol," or LDL.
The College’s mission extends beyond the training of health professionals. Without question, we produce talented graduates—our alumni have significant roles throughout the health care system. But we also play a leading role in health promotion and health policy decisions throughout the region through our outreach efforts. For example, the College recognizes that many behavioral patterns affecting health are established early in life. Our summer programs for children, therefore, equip youngsters with the knowledge they need to make health-conscious decisions in an atmosphere of fun and discovery.
As employers learn that it costs less to educate workers about controllable lifestyle health risks than it does to pay the costs of ill health and disease, many in the region are turning to the University of Delaware Wellness Center for assistance. The center originated with the University’s efforts to counter its own rising health insurance costs by implementing a wellness program for its 3,500 employees. Now with services ranging from health risk and wellness appraisals to stress management, fitness, and behavioral change programs, the center’s multidisciplinary staff tailors its services to meet the needs and goals of its clients.
From the young to the elderly, from athletes to the physically challenged, from health care practitioners to recipients, the College of Health and Nursing Sciences is here to meet the needs of a variety of constituencies for health-related information, technology, and assistance. We fully anticipate that the groundbreaking work of our faculty, staff, and students will lead to lifelong health and a better quality of life for more and more people in Delaware and beyond.