A Message from the Dean
Welcome to the College of Health Sciences at the University of Delaware, where research informs practice and provides the foundation for educating the next generation of healthcare professionals using a team approach.
Our research enterprise is growing rapidly, with work ongoing in areas ranging from biomechanics and bone health to motor development and hypertension. Through a recent $19-million grant from the Department of Defense to the BADER Consortium, UD is partnering with other academic institutions and military clinics to develop better orthopedic rehabilitation therapies for soldiers with lower-limb injuries.
At UD, we dare to be first in experiential and discovery learning, and our students are daring to make a difference. They have launched foundations and student organizations in honor of lost loved ones, delivered babies and first-responder care in developing countries, and provided tailored exercise programs for adults with limited mobility. They have taught children from low-income homes how to cook and helped feed the homebound elderly. They have launched and led campaigns for prenatal health, eating disorders, and safe childbirth practices. UD students have a myriad of opportunities to broaden their education beyond the classroom, including nationally recognized study abroad, undergraduate research, and service learning programs.
We provide our health sciences students with a unique environment for interdisciplinary training. For example, our Standardized Patient Program, a collaboration between the College of Health Sciences and the Theatre Department, is a unique way to prepare our students for their roles as healthcare professionals, with theatre minors portraying patients and family members in realistic, dynamic scenarios.
At the graduate level, our Biomechanics and Movement Science (BIOMS) program allows master’s and doctoral students to develop their own interdisciplinary plans of study. Students and faculty in the program come from highly diverse backgrounds including physical therapy, exercise physiology, mechanical engineering, biological sciences, psychology, computer science, and athletic training.
As we develop the Health Sciences Complex at UD’s new Science and Technology Campus, we have the opportunity to bring all of these signature activities together in an environment that will allow us to continue to revolutionize the way we teach and the way our students learn. I hope that you will join us as we make the journey toward this vision.
Kathleen S. Matt, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Health Sciences
Professor, Kinesiology & Applied Physiology
