To help address Arizonans’ increasing need for health care around the state, the Arizona Board of Regents approved the new College of Health Sciences at the University of Arizona Health Sciences. With five initial programs – midwifery, physician assistant, physical therapy, genetic counseling and clinical translational sciences – the college will provide a mix of graduate and professional programs with interdisciplinary research training.
The UArizona Health Sciences Office of Communications talked to Interim Dean Kevin Lohenry, PhD, PA-C, to learn more about the vision for the college, how the college will target underserved populations, and opportunities within the programs and college.
Q: What is your vision for the new College of Health Sciences?
Lohenry: Our leaders within the college are focused on building the health workforce of the future that reflects the rich diversity of the communities in our state. We are all excited to equip our students with the knowledge and skills to navigate the important clinical translational research outcomes that shape our lives while preparing them to become compassionate, evidence-based health care providers and educators.
Q: How will it integrate with the other five Health Sciences colleges?
Lohenry: Several of our current programs are already strongly engaged with our UArizona Health Sciences colleges while others will build collaborative partnerships that strengthen interprofessional education and interdisciplinary research across the campuses. We look forward to developing opportunities for dual degrees and collaborating with undergraduate programs to build strong pathways to our graduate health professions and clinical translational sciences programs.
Q: How do the five initial offerings support the UArizona Health Sciences’ mission?
Lohenry: The mission of UArizona Health Sciences is to improve health and human potential by educating the next generation of health care professionals, investigating and solving critical health care problems, providing compassionate and culturally sensitive care, and building healthier communities for all. Our programs were built with this commitment in mind, and each program will contribute to building healthier communities for all of Arizona.
The shortage of genetic counselors in Arizona has caused significant delays for patients and providers accessing critically important genetic information to help inform health care decisions. Our Graduate Genetic Counseling Program will continue to build the genetic counseling workforce for the state while exploring ways to expand access to information in a timely fashion for patients and providers. As maternal health challenges continue to grow, our midwifery program will create additional maternal support where it is needed most. With a focus on rural and indigenous health a critical need, the PA and PT programs will expand the diversity of the field and reflect the communities they are serving.
Across these health professional programs our Clinical Translational Sciences Program will provide significant impact for the health care being delivered by these professionals as they learn to navigate the scientific literature from this important research.
Q: Where will the new college be located?
Lohenry: The college will be located in the Health Sciences Innovation Building on the Tucson campus and will also have a small footprint on the Phoenix Bioscience Core. Genetic counseling, midwifery, PA and PT will be located in Tucson, and clinical translational sciences will continue in Tucson and Phoenix.
Q: Will funding for current or future projects in my program be affected by the new college?
Lohenry: Funding for the new college comes from investments by the Arizona legislature with the New Economy Initiatives focused on the future health care workforce, as well as appropriations for ongoing college administrative support of faculty, staff and students. The programs within the college have already been supported with funding and will not impact any current or future projects in other colleges or programs.
