A Healthy Thought

Most Americans have concerns about health care, and with good reason. As the U.S. population grays, the need for better-prepared and more up-to-date professionals to help us manage that change and improve our quality of life will increase dramatically.

The University of Akron is tracking these changing conditions and addressing them. Our interdisciplinary program for research and nurse scientists has received nearly $25 million in government funding to expand its life-saving mission.

UA professionals work cohesively through programs in 15 academic departments and 7 interdisciplinary centers of excellence including the Institute for Health and Social Policy-the largest health and social policy research center in Ohio-and our nationally ranked programs in counseling and industrial/organizational psychology, which help individuals and organizations manage change and growth.

In health care alone, UA serves more than 5,000 people each year through University-based clinics. By working with more than 140 community partners, such as school districts and hospitals, our nursing and allied health students gain important, first-hand clinical experience while offering essential services. More than 95 percent of those graduates are quickly employed by medical and health organizations that count on top-notch preparation to make the difference.

Faculty with nationally-renowned credentials lead research in areas such as substance abuse, trauma and violence, traumatic brain injury, applied gerontology, assistive technology, psychoneuroimmunology, bioterrorism, applied politics and much more. This work produces first-rate health care and human service professionals who are actively researching health, human services and organizational problems, developing innovative models of service delivery and demonstrating those models and best practices through an expanding network of community partners.