Happy Spring from the College of Health!
It’s been more than half a year since I’ve had the pleasure of joining you as Dean. During that time, I’ve been busy acquainting myself with the students, faculty and staff that make this College thrive. I’ve also met many of our wonderful alumni and donors and can’t wait to visit with more of you over the next few months.
A few highlights include traveling to sunny St. George to get familiar with the team behind our Doctor of Physical Therapy extension program at Utah Tech. I picnicked with our alumni board in beautiful Big Cottonwood Canyon and tailgated with many of our U of U Health colleagues for Homecoming. And I’ve spent plenty of time at events across the University of Utah campus, touring labs and clinics, and hosting office hours.
Along the way, I’ve shared my passion for redefining the human healthspan, which fortunately isn’t a hard sell in our college. We have some exciting projects in the works this year to bring this message—and our college’s offerings—to more people than ever before. Stay tuned!
In this year’s magazine, you’ll find a whole feature dedicated to this idea of bringing more years to our life and life to our years. We’ve polled faculty, students and alumni to source their best tips for living longer, healthier lives. Along with healthy eating and proper sleep, you might be surprised to see that simple walks outside and time spent with friends make a big difference.
Of course, we can also give you a little extra boost with our interventions. Campus and community members can always access our PEAK Health & Fitness program, offering everything from nutrition consultations to fitness classes. The Polynesian community will soon have more doctors and researchers championing healthy lifestyles, thanks to a pilot program co-led by the Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology. And senior living residents and staff are benefiting both mentally and physically from an adaptive cycling program run by the Department of Occupational and Recreational Therapies.
You’ll find these stories and many more in this issue of Valeo, including a fun piece on 100-year-old donor and champion Alice Telford. Her story perfectly illustrates the importance of physical activity, healthy eating and social connections to live a long, healthy life.
Thank you for your support of the College of Health—it’s meant so much as I complete my first year at the helm. I’m proud of our accomplishments in my short tenure and can’t wait to see what’s in store for the rest of 2024.
To your health,
Kelly Tappenden, PhD, RD, FASPEN
Dean and Professor
College of Health