VALEO 2025
A Message from the Dean
"As Dean, I am thrilled to share with you the incredible journey we've embarked on this year. The value of a college degree is more than just a piece of paper; it's a passport to a world of opportunities, and here at the College of Health, we are committed to making that journey as enriching and impactful as possible.
This year, we proudly launched our 'More Life' campaign, a vibrant initiative that embodies our mission to redefine the human healthspan by adding more years to people's lives but, more importantly, more life to those years. Imagine a future where our graduates are leading the charge in transforming healthcare, making groundbreaking discoveries, and enhancing the quality of life for countless individuals. Our students are not just learning; they are preparing to impact the lives of their fellow humans, by ensuring that every year is filled with more life, more laughter, and more love."
- Dean Kelly A. Tappenden, PhD, RD
Research
Community Outreach
Philanthropy & Alumni Relations
More Life at the College of Health
At the University of Utah College of Health, our students don't just earn degrees—they champion more life. Together, let's add more years to our life and life to our years.
Student Spotlight
The College of Health is one of the largest colleges at the University of Utah for good reason. With almost 2,500 students currently enrolled, our graduates might become a health educator, a nutritionist, an adventure guide, a researcher and scientist, or a physician. Degree programs across six departments prepare students for these careers, and many more. Jobs in College of Health fields pay well and offer stability to succeed.
What kinds of degrees do students pursue?
In 2024, the College of Health awarded 337 bachelor’s degrees, 132 master’s degrees, 19 doctoral degrees and 55 first-professional degrees. Health & Kinesiology is the most popular undergraduate degree and Physical Therapy is the most popular graduate degree.
35K
Students involved in community engagement
11%
Enrollment increase in the COH for 2023-24
3.71
Average combined GPA for COH students
4
Graduate programs ranked top-50 nationally
Awards
Tim Brusseau, PhD, Chair of the Department of Health & Kinesiology, is the new president of the American Kinesiology Association. The association promotes and enhances kinesiology as a unified field of study and advances its many applications.
Kathy Chapman, PhD, receives the Honors of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association in May. The award is the highest expression of respect and gratitude ACPA bestows. It is granted to those individuals whose lifetime of research, healthcare delivery, or leadership has advanced, significantly and uniquely, the amelioration of physical, behavioral or social conditions of cleft lip and palate or other craniofacial differences.
Kristine Jordan, PhD, received the Outstanding Dietetic Educator Award from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The award recognizes the teaching, mentoring, and leadership activities of faculty in ACEND-accredited dietetics education programs.
Dorothy Schmalz, PhD, Chair of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, has been named Fellow of the Academy of Leisure Sciences. She is one of seven leading scholars from across the country to receive the honor this year.
Scott Ward, PhD, PT, received the 2024 Rodney Miyasaki Lifetime Leadership Award, from the American Physical Therapy Association-Utah. This award is presented to a physical therapist who has largely contributed to the profession throughout his career, including but not limited to, promoting the profession in the community, helping advance professional practice, educating other professionals, serving in a local association, contributing to research, or serving as an exemplary PT.
Melissa Zahl, PhD, and Ashley Bowen, MS, MTRS, CTRS, received the Scholarly Achievement Award and the Advocacy Award from the American Therapeutic Recreation Association. The first award goes to one member of ATRA who has contributed significantly to the field of knowledge of recreational therapy, and the second recognizes the advocacy efforts of a member on behalf of the recreational therapy profession and ATRA.
Retirements
Steven Bell, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Occupational and Recreational Therapies, retires in June. Bell joined the department as a clinical instructor in 1992 and received his PhD in therapeutic recreation from the department in 2006. He’s a well-known champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion and has helped lead many committees at the COH, University, and American Therapeutic Recreation Association level. He’s received the Faculty Inclusive Excellence Award, the James McCune Smith Award of Veneration, the Distinguished Mentor Award from the COH, and the Distinguished Service Award from the Utah Recreation Therapy Association, among others.
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Janet Shaw, PhD, professor in the Department of Health & Kinesiology, retires in June. Throughout her career, Shaw has worked tirelessly in leadership positions for the COH, including as the director of graduate studies and the co-executive director of PEAK, and currently serves as associate dean for faculty and academic affairs. Shaw also led as interim chair and chair for the former Department of Exercise and Sports Science from 2014-2016, and interim chair for the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2024. Finally, she served as COH liaison to the University’s Office of Equal Opportunity, and represents the COH on several committees, including the Health Sciences Education Executive Council. Shaw joined the COH in 1996 after completing a PhD in human performance at Oregon State University.
Anita Leopardi, assistant professor in the Department of Health & Kinesiology, retires in June. She currently serves as the director of undergraduate studies for the department, and has also worked as undergraduate coordinator, departmental academic advisor, and supervisor for students in the Honors College. She has been a member of the COH Curriculum Committee for many years, staying actively involved in curriculum development. As a practicum coordinator, she also ensured graduates have the skills and knowledge they need to be effective health education practitioners when they enter the workforce. She joined the COH in 2001 as a visiting professor from the University of Texas, El Paso.
Reva Rauk, director of clinical education and associate professor (clinical) in the Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, retires in December. She originally joined the COH in 1989 before re-joining the department as a clinical instructor in 2002. For 10 years, she served as the supervising attending therapist for the department’s student-run pro bono clinic, and she’s also served as the director of the department’s neuro pro bono clinic. She dedicated many years to serving on boards for the American Physical Therapy Association, including as national trainer. She has received multiple teaching awards from her department and an outstanding alumni award from the Mayo School of Health Sciences.
Scott Ward, PhD, PT, professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, retires in June. Ward received both his bachelor’s degree in physical therapy and his Ph.D. in physiology at the U. He spent his entire teaching career at his alma mater, starting as a clinical assistant professor for the Division of Physical Therapy in 1987 and obtaining professor status in 2004. Most recently he served as interim chair for the COH from 2022-2023, and chaired the physical therapy department for 15 years, from 1997-2021. He is a trustee for the American Physical Therapy Association and a site reviewer for both the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education and the World Physiotherapy Accreditation Committee. Ward was also instrumental in establishing a Doctor of Physical Therapy Program in collaboration with Utah Tech University, the COH’s first satellite professional clinical training program.
