By Tammy Gay

"When the college was established it had three programs educating health care practitioners for the commonwealth. Since that time, we have emerged as a college that trains the future faculty of other colleges. This new name adequately describes the mission of our college with increased graduate-level education and research."

-- Thomas C. Robinson, Ph.D.,
dean of the college

April 30, 2002 (Lexington, Ky.) -- The University of Kentucky College of Allied Health Professions is doing more than changing locations this year. It's also changing names. The UK Board of Trustees approved a name change from allied health to the College of Health Sciences today.

"When the college was established it had three programs educating health care practitioners for the commonwealth," said Thomas C. Robinson, Ph.D., dean of the college. "Since that time, we have emerged as a college that trains the future faculty of other colleges. This new name adequately describes the mission of our college with increased graduate-level education and research."

This winter the college is slated to move into a new building being constructed at the corner of Rose and South Limestone streets.

The college, established in 1966, emerged from a small school of three programs to a large college of eight disciplines - Athletic Training, Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Clinical Nutrition, Communication Disorders, Health Services Management, Physician Assistant Studies, Physical Therapy, and Radiation Sciences. It was the first college of its kind in Kentucky and one of the first 12 in the nation.

The college provides undergraduate degrees in clinical laboratory sciences, communication disorders, health services management, and physical therapy. It has master's degrees in clinical nutrition, physician assistant studies, communication disorders, physical therapy, and radiation sciences. Its master's degree in health services management is through a partnership with the UK Martin School of Public Policy, and its athletic training master's degree is through a partnership with the UK College of Education Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion.

The clinical nutrition division provides a doctoral degree in partnership with the UK Center for Nutritional Sciences. UK College of Health Sciences is one of the first colleges in the United States to provide a doctoral program in rehabilitation sciences.

The college teamed up with Western Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky and Murray State universities in fall 2000 to start the program to produce academic leaders for the professions of communication disorders, occupational therapy, and physical therapy.

The college also has new master's and doctorate degrees in clinical laboratory science. Clinical laboratory scientists, cytotechnologists, histotechnologists, histocompability technologists and individuals who have a bachelor's degree in biology can obtain a master's or doctoral degree in clinical laboratory science with an emphasis in hematology/transplantation science or reproductive laboratory science.

The college is dedicated to educating students living in rural areas by taking the education to them.

An extension of the physician assistant program is at Morehead State University and the college's clinical laboratory science and physical therapy programs are located at UK Center for Rural Health in Hazard.