Dear College of Health Sciences community,

Our doors opened on Aug. 17 as we officially welcomed students, faculty, and staff back to campus. It was day we all anticipated with excitement since our closure in March.

CHS welcomed a total of 1286 students to our Lexington campus this fall and opened our college to 189 first-time freshmen. 61 students started back in Hazard with 54 enrolled in our Doctor of Physical Therapy program and seven in medical laboratory science, while our Morehead campus welcomed 41 physician assistant students.

Class of 2024: We are excited you have chosen us as your gateway to the health professions and we can’t wait see what you accomplish in the years ahead. To our returning students, our campuses have felt empty without you here. Now, they feel whole again.

The semester is off to a wonderful start and our community is thriving amidst our reinvented operations. The campus experience is much different, but as students walk through the halls of Wethington wearing their UK and CHS face masks, there is a sense of new normalcy.

Our college is continuing to move forward with fresh and exciting ventures. Six students began their educational journey in our new professional athletic training program and our physician assistant studies program launched novel residency programs to equip recent PA graduates for transition into specialty practice.  

Many of our investigators dedicated countless hours to keep the CHS research enterprise running throughout university closures. I am grateful for their hard work and look forward to watching our spirit of discovery flow abundantly as reimagined research operations resume in our centers, institutes, and labs.

In the middle of these uncertain circumstances, our mission and vision has never changed. We will stay true to our promise to deliver an exceptional educational experience—whether that education is happening inside the classroom or inside a dorm room.

Now more than ever, it’s important for us to prepare new generations of compassionate caregivers, practitioners, and researchers to face the challenges ahead.

Our excellent restart is due to the consistent diligence of our leadership, faculty, and staff. As we navigate the coming months, I know we will meet each new moment with innovation, fortitude, and a will to persevere.

I’m proud to call this college home and hope you are, too.

Sincerely,

Scott Lephart
Dean of the UK College of Health Sciences