Dean's Office Welcome

Knowledge for Healthy Living

Michael Ferrara, Dean

Our vision statement for the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS), Knowledge for Healthy Living, is an expression of our belief in the important work we do in educating our students, and its positive impact on the university, the broader community, and the citizens of New Hampshire.  CHHS is committed to partnering with public and private organizations to enhance health and improve quality of life outcomes, through the creation and dissemination of new knowledge, and the high quality education of tomorrow’s health and human service professionals. 

The College has 8 departments in the health professions: Communications Sciences and Disorders, Human Development and Family Studies, Health Management and Policy, Kinesiology, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Recreation Management and Policy, and Social Work. Our undergraduate programs are nationally accredited and boast high success rates on Board licensing examinations.  Using state-of-the-art instructional methodologies and contemporary techniques, our professors join academic theories with clinical practice. 

However, what makes CHHS programs unique are the clinical and practical opportunities available for students, and our belief that you learn best by doing.  For example, our Nursing program uses a state-of-the-art simulation laboratory to mimic real life scenarios from cardiac arrest to wound care to assessment of vital signs.  The Child Study and Development Center and the Marriage and Family Therapy program also provide our undergraduate and graduate students with direct experience working with clients in a professional setting.  Further, we have clinical affiliations with many of the leading hospitals and health care service providers in New Hampshire and New England.

CHHS researchers are at the forefront of posing innovative solutions to some of today’s most challenging questions, across a range of disciplines, that address health and wellness throughout the lifespan. Our students work directly with their professors to explore concepts using evidenced-based practice and engage in cutting edge research. 

Please visit our website to explore the many exciting programs and opportunities available at UNH and in CHHS.  You are always welcome to come to Durham to meet our faculty and explore our academic programs and facilities. Find out how you might be part of believing in “Knowledge for Healthy Living”.

Dean Michael S. Ferrara, Ph.D., ATC
Kent P. Falb Professor of Kinesiology