The UNMC College of Allied Health Professions is marking 10 years since it became UNMC’s sixth college on July 1, 2015.
“I am confident that the foundation laid during these first 10 years will lead to continued growth over the next 10 years, and the college’s best years are yet to come,” said H. Dele Davies, MD, interim chancellor of UNMC.
The history of allied health professions education at UNMC goes back to hospital-based programs that began in the 1930s and 1940s on the medical center campus. In 1972, the School of Allied Health Professions was established as a unit of the UNMC College of Medicine. UNMC in 2022 celebrated 50 years of allied health at the medical center.
But the growth in the last 10 years since becoming a college has been exponential, said founding dean Kyle Meyer, PhD.
Dr. Meyer, who has led allied health for 20 years as a school and as a college, recently announced his decision to step aside as dean in 2026. He will continue to serve as dean until his replacement is found.
Since achieving independent college status, the college has increased its enrollment by 57%. It has the second largest entry-level health professions enrollment of colleges at UNMC. With approximately 850 students in on-campus and online programs, the college anticipates crossing the 1,000-student enrollment threshold sometime in the next three years.
Nearly a quarter of faculty have engaged in doctoral degree preparation, with 15 individuals having achieved doctoral degrees in the last 10 years.
Since 2015, the college saw the expansion of eight programs to UNMC’s Kearney campus at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The UNMC College of Allied Health Professions also added two health professions education programs, genetic counseling and occupational therapy, for a total of 14. And multiple programs have adapted new or higher-level degrees to better educate UNMC graduates and prepare them to practice at the highest scope of their respective professions.
Diagnostic cytology and medical nutrition were among the first in the nation to adopt new curricula leading to master’s degrees in the respective fields. Practicing physician assistants and medical nutritionists from across the nation now can obtain post-professional doctoral degrees through the college. Two interprofessional degree programs and three interprofessional certificate programs were added pertaining to health professions teaching and technology and health care delivery science. In 2024, the physical therapy department earned the university-wide Departmental Teaching Award for the second time. One of the President’s Excellence Awards, the award is the University of Nebraska’s most prestigious honor for departmental excellence in teaching.
“Our faculty, staff and students have accomplished so much in just 10 short years,” Dr. Meyer said.
“But we have not done it on our own. I am overwhelmed by the vision and generosity of our benefactors.”
Dr. Meyer said the college’s benefactors have supported the vision of becoming a great college, and the endowed professorships and scholarships they have created have been instrumental in helping elevate the college to national prominence. Recently, the college completed a renovation of the Wellness INnovation (WIN) lab through the generous gift of a donor that will serve as a campus resource for wellness and physical activity research.
“I am grateful to everyone on the UNMC campus who has embraced the vision of the UNMC College of Allied Health Professions and supported us along our journey,” Dr. Meyer said.
Wow, just wow. Congrats to all on the 10th anniversary – you make us proud. Special kudos to Kyle Meyer on a job well done. It all starts at the top.
Congratulations, CAHP and Dean Meyer!
Our CAHP is absolutely the best! Congrats to all of the leaders and faculty and students within during this prestigious milestone.