The UNLV School of Allied Health Sciences has a new name – the School of Integrated Health Sciences. Approved by the Nevada System of Higher Education and UNLV in June, officials say the new moniker reflects the growing scope of health issues that the diverse unit addresses. 

“Allied Health was a term used to describe a wide range of health professionals who were not physicians, dentists, or nurses,” said Ronald T. Brown, professor and dean of the school. “The field is now moving away from that terminology to a broader term of integrated health sciences, which more appropriately reflects the collaborative approach to healthcare among a variety of providers and the range of conditions these professionals treat.”

The School of Integrated Health Sciences, created in 1971, houses the departments of health physics and diagnostic sciences, kinesiology and nutrition sciences, and physical therapy. A new department of brain health was added in Spring 2019. 

The new brain health department will feature a research program that investigates neurodegenerative diseases, forges multiple collaborations within the university and surrounding community, and expands the university’s existing neuroscience and health disparities research initiative. Currently, the department of brain health offers a post-professional occupational therapy doctorate degree program, which began admitting students in May 2019. A new graduate occupational therapy degree program is expected to begin next summer. 

The School of Integrated Health Sciences offers nearly 20 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, two minors, a certificate program, and a post-baccalaureate internship. The Nevada System of Higher Education Academic Affairs Council formally approved the name change during its June 2019 meeting.