Purdue College of Health and Human Sciences celebrates 15 years of making lives better

Written By: Rebecca Hoffa, rhoffa@purdue.edu

Healthcare professionals, business leaders, educators, community advocates and changemakers — all of these and more have been cultivated in Purdue University’s College of Health and Human Sciences (HHS). Fifteen years ago, these individuals would have been staggered across colleges, departments and schools throughout campus to earn their Purdue degree, but today, they make up a large, interdisciplinary college that tirelessly works to make lives better.

As HHS celebrates its 15^th anniversary of small steps and giant leaps at Purdue during the 2025-26 academic year, this milestone will only continue to build the college’s reputation in human health and well-being across all stages of life.

“In addition to celebrating our past, we’re also looking ahead with purpose,” said Aaron Bowman, HHS dean. “Across our nine departments and schools, we are uniquely positioned to lead bold, interdisciplinary collaborations that address some of the most urgent challenges facing people, families and communities today.”

Coming together

HHS was formally launched in July 2010 as a realignment of departments and schools across three colleges on campus. Earlier that year, the Board of Trustees had approved the reorganization of nine departments and schools on campus to coincide with the New Synergies initiative — a six-year strategic plan to position Purdue to meet humanity’s challenges, create opportunities in Indiana and around the globe, and foster student success in a changing world.

The new College of Health and Human Sciences replaced the existing College of Consumer and Family Science, which housed the departments of Human Development and Family Studies, Nutrition Science and Consumer Science as well as the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. HHS also inherited Health and Kinesiology; Psychological Sciences; and Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences from the College of Liberal Arts and the schools of Health Sciences and Nursing from what was then the College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Sciences. As the realignment took place, HHS became the second-largest college on Purdue’s campus.

The leader of the new College of Health and Human Sciences was Christine Ladisch, who was serving as Purdue’s vice provost for academic affairs at the time, and she remained in the role of HHS Dean from 2010-18.

Building on successes

During Ladisch’s leadership, HHS grew rapidly and began to leave a lasting footprint on the West Lafayette campus.

In May 2011, Hanley Hall opened as the new home to what is now the Department of Human Development and Family Science, including the Military Family Research Institute, Center for Families and Center for Early Learning. This was soon followed by the opening of Marriott Hall, which houses Hospitality and Tourism Management, in September 2011 and then later Lyles-Porter Hall in fall 2014 — home to the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, several HHS clinics and research centers, and the Indiana University School of Medicine–West Lafayette. These buildings not only increased visibility for HHS and its programs but also created new spaces for students, faculty and staff to collaborate and feel a sense of belonging on campus.

After graduating its first class of students in May 2011, HHS continued to prepare students for success in all aspects of their Boilermaker journeys. In 2013, the college launched its HHS Success Mentors program, which pairs first-year students with sophomore, junior and senior mentors and provides mentees with academic, psychological and emotional support; goal-setting assistance; career advice; and role modeling.

In October 2016, HHS advanced its human sciences research in collaboration with the College of Engineering through the opening of the Life Science Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Facility, which features two MRI machines that allow for noninvasive studies of morphology, physiological and neural function, and biochemistry. The facility has continued to shape new research opportunities throughout the college’s departments and schools and across Purdue in the years since its opening.

Rising excellence

In 2018, HHS welcomed its second dean, Marion Underwood, whose leadership and strategic vision guided HHS to new heights.

Under her leadership, the college launched its Department of Public Health, which included Health and Kinesiology’s public health major and the college-level public health graduate program that began in 2014. In 2021, the department welcomed its inaugural cohort of PhD students and launched a fully online Master of Health Administration program. In 2025, the department continues to use science-based approaches to tackle challenges that affect the health and well-being of a variety of populations.

The college also continued to excel in research across three signature research areas: Developmental Health and Wellness, Healthy Lifestyles and Vital Longevity, and Sustainable and Thriving Communities and Organizations. The highly collaborative HHS researchers have an increasingly positive impact on the behavior, health and quality of life for all people. Under Dean Underwood’s leadership, HHS also began the HHS Research Registry — the first college-wide resource to help researchers find human participants who wish to contribute to their studies.

With the college’s renewed research focus during this period, it also launched the Purdue Autism Research Center in March 2019 to advance autism research, education and outreach and unite faculty across the colleges of Health and Human Sciences, Education, Science and Veterinary Medicine.

Underwood also led the college through a time of uncertainty and change during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This included development of the Families Tackling Tough Times Together program, which offered HHS engagement programs and interacted with alumni and friends at various in-person and virtual events.

In 2023, the Center for Rural and Migrant Health was developed as a collaboration between the Department of Public Health and HHS Extension to better meet the health needs of rural communities in Indiana.

A new era

When Underwood stepped down from her role as dean in fall 2023, Aaron Bowman, the then-head of the School of Health Sciences, was appointed interim dean. In fall 2024, after a national search, he was named dean of the college.

A significant focus for Dean Bowman is continuing to elevate HHS as a key contributor to the university’s One Health initiative, which focuses on the intersection of human, animal and environmental health. HHS has developed valuable partnerships with the College of Pharmacy and the College of Veterinary Medicine to bolster interdisciplinary research and engagement opportunities.

Also, part of the initiative, HHS joined the 16 Tech Innovation District in Indianapolis in 2024 through the opening of the Accessible Precision Audiology Research Center. The center aims to fight against hearing loss in central Indiana using high-quality audiology technology.

In addition to this research and engagement effort, the college is also launching two academic programs at the Purdue University in Indianapolis location for fall 2026: a bachelor’s degree in hospitality and tourism management and a Master of Science in Sport Management degree. These programs will prepare career-ready students through strong industry partnerships that offer hands-on learning, internships and co-ops.

HHS is also preparing to open its Nursing and Pharmacy Education Building in January 2027, a $160 million effort that will address workforce shortages and expand collaborative training for health care professionals. The building is a joint endeavor between the College of Health and Human Sciences and the College of Pharmacy, whose programs rank among Indiana’s best.

Likewise, HHS will continue to lead in health research through its Health of the Forces initiative to provide Purdue faculty with the support needed to initiate their own life-changing discoveries that will serve military members, veterans and their families.

“There are many exciting things happening in HHS that will continue to shape it as a nationally recognized program committed to advancing human health and wellness across the lifespan,” Bowman said. “As we take both small and giant leaps together, with a strong spirit of mentorship, our faculty, programs and research efforts advance our overarching vision to make lives better.”