News | College of Health and Human Sciences

Michael Phelps, Serena Williams and Simone Biles have all been named the GOAT of their sport, but what makes them different from other swimmers, tennis players and gymnasts who never made it to the Olympic level? Brooke Macnamara, associate professor in the Purdue University Department of Psychological Sciences, is studying skill acquisition and expertise to help understand why these athletes stand out.

Written By: Rebecca Hoffa, rhoffa@purdue.edu Michael Phelps, Serena Williams and Simone Biles have all been named the GOAT of their sport, but what makes them different from other swimmers, tennis players and gymnasts who never made it to the Olympic...

Dr. Christina Burke found her fit in the Purdue School of Health Sciences in prerequisite classes, student organizations, research and hands-on training. This experience propelled her through medical school and now into her practice as an intensivist in the northwest suburbs of Chicago.

Written by: Tim Brouk, tbrouk@purdue.edu As part of the Purdue UniversityCollege of Health and Human Science’s (HHS) 15th anniversary year, we are catching up with alumni who received Outstanding Senior awards when they were undergraduates. In a family of mostly...

A recent international study from Aaron Specht, assistant professor in the Purdue School of Health Sciences, and his team of researchers analyzing avocados from Mexico and California for toxic elements — metals like lead, manganese and mercury that can be harmful to humans if consumed in large amounts.

Written by: Tim Brouk, tbrouk@purdue.edu More than 3 billion pounds of avocados were imported from Mexico to the United States in 2024, according to The Wall Street Journal. That’s a lot of guacamole for your Purdue University basketball watch parties....

Written by: Casey Dexter, casey38@purdue.edu Purdue HHS data provided by: Casey Marks, lead strategic data manager, marks11@purdue.edu In a database compiled by Stanford University in partnership with Elsevier, 37 scientists and scholars in the Purdue University College of Health and...

As Purdue University financial counseling and planning alumnae, Alexandra Ylo Wadas (HHS ’17) and Jillian Ylo (HHS ’20) took the same path in the College of Health and Human Sciences (HHS), from their courses and professors to both excelling as the 2017 and 2020 Outstanding Seniors for the White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

Written By: Rebecca Hoffa, rhoffa@purdue.edu As Purdue University financial counseling and planning alumnae, Alexandra Ylo Wadas (HHS ’17) and Jillian Ylo (HHS ’20) took the same path in the College of Health and Human Sciences (HHS), from their courses and...

“Beyond Money: How Social Motives Drive Green Purchases in the Sharing Economy” is the latest publication by Kevin So, the C.B. Smith Endowed Professor in the White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. The work looks at sustainability issues within the sharing economy.

Written by: Tim Brouk, tbrouk@purdue.edu The sharing economy is defined as the network of businesses that provide goods and services to be utilized as shared resources instead of individual ownership. From the Airbnb properties in which you stayed during homecoming,...