BCH AT A GLANCE
MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN
On behalf of the faculty, staff and students of the Brooks College of Health, I am proud to share the progress our college has made during the 2025-26 academic year. Enrollment across our graduate programs grew 11 percent, our faculty secured more than $1.8 million in new external funding, and our departments celebrated tenure, promotion and national recognition for outstanding teaching, research and service.
BCH remains the driving force behind graduate education at UNF, accounting for 45% of the university's graduate credit hours.
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Behind every one of these figures is a faculty and staff team dedicated to preparing the region's next generation of nurses, physical therapists, athletic trainers, kinesiologists, nutritionists, dietitians, health administrators, public health professionals and counselors. The pages that follow highlight our achievements this year and the priorities that will guide us into 2026-27, including continued enrollment growth, expanded clinical and simulation capacity, and deeper investment in faculty research support.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support of the Brooks College of Health.
Mei Zhao, Ph.D., MHA
Dean, Brooks College of Health
Dean Mei Zhao
AWARDS AND HONORS
The following recognitions highlight outstanding faculty and staff achievement across the Brooks College of Health this year.
SIGNATURE HONORS
AMBERBARNES—PUBLICHEALTH
Amber Barnes was named Co-Chair of the World Health Organization's Guidelin Development Group, on of the highest-profile international appointments held by any BCH faculty member
this year She was also invited to join a partnership between the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. In recognition of her scholarly contributions, Barnes was awarded a full-pay, one-semester sabbatical for 2026-27.
MARIESMITH-EAST—NURSING
GUILHERME"GUI"CESAR—PHYSICALTHERAPY
Marie Smith-East received the 2026 BCH Excellence in Scholarship Award, the college's top honor for faculty research. Her scholarship this year included a Florida Blue Foundation grant supporting AI-assisted
telehealth group therapy for perinatal and postpartum women, work aimed at closing gaps in maternal mental health care. She is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing.
Gui Cesar was awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor by the UNF Board of Trustees in June 2026. That same year, he secured a $798,848 NIH R25 grant to lead PRIME-PEDS, a multidisciplinary training program developing the next generation of pediatric rehabilitation researchers. The combination of tenure and new federal funding in a single year reflects sustained momentum in his research program
MICHELLEBOLING— DEAN'SOFFICE
Michelle Boling received the National Athletic Trainers' Association's Athletic Trainer Service Award, a national recognition of sustained service to the athletic training profession. She holds a
dual role at BCH, serving as Associate Dean while remaining an active faculty member in Clinical and Applied Movement Sciences. Her recognition this year reflects contributions that extend beyond the college itself.
AWARDS AND HONORS
SIGNATURE HONORS
VALERIEMORRISON—STUDENTHEALTHSERVICES
Valerie Morrison, Senior Director of Student Health Services at Brooks College of Health, has been elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, one of nursing's highest professional honors. She will be formally inducted at the Academy's 2026 Health Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. Morrison joined UNF in 2020 after a 30-year military nursing career that included serving as Chief Nursing Officer at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and chairing the ANCC Commission on Pathway to Excellence
DEBOWENS PUBLICHEALTH
Deb Owen, with Dr. Moore, secured an $821,797 contract for year three of the Public Health Infrastructure Grant with the Florida Department of Health in Duval County. The funding supports 13 student internships, a faculty-led staff training for DOH Duval, and seven full-time fellowships with health benefits, professional development and travel support.
Seven graduate micro-certificates in Public Health, Health Informatics and
Health Administration are in the final stage of university approval as part of this partnership. Once approved, DOH Duval's Public Health Infrastructure Grant will fund the certificates for OPS and grant-funded employees who are not eligible for state tuition waivers, with a fall 2026 launch.
TESTUASON—PUBLICHEALTH,CLINICALMENTALHEALTHCOUNSELING
Tes Tuason, Professor and Program Director of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program and a licensed clinical psychologist, was named runner-up for UNF's 2026 Distinguished Professor Award Born and raised in the Philippines, she has built a career centered on resilience and transformative education, with research focused on economic inequality and poverty, minority identity formation, and family and adolescent issues through cross-cultural and systems perspectives. She has authored more
than 60 publications and delivered over 130 conference presentations throughout her career.
AWARDS AND HONORS
2025-26 HONORS, MILESTONES & GRANTS
Every faculty and staff recognition captured in the Dean's 2025-26 self-evaluation and this year's Board of Trustees and Provost correspondence, organized by department. Signature Honors above are not repeated here.
CLINICAL AND APPLIED MOVEMENT SCIENCES (CAMS)
Michael Szymanski — Appointed to NATA's national writing group updating the Exertional Heat Stroke Position Statement, one of the profession's foundational evidence-based guidelines.
Charles Williams — Promotion to Associate Instructor
DEAN’S OFFICE
Pam Niemczyk — 2026 BCH Staff Excellence Award, Administrative Specialist
HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
Hanadi Hamadi — Awarded a full-pay, one-semester sabbatical for 2026-27; co-edited a 2025 Frontiers in Public Health special issue on hospital management and health policy.
Sinyoung Park, Hanadi Hamadi, Aurora Tafili and Nishi Dsouza — $20,500 UNF Foundation Board Grant for “Beyond Data: AI and Stakeholder Synergy Empowering Community Health Change.”
Brent Johnson — 2026 BCH Excellence in Teaching Award, Associate Instructor, Health Administration.
AWARDS AND HONORS
NURSING
Katherine Meuti — Tenure and promotion to Associate Professor
Judy Comeaux — Successfully completed 2025-26 post-tenure review.
John McDonough — Successfully completed 2025-26 post-tenure review.
Sandy Shapiro — Dozor Visiting Scholar Grant (2026), delivered eight invited presentations on forensic nursing in Israel (Ben Gurion University and Tel Hashomer Medical Center).
Cora Evensen — Promotion to Associate Instructor
NUTRITION & DIETETICS
Jamisha Leftwich — Outstanding Dietetic Educator Award, Nutrition and Dietetic Educators and Preceptors.
Andrea Arikawa — Invited national webinar presenter for the American Society for Nutrition's Early Career Nutrition Interest Group, drawing more than 120 attendees.
Jamie Marchio — 2026 BCH Excellence in Service Award; Director, UNF Center for Nutrition and Food Security and the Nourish to Flourish Program.
Zhiping Yu — 2026 UNF Outstanding Faculty Scholarship Award.
en Ross — 2026 UNF Excellence in Online Teaching Award; Nutrition and Dietetics program director.
AWARDS AND HONORS
PHYSICAL THERAPY
Debra Depto-Hoffman — APTA Academy of Leadership and Innovation Social Responsibility Award, for a poster presentation on pediatric mobility innovation at the 2026 APTA Combined Sections Meeting.
Beven Livingston — Successfully completed 2025-26 post-tenure review.
Chitra Balasubramanian — 2026 UNF Outstanding Community Engaged Scholarship Award.
PUBLIC HEALTH
UNF Eta Sigma Gamma (Public Health Honor Society) — National Eta Sigma Gamma Chapter Excellence Award.
Weimin Gao — Elected President-Elect, Southeastern Chapter, Society of Toxicology.
Sericea Stallings-Smith — Successfully completed 2025-26 post-tenure review
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE & HIGHLIGHTS
BCH continues to lead graduate education at UNF, driving university-wide enrollment growth while expanding accelerated, accredited and workforce-aligned programs. 34% of UNF graduate enrollment 45% of UNF graduate credit hours 11% graduate enrollment growth
BCH graduate enrollment grew from 816 students in fall 2024 to 906 students in fall 2025, an 11 percent increase. During the 2025-26 academic year, BCH accounted for 34 percent of total UNF graduate enrollment and 45.6 percent of UNF's graduate-level credit hours.
OUR LARGEST GRADUATE PROGRAMS
BCH's largest graduate programs by fall 2025 enrollment were the Family Nurse Practitioner DNP (100 students), Doctor of Physical Therapy (95), Executive MHA (88), Nurse Anesthesiology DNP (79) and Master of Health Administration (72), part of a portfolio of 19 graduate programs spanning six departments and schools.
ACCELERATED 4+1 PATHWAYS
BCH offers 4+1 pathways that allow students to earn a bachelor's and master's degree in five years, reducing cost and accelerating entry into the health workforce, including Nutrition & Dietetics (B.S. to M.S. in Dietetic Professional Studies), Public Health (B.S.H. to MPH) and Health Administration (B.H.M. to MHA). A new Kinesiology B.S. to M.S.H 4+1 pathway launches in fall 2026.
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE & HIGHLIGHTS
BUILT FOR WHAT’S NEXT.
The University of North Florida is recognized among the nation’s best schools by U S News & World Report, with seven Brooks College of Health programs earning distinction
BROOKS COLLEGE OF HEALTH PROGRAMS RECOGNIZED. 7 7
RN-BSN Online Bridge #29
Master of Public Health #164 NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED.
Master of Healthcare Management #68
Doctor of Nursing Practice — Anesthesia
Master of Science in Nursing Management and Leadership #93
Doctor of Physical Therapy #115
Doctor of Nursing Practice #120
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE & HIGHLIGHTS
ACCREDITATION & CURRICULAR HIGHLIGHTS
The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) approved re-accreditation of the M.S. Integrated Graduate Nutrition program for a seven-year term (2026-2033).
ACEND approved initial accreditation of the new Doctor of Clinical Nutrition (DCN) program for a four-year term (2026-2030).
Nursing (BSN) revised its prelicensure curriculum into a single, four-semester track, replacing separate accelerated and regular tracks, to align with new accreditation essentials.
Health Administration (BHM) launched a new LifeStyle Management concentration and integrated OspreyPro career-readiness tools into course shells.
Public Health is launching a 4+1 MPH pathway in fall 2026 and developing a new Master of Science in Drug Development and Health Research with the departments of Chemistry and Biology (under review, target fall 2027).
Beyond these two milestones, all 17 BCH degree programs maintain full accreditation through bodies including CEPH, CACREP, CAPTE, ACEND, CAAHEP/CoAES, CAATE, AUPHA, CAHME, CCNE and COA.
ACCREDITATION & CURRICULAR HIGHLIGHTS
Nutrition & Dietetics built a three-tier AI-literacy framework into its curriculum this year, developed in partnership with CIRT and UNF Online. Students first learn to define core AI concepts and tools relevant to nutrition and dietetics practice, then apply generative AI to tasks such as dietary analysis, client education and literature review with attention to responsible use, and finally critically evaluate AI's ethical, equity and professional implications in clinical and public health settings. Program-level outcome data will be available next academic year.
RESEARCH & SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY
BCH continues to lead graduate education at UNF, driving university-wide enrollment growth while expanding accelerated, accredited and workforce-aligned programs.
$466,548
RESEARCH EXPENDITURES
6
EXTERNAL GRANTS FUNDED
($1.8M+)
BCH faculty secured more than $1.8 million in new external funding across Nursing, Physical Therapy, Public Health and Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
EXTERNAL PROPOSALS UNDER REVIEW
BCH faculty currently have 10 external proposals under review, including a $4.7 million AHCA workforce initiative and multiple NIH R16 applications.
FACULTY PUBLICATION HIGHLIGHTS
Corrie Labyak co-authored a review in Annual Review of Nutrition (impact factor 13.4) on ultra processed foods and the aging brain. Read article.
Alireza Jahan-Mihan published collaborative research in Nutrients on maternal and offspring nutrition. Read article.
John McDonough published a systematic review on postoperative delirium in ICU patients in BMJ Open. Read article
Yuqi Wu published AI and natural-language-processing research in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism and JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. Read article.
Hanadi Hamadi, Rob Haley and Aurora Tafili co-authored a Health Care Management Review study on social determinants of health reporting and hospital readmissions, presented at the 2025 Academy of Management Annual Meeting in Copenhagen. Read article.
RESEARCH ENGAGEMENT
RSCA (research, scholarship and creative activity) participation among BCH tenure-line faculty ranges from 75 to 100 percent across departments, reflecting broad-based research engagement college-wide.
INTERNAL RESEARCH INVESTMENT
BCH Pilot Research Grant: three grants funded across four units (up to $15,000 over two years each).
BCH Grant Application Support: two faculty members received course release or summer support to prepare external proposals.
BCH Research Mentorship Fund: four faculty members paired with senior scholars for two-year mentorship.
Hanover Research partnership: 14 faculty received individualized grant-development support, and eight completed a 12-month Hanover Grant Development Academy.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Across every department, BCH students gained hands-on experience through clinical placements, study abroad and community-based programs — supported by newly active industry advisory councils in every unit.
CLINICAL AND APPLIED MOVEMENT SCIENCES (CAMS)
CAMS finalized lab renovations to modernize learning spaces shared by Athletic Training, Physical Therapy, Kinesiology, KALM and other majors, and developed an off-campus hybrid course model to expand student exposure to strength-and-conditioning clinical sites. Students in Kinesiology also conducted faculty-led research resulting in peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.
CAMS sent 16 students to study abroad in Greece to explore the origins of ancient and modern Olympic competition.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
The Department of Health Administration sent 28 students to study abroad in Austria and the Czech Republic and certified 56 students in the GuideWell/Florida Blue Lean Competency System. The department also grew its student leadership pipeline through the Case Competition Club, HASA, HIAC and Upsilon Phi Delta, and hosted monthly EMHA information sessions with healthcare leaders that culminated in a student/alumni ACHE banquet.
NURSING
The School of Nursing sent 30 students to study abroad in Italy and expanded OspreyPsych Telehealth campuswide, with a Maternal Mental Health Program set to launch in summer
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
NUTRITION & DIETETICS
The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics offered study abroad programs in Japan and Italy, launched a new sports nutrition internship rotation with UNF Athletics and hosted a two-day clinical skills workshop.
PHYSICAL THERAPY
The Department of Physical Therapy offered service-learning screenings and exercise programs for individuals with Parkinson's disease, aphasia and pediatric neurologic conditions.
PUBLIC HEALTH
The department's experiential learning offerings included study abroad programs in Kenya and Bali, a public health internship and a research showcase held each fall and spring.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
INDUSTRY ADVISORY BOARDS
For the first time, every BCH department and unit, from CAMS to Student Health Services, has established an active industry advisory board of regional health system, clinical and community leaders. Each council convened at least once in 2025-26 and has committed to meeting two to three times annually, identifying concrete opportunities in clinical placement, internships, mentoring, research collaboration and philanthropy.
INAUGURAL UNF SCHOOL OF NURSING ADVISORY BOARD
The University of North Florida School of Nursing Advisory Board brings together an exceptional group of nursing executives, clinical specialists and healthcare innovators dedicated to advancing the future of nursing education. Collectively, board members represent more than 200 years of combined experience across clinical practice, health system leadership, academic-practice partnerships and health technology. Their deep ties to Jacksonville's healthcare community and beyond directly inform how UNF prepares the next generation of compassionate, competent nurses.
COUNSELING CENTER
The UNF Counseling Center provided 8,537 individual counseling sessions, 1,704 group sessions and conducted 222 outreach events
8,537
1,704
222
Bythenumbers outreach activities
individual counseling appointments
STUDENT HEALTH SERVICES
Bythenumbers
groupcounseling appointments
Student Health Services provided 64 students with experiential learning opportunities this year.
Both units continue to support academic continuity and provide supervised clinical training for nursing and public health students.
93.8 3,705
satisfaction rate clinicappointments ~7K studentinternship/ preceptorshiphours
STRATEGIC PLANNING & STUDENT SUCCESS INITIATIVES
BCH tracks its contribution to UNF's Florida SUS Board of Governors performance metrics across recruitment, retention, graduation and post-graduation outcomes.
STUDENT SUCCESS GOAL MEASURES
85.7%
FTIC academic progress rate 86% 77% bachelor's grads employed
FCS transfer 3-yr grad rate
RETENTION & ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVES
2,796 undergrads in paid/credit internships, 54% of UNF
Advanced efforts in career awareness, interprofessional education and student belonging as part of the college's 2024-2028 strategic plan.
Nutrition & Dietetics advanced new articulation agreements with Daytona State College and Tallahassee State College to ease the transfer pathway for Associate of Arts students into the B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics.
INVESTING IN OUR PEOPLE
Delivered IGNITE Leadership Training for 30 BCH faculty/staff and 78 grad students.
Launched and analyzed a college-wide culture survey, defining shared themes of connection, communication and collaboration.
Hired an Associate Director of Operations and restructured academic support staffing so departments receive more consistent service.
BCH is advancing new certificate offerings, global learning opportunities and simulation-based instruction to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape.
NEW CERTIFICATES & CONTINUING EDUCATION
BCH is developing an AI in Healthcare certificate and additional continuing education and microcredential offerings aligned with emerging workforce needs.
ADVANCING SIMULATION & INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
Increasing simulation-based and interprofessional education experiences college-wide is a stated BCH priority for 2026-27, building on CAMS's completed lab renovations and the School of Nursing's new Simulation Center leadership team.
INTERNATIONAL HEALTHCARE SYMPOSIUM
The International Healthcare Symposium returns Oct. 21-22, 2026, at UNF's Adam W. Herbert University Center. This year's theme, "AI and Digital Health in Action," brings together healthcare executives, clinicians, innovators and civic leaders for two days of implementation-focused discussion across five topic areas: new technologies, cybersecurity, workforce development, personalized healthcare, and senior living and wellness. The symposium is presented by UNF and the Duval County Medical Society Foundation in partnership with Brooks College of Health.
AI and Digital Health in Action
Oct. 21-22
BCH is nearing its fundraising goal for the year, anchored by major partnerships in nursing and athletic performance research.
$3.9M raised in FY26
$770K LINE funding for Nursing ~10M raised over three years
Launched the Perry Weather Heat Lab at the Korey Stringer Institute at UNF, opening partnerships beyond traditional healthcare, including construction, insurance and military organizations. Read Article.
Launched and analyzed a college-wide culture survey, defining shared themes of connection, communication and collaboration.
Hired an Associate Director of Operations and restructured academic support staffing so departments receive more consistent service.
EXECUTIVE ENGAGEMENT
BCH continues to strengthen relationships with CEOs and C-suite leadership through the Dean's Council and program-specific advisory boards. Over the past three years, the top employers of BCH graduates have included Mayo Clinic, Baptist Health, Brooks Rehabilitation, UF Health Jacksonville, Ascension, AdventHealth and Florida Blue.
LOOKING ONWARD TOGETHER
As we reflect on another year of growth and impact, we are deeply grateful for the dedication of our faculty, the passion of our students and the unwavering support of our community partners. Each of you plays a vital role in advancing the mission of the Brooks College of Health.
Together, we are shaping the future of healthcare through innovation, collaboration and a shared commitment to excellence. Let's continue to move onward together.
Warm regards,
Mei Zhao, Ph.D., MHA Dean
Brooks
College of Health
University of North Florida
Michelle Boling, Ph.D., LAT, ATC Associate Dean
Brooks
College of Health
University of North Florida