A Welcome from the Founding Dean College of Health and Human Sciences

Welcome to ECU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.

When I look at the students, faculty, staff, and programs of this college, I see difference makers and game changers who create lasting impact every single day.

We are committed to curiosity, and we turn ideas into action and impact. Our faculty empower and instill confidence in our students to go further, find new ways to improve well-being, and serve the clients and populations who count on us.

As one of the largest colleges at ECU and one of the largest health sciences colleges in the United States focused on regional transformation in healthcare, our mission is clear: we are here to help people thrive.

Health care, wellness, and related industries are among the fastest-growing fields in the country, and CHHS prepares students for a wide range of careers across them.

On the direct-care side, students train to become physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, audiologists, registered dietitians, family therapists, social workers, and child life specialists.

Our programs also prepare clinical mental health counselors, rehabilitation counselors, and addictions counselors. In clinical and management roles within healthcare settings, we educate clinical laboratory scientists, and leaders in health care information and service management.

In public and community health, our graduates become public health professionals and environmental health specialists. In performance and active living, our programs train exercise physiologists, health fitness specialists, sport performance and sport management professionals, recreational therapists, coaches, and recreation and parks leaders. We help support community wellness through our graduates that are licensed educators in our public schools, and supporting children and youth programming that help families thrive.

Air Force and Army ROTC are part of the college as well. All of it is health work: keeping people alive, well, moving, learning, and connected to their communities. Students learn this work by doing it.

CHHS students see clients in the Family Therapy Clinic, the Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic, the Navigate Counseling Clinic, the Physical Therapy Clinic, and the pro bono Student Run Clinic. Nutrition Science students cook and deliver meals through the Quantity Foods Lab. We don’t just learn in the classroom, we value experiential learning such as study abroad, undergraduate research, internships, work in clinics and labs, and service learning.

Because health and wellness are collaborative efforts, CHHS integrates interprofessional education into our curricula. We don’t just live in eastern North Carolina, we also work in partnership with the eastern North Carolina communities we serve. Our students intern with rural county health departments and public schools, in ECU Health hospitals and clinics across the region, at the Nancy W. Darden Child Development Center, and with community agencies throughout eastern North Carolina. Rural service delivery is one of our defining strengths. Our graduates routinely exceed national pass rates on licensure exams, most are employed within six months, and the majority stay here to serve. ECU’s motto, servire, is not just a goal for us. It is a lifestyle. I am proud to serve as the Founding Dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences, and I welcome you with open arms to join us in making an impact every day.

Welcome home!

Nicole Bromfield, PhD, Founding Dean
College of Health and Human Sciences
East Carolina University