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Why School of Health Sciences?

About Us

An inside look

Students have the opportunity to work with the most up-to-date equipment.

Cutting-edge skills meet community-focused care

Health care needs in our society are rapidly evolving. That’s why Quinnipiac’s School of Health Sciences remains one step ahead with a comprehensive spectrum of proactive programs that not only address today’s most pressing medical concerns, but anticipate tomorrow’s challenges as well. By fostering teamwork, critical-thinking skills, the highest ethical standards and respect for diverse populations, we help create compassionate practitioners and skilled scientists who value lifelong learning.  

Quinnipiac’s nationally ranked programs stand out. The cutting-edge facilities on the North Haven Campus offer unparalleled opportunities for hands-on learning and collaboration. Partnerships with leading medical institutions nationwide create extraordinary connections. There are also ample opportunities to connect with the community — from Connecticut to Caribbean countries, where students routinely make a difference on service missions. In addition, the wide range of program flexibility—from certificate programs to dual-degree options — means that regardless of where you are in your educational journey, we can help you reach your long-term goals.

Our students

At Quinnipiac, you will join a student body just as diverse as our health sciences program options. From high school valedictorians to veterans starting anew, our students have one thing in common: they’re excited by their studies and take charge of their futures by working hard both inside and outside the classroom. Our students earn NIH grants and conduct important cancer research. They teach healthy habits at public schools in Hamden, present at major industry associations and study abroad at other top-notch science schools in Ireland and Australia. They are preparing for rewarding careers that are satisfying both personally and professionally.  

Brittney Ryan, an occupational therapy student at Quinnipiac University, works with kindergarten students at Church Street School in Hamden Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016 doing field study for her "Theraputic Use of Self," class. (Autumn Driscoll / Quinnipiac University)

All smiles

Occupational therapy student Brittney Ryan '19, works one-on-one with a kindergarten student at Church Street School in Hamden, CT.

From student to hospital CEO

Pat Charmel '81 has led the transformation of Griffin Hospital from a health care facility many people avoided to one the community trusts. His career successes stem from the Quinnipiac professors who connected him to the hospital administration more than 30 years ago. "That's something that Quinnipiac does: Take a personal interest in its students — and it's made a difference for me." 

More videos →

Rankings

"The Princeton Review" continually names Quinnipiac among the country’s best institutions for undergraduate education. Health science programs are also singled out by other sources, including "U.S. News & World Report," which recently ranked our physician assistant program No. 5 in the nation; the occupational therapy program earned a top 25 ranking.

In addition, many of our programs routinely have the best pass rates in the country on national certifying exams:

100%

2016 PA Pass Rate

Physician assistant students who have passed the certifying exam on the first attempt.

100%

2016 AT Pass Rate

Athletic training students who have passed the BOC certifying exam on the first attempt.

What our Graduates are Doing

Healthy careers, satisfying lives

Our graduates go on to rewarding careers in a wide range of fields. They work as practitioners in major medical centers and small town clinics from coast to coast. Our athletic training and physical therapy grads can be seen on the sidelines at NFL and college games. Our grads take jobs as educators in schools and colleges; they work in forensic pathology labs and morgues. They conduct life-altering research at prominent labs and medical institutes worldwide. Some grads work on the business side of biotech companies. Whatever your passion, we’ll provide you with a solid foundation that will help you launch a satisfying and successful career in health care. 

Featured Alumnus

Quinnipiac alumnus helps patient walk pain-free

One look at the young woman’s legs and Dr. Michael Campbell ’99 knew he was viewing the most severe case of rickets he’d ever seen.

The patient, 44-inch-tall Natasha Christian, was born with Vitamin D-resistant rickets, also called X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH), which caused her legs to bow severely. Despite multiple surgeries since childhood, the 35-year-old mother of two has endured constant pain and stress fractures in both of her femurs and walked with a waddling gait.

Campbell and five other orthopedic physicians from around the country had been invited to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital in January to learn how to perform surgeries on complex deformity patients using innovative technology newly approved by the FDA. Campbell, the first surgeon to use the Orthofix TrueLok Hexapod external fixator to correct deformities in a patient’s femur and tibia at the same time.

“Nothing else would have worked for her,” said Campbell, 38, who graduated from Quinnipiac with a bachelor’s in physical therapy and went on to earn an MD at State University of New York-Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. Campbell narrated the 5½-hour procedure as he worked so the Orthofix company could use it to educate others. Footage from the surgery was used by a local TV news station in a reporting segment it did on the procedure.

Dr. Michael A. Campbell, a Quinnipiac University alum, meets with patient Natashia Christian at the practice's Chesapeake, VA location Friday, August 21, 2015. Dr. Campbell performed the groundbreaking surgery on Natashia in an effort to straighten her bowed legs and add three inches of height. Natashia has XLH-Linked Hypophosphatemia, a hereditary bone disease. Photo by Khue Bui for Quinnipiac Magazine

Groundbreaking treatment

Dr. Michael A. Campbell '99 at his practice in Chesapeake, VA.

Besides straightening Christian’s legs, Campbell leveled her joints and hopes to give her a three- to four-inch gain in height.

Life after Quinnipiac

Our overall 2015 placement rate — graduates who are either employed or pursuing advanced degrees six months after graduation — was 95 percent. Many programs, including occupational therapy and physician assistant, have a 100 percent placement rate.

Below is a small sampling of where our 2015 grads are employed:

  • Albany Medical Center
  • Dana Farber Cancer Institute
  • East Lyme Public Library
  • Eastern Connecticut Health Network
  • Magrabi Dental Centers (Saudia Arabia)
  • Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Midstate Radiology Associates
  • Norwalk Hospital
  • Somers Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine Group

About one-third of our undergraduate School of Health Sciences students go directly to graduate school. While many choose to continue their education at Quinnipiac, our 2015 grads are also currently attending:

  • Johns Hopkins University
  • New York University
  • Northeastern University
  • Nova Southeastern University
  • Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
  • University of Louisiana
  • Washington State University

Testimonials

Big impact on little people

Physician assistant Christina Notarino '12, MHS '14 examines five-month-old Elijah S. at Children's Medical Group in Hamden, CT.

“I chose Quinnipiac due to its outstanding reputation in the medical field. Quinnipiac showed me how hard work and dedication are essential to successfully entering the ‘real world.’ Being able to find a great college and my dream job just 10 miles away from my hometown means everything to me.”
Christina Notarino '12, MHS '14
School of Health Sciences
“For years I worked with a boy with Cerebral Palsy and through my work with him I was able to see the positive impact occupational therapy had on his life. That’s when I decided to become an OT. I am very passionate about helping people live their lives to the fullest.”
Micah Cutler BS '18, MHS '20
Occupational therapy student

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