When the College of Health Related Services opened in 1958, it was the first college of health professions located in an academic health center.
Led by Dean Darrel Mase, the college joined the emerging professions of occupational therapy, physical therapy and medical technology in one academic organization. Mase believed that if students of different disciplines learned alongside each other, the health care team would function better and patient care could be improved.
In 1966 the U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare cited the UF college as a model for the nation. By 1973, 70 similar colleges had been established. The college further broadened its health education programs in 2003 when it added public health and was renamed the College of Public Health and Health Professions.
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