College of Health Sciences

The highly-collaborative College of Health Sciences (CHS) at Chatham University stands in stark contrast to the “lost in the crowd” health sciences programs at many larger universities. The College's unique makeup allows for interprofessional education among students in nursing, psychology, physician assistant studies, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and athletic training.

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Critical Thinking & Service-Oriented

CHS programs are highly selective, with an approximate 24% acceptance rate (313 accepted out of 1,299 applicants). We excel in training students through problem-based learning, fostering critical thinking skills, and encouraging students to serve local, national, and international communities through service-oriented programs for medically-underserved populations.

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Active Learning

Our approach to learning places students in a position of active responsibility for absorbing and mastering content. They learn new material by confronting and solving problems as applied to actual clinical cases.

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Interprofessional Education (IPE)

Interprofessional education involves students from two or more health professions learning together during their training. The goal of IPE is to enhance communication and decision-making, allowing various domains of knowledge to complement each other.

Learn About IPE

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Dedicated Faculty

Students learn from dedicated faculty members—many of whom are practicing clinicians themselves—in a close-knit atmosphere known for providing personal attention to every student.

Chatham Eastside

The College of Health Sciences is located at Chatham Eastside, part of the Shadyside Campus. Chatham Eastside is in Pittsburgh’s bustling East End district, near Bakery Square, a vibrant retail district that is home to Google’s Pittsburgh office. The building was a LEED-Silver renovation project that uses sustainable design practices, recycled materials, and energy efficient lighting to create academic and social space within a green environment.

Explore Chatham Eastside

Expanding Your Education Abroad

Our most recent international collaboration has been with Wenzhou Medical University. Psychology students spend the summer at Chatham participating in educational seminars and cultural experiences.

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Fellowships & Service Opportunities

CHS students are eligible for fellowships and competitions, some of which are compensated, through which they can gain valuable skills including working with underserved communities. Opportunities include the Jonas Falk Health Activist Fellowship, the Pittsburgh Schweitzer Fellows Program, and more.

View Fellowships & Service Opportunities

Integrated Degree Programs (IDPs)

Through our integrated degree programs, qualified undergraduates can be guaranteed seats in Chatham's competitive health sciences programs, and in some cases, graduate in less time and for a lower cost when compared with traditional graduate programs.

Learn About IDPs

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Program Newsletters

Stay updated on the latest from Chatham's health sciences programs, student and faculty accomplishments, alumni achievements, and more with our individual program newsletters.

View Program Newsletters

Meet the Dean of CHS

Dr. Salvador Bondoc joined Chatham in 2022 as the Dean of the College of Health Sciences.

View Bio

Contact Us

Dean's Office, College of Health Sciences
412-365-1711
CHS@Chatham.edu

College of Health Sciences

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Research Focus

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Nicholas Uram, PsyD '16, MAP '10

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Exemplifying Leadership—Sandra Rader, DNP '09

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Celebrating World Occupational Therapy

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Physical Therapy Students and Local Women Amputees Assist Each Other

For the past eight years, Associate Professor of Physical Therapy Melissa L. Bednarek, PT, DPT, PhD has been taking students in Chatham University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program to De La Torre Orthotics and Prosthetics to learn about upper extremity amputations.

Read the Story

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Getting More Comfortable With Death and Dying

Last winter, Victoria Kissell, MPAS ’18, was able to add a facet to her education that not many PAs are able to claim. “We don’t learn how to deal with death in school,” she says. “Because we’re focused on making people better, we tend to push it aside, even though it’s inevitable. Through the Jewish Healthcare Foundation’s Fellowship in Death and Dying, I was able to talk to people who handle it every day, so that if I do have a patient who is terminally ill, I’m more comfortable talking about it.”

Read the Story

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Nola the Nurse and Scharmaine Baker-Lawson, DNP '08

Waving to the crowd, Nola the Nurse® reaches the front of the church, and starts to dance with her creator, Dr. Scharmaine Lawson-Baker, DNP ’08. They sway, bump hips, clap. Soon the music settles down and so do the kids, which is good, because Nola and Baker are up from New Orleans to do some educating.

Read the Story