Celebrating 60 years of firsts

Sixty years ago, the College of Health Related Services became the first college of its kind

Start of something big

Dean Darrel Mase describes the college's founding

Era of discovery and learning

Major metamorphoses

Next level and beyond

“The college has become a vibrant environment for research, education and community service in a cross-cutting array of public health and health professions fields that make it a model for the nation.”
Dr. David Guzick
  1. 1958

    College of Health Related Services opens as the nation’s first college of health professions to be located within an academic health center. The college is home to Florida’s first physical therapy degree and the Southeast’s first occupational therapy degree.

  2. 1959

    Rehabilitation Counseling joins the college from the College of Education. It is the Southeast’s first such degree program.

  3. 1964

    Graduate program in health and hospital administration introduced, the first of its kind in the Southeast. The college is renamed the College of Health Related Professions.

  4. 1967

    Dean Darrel J. Mase elected founding president of the American Association of Schools of Allied Health.

  5. 1975

    Florida’s first bachelor’s program in health science established.

  6. 1985

    Audiologists participate in first cochlear implantation in the Southeast.

  7. 1988

    Department of clinical psychology hosts the first national conference on pediatric psychology research and founds the first Center for Pediatric Psychology Research in 1993¬.

  8. 1998

    First doctoral program in rehabilitation science established.
    Department of communicative disorders initiates the country’s first distance learning Doctor of Audiology program for working professionals.

  9. 2003

    The college adds programs in public health and is renamed the College of Public Health and Health Professions.

  10. 2009

    College receives accreditation as a school of public health from the Council on Education for Public Health.

  11. 2011

    UF Public Health Laboratory opens in Gressier, Haiti.

  12. 2012

    Department of environmental and global health introduces the first One Health academic programs in the world.

  13. 2017

    Department of occupational therapy receives approval to offer the first doctoral-level occupational therapy degree program offered by a Florida public institution.

  14. 2020

    PHHP community members rally together during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding unique ways to stay connected and serve communities. Read more in COVID-19: A look back at three years of service: https://phhp.ufl.edu/the-covid-19-pandemic-a-look-back-at-a-year-of-service/

  15. 2022

    End of an era. Dean Michael G. Perri, Ph.D., retires after leading the college to new heights for over 15 years.

  16. 2022

    Beth Virnig, Ph.D., M.P.H., joins the University of Florida as dean of the College of Public Health and Health Professions, the sixth in the college’s 64-year history.

  17. 2023

    PHHP achieves a new high in research funding, receiving $54.8 million in grants and awards in fiscal year 2022-2023. The total represents a 23% increase in funding over the previous year.