Barry University Announces the Formation
of the College of Health and Wellness

The COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in gun violence in the United States have highlighted that health and well-being have physical, mental, social, spiritual, environmental, and global considerations. 

In response, Barry University announces the formation of the College of Health and Wellness, which integrates the School of Social work with the New School of Nursing, the Department of Health Sciences and the Department of Health Promotion and Clinical Practice. The new formation will prepare and mobilize students by taking a multidimensional approach that advances interprofessional collaboration in education and responds to our community’s workforce needs, as well as current issues faced by our country.

Dr. John McFadden, Ph.D., CRNA, APRN, has been named Vice Provost for Health and Wellness at Barry University. Dr. McFadden brings nearly 40 years of experience in health care as a clinician, administrator, educator, and accreditation expert. A Barry University faculty member since 1998, he was named the Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences in 2012. 

“The College of Health and Wellness will affirm Barry University’s holistic approach to health,” Dr. McFadden said. “Our students learn that caring occurs across the continuum of services, from health promotion and prevention activities to strategies that are regenerative, restorative, and supportive.” 

The College embraces a broad definition of health and wellness. By bringing together these programs, the expanse of mental and physical well-being will be addressed, enabling students to take a more overarching, systemic approach to health.  

The Department of Health Sciences offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in clinical biology and many laboratory specializations, biomedical sciences, health services administration, and public health. The Department of Health Promotion and Clinical Practice includes the Physician Assistant Program, occupational therapy programs, and the comprehensive sports and exercise sciences with undergraduate and graduate degrees in exercise physiology, athletic training, and performance psychology.  

The School of Social Work offers undergraduate and graduate and doctoral degrees with a clinical lens using a trauma-informed curriculum. Students contribute to the community early on by providing significant counseling and mental health services, attending to our most disenfranchised and vulnerable members of society.  

This new structure replaces what was known as the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. The new School of Nursing will focus on the development of novel approaches to preparing the nursing workforce of the future.