Instructional Leadership, emphasis: K-12 School Leadership (MEd)
Student takes a patients blood pressure at N A U's campus health services.

Research


Healthcare labs, community clinics, and faculty research

Scrubs, lab coats, track suits, and more—we wear it all, and do it all. Many students in the College of Health and Human Services become well-rounded healthcare professionals through research experience.

This professional preparation helps our graduates get ready to take an active role in their community’s health initiatives. Aspiring researchers work alongside our experienced faculty members in every department, enjoying experiential research in labs, community clinics, and scholarly research projects.

Faculty research by department

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Communication Sciences and Disorders

Research programs in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) focus on populations across the lifespan and cover the full communication cycle, from hearing to speaking. We conduct studies on topics ranging from the cellular and molecular levels of basic science to the provision of services to clinical populations. Research in CSD lives up to its tagline: “From science to service.”

Through all research, teaching, and clinical activities, our department is committed to the cultural and linguistic diversity of our region and nation.

Individual faculty areas of research and expertise are listed in the directory. CSD research is conducted in four specialty areas:

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A student test fits a hearing aid on a patient.

Hearing loss

A speech therapy student sits with a child.

Speech and language development

A student showing a model to another person.

Adult neurogenic disorders

Students and a professor testing sound in a recording studio.

Clinical interventions and effectiveness

A dental hygienist cleaning a students teeth.

Dental Hygiene

Our faculty research includes diverse offerings. We are united by an emphasis on improving oral health disparities in rural and underserved communities regionally, nationally, and internationally.

Research is key to improving education, clinical practice, and patient outcomes. Our work affects practice, health outcomes, quality of care, and health policy to improve the oral health of our communities. We provide support, mentorship, and leadership to students and faculty through opportunities to collaborate on projects and through interprofessional education and practice.

Faculty conduct interdisciplinary research in teams in the following areas:

Student dental hygienists working on other students teeth.

Project zero: Elementary-aged Children

A dental hygienist educator helping a student while cleaning a students teeth.

Project zero: Women and Infants

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Student dental hygienist wearing eyeglasses, mask, and surgical gown.

Veterans Support Program

Dentists working on a students teeth.

Journey for Underrepresented Medical Professionals

Student dental hygienists wearing surgical masks, gloves, and masks.

Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS)

Students in a circle and lifting up their hands.

Health Sciences

Broadly, the Department of Health Sciences has research expertise in physical activity surveillance and exercise prescription, nutrition, and public health community-based interventions, particularly those with an evaluation component and working with Native American populations. Review our faculty members’ areas of expertise to find the right fit for you.

Students in the gym working out and using dumbbells.

Physical activity

Vegetables and fruits on a table and bowls of guacamole.

Nutrition

Two students smiling with one student takes a paper bag of food.

Community-based interventions

A teacher is pointing at a picture and two students are looking at photo.

Occupational Therapy

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Faculty in the Department of Occupational Therapy are pursuing research interests including, but not limited to:

  • behavioral health
  • daily life skills
  • disability and inclusion
  • environmental access and modification
  • health equities and disparities
  • health promotion
  • independent living
  • interprofessional education and practice
  • occupational performance
  • quality of life
  • transition services
  • well-being
  • chronic conditions
  • assessment and evaluation
  • physical disabilities

Three students laying on an exam table and three physical therapists lifting up their legs.

Physical Therapy and Athletic Training

The faculty in the Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training have a wide range of research interests. In general, the projects reach into these broad categories:

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Three students and a teacher looking at a model.

Clinical biomechanics

A student leaning against a ball with weights in her hands.

Control of movement and rehabilitation after neurological disorders

Students research concussion related injuries.

Youth sport and concussion

A women with a harness on standing while a physical therapists holds on to one of the straps.

Additional lines of research

A man sitting on a exam table while a physician uses an otoscope.

Physician Assistant Studies

A student sitting on an exam table with two physician assistants.

Faculty in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies are pursuing research interests including, but not limited to:

  • health services
  • health professions education
  • contributions of PAs/NPs to healthcare delivery
  • diversity in health professions education, particularly PA education
  • factors associated with effective team-delivered health care
  • interprofessional education
  • factors associated with work-related well-being among healthcare providers
  • health services research (workforce, provider utilization, practice trends, etc.)
  • diversity trends in health professions and the PA profession
  • healthcare workforce issues in medically underserved populations and communities
  • educational program accreditation and assessment
  • growth and development of publications and scholarship in the PA profession (the history and progression of PA research)
  • PA leadership