History

In 1972 the Carnegie Commission of Higher Education, the Trebor Allied Health Task Force, and a faculty task force from the institutions within the Atlanta University Center, noted the shortage of African Americans in the Allied Health Professions. They recommended that opportunities be provided for African Americans to earn baccalaureate degrees in the Allied Health Professions. Pursuant to this recommendation, the department began at Clark College and continued through 1988, after the consolidation of Clark College and Atlanta University, under the direction of the new entity, Clark Atlanta University.

In 1995 the Department of Allied Health Professions (DAHP) was changed to the Allied Health Professions Program (AHPP) and placed under the Department of Biological Sciences. However, the AHPP continued to operate as an independent unit and the faculty, staff, and Program Coordinator maintain the day-to-day activities of the Program. In 2001, the Department of Allied Health Professions was reinstated. Currently, the DAHP grants the following baccalaureate degrees:

• Community Health Education,
• Community Health Education/Healthcare Management, and
• Medical Technology.

• Raise the consciousness and encourage the participation of minorities, mainly African Americans, in the allied health professions.
• Provide its students with the highest quality of education and training that will enable them to function in a highly technical and global health care environment.
• Continue to produce a source of allied health manpower that is valuable in the delivery of health services, but presently in short supply everywhere, and acutely so in the black population/ communities.

John W. Gardner wrote, "What could be more satisfying than be engaged in work in which every capacity or talent one may have is needed, every lesson one may have learned is used, every value one cares about is furthered." Based upon this premise, the knowledge and quality of health care services provided by allied health professionals is predicated upon educating individuals that incorporate body, mind, and spirit. To this end, the Department of Allied Health Professions will be a beacon for health awareness. We envision educating a cadre of health professionals to assume roles of leadership in the community, be advocates for health legislation that will promote wellness, address emerging health issues and improve health on the local, state, and national level.

The function/purpose of the Department of Allied Health Professions is to train students to become professionals that can preserve, enhance, and promote the total well-being of humans. These qualities can be achieved by the restoration of functions, relief of pain, and prevention of illness and accidents along with the proper and accurate documentation of patient care. The training of students is achieved within the university as well as in the health care environment in which they plan to work upon graduation. The department, therefore, coordinates didactic with experiential learning at hospitals, nursing homes, health centers, health maintenance organizations, and insurance agencies to ensure a well-balanced and complete education.