Department of Health Care Sciences

Teachingwith creativity and dedication,
Healingwith quality and compassion,
Discoveringwith imagination and innovation

Welcome to the website of the Department of Health Care Sciences at The George Washington University. We invite you to browse our website to become better acquainted with the Department and all it has to offer.

The Department of Health Care Sciences is housed in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, which is an integral and vibrant unit within The George Washington University Medical Center.  The Department of Health Care Sciences is the academic home to the following programs: Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Emergency Health Services, Pharmacogenomics, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, and Sonography. Each program offers unique opportunities to engage in a course of study, either on campus or through distance learning, which will lead to the award of a certificate or to the granting of a baccalaureate, masters or clinical doctoral degree.

Being part of a major university medical center offers students the opportunity to study with faculty members who are experts in their field. Our faculty members are engaged in both the theoretical aspects of their profession through research, as well as the application of that theory through practice. The Department maintains a solid core of expert faculty members in each program, supplemented by expert clinicians from the many excellent clinics in the metropolitan DC area. While there is a strong commitment to scholarship and service, our faculty maintains its focus on teaching and a dedication to our students as first priority.  Students enjoy close professional relationships with faculty both inside and outside of the classroom.

Our health care system is changing rapidly. Providing high quality health care requires the dedication of a strong team of professionals. The Department of Health Care Sciences is committed to the development of dedicated professionals whocan assume an interdisciplinary approach. To fully leverage the skills of each health care professional for optimal patient care requires an intimate knowledge of the expertise of the entire health care team. The Department fosters this approach through its many interdisciplinary classroom and community service activities. 

The George Washington University provides unique opportunities to health care students as follows:

• The Department is housed in a state of the art facility within The George Washington University Hospital providing students with easy access to experienced clinicians at work. These clinicians share their expertise in the classroom and in the laboratory. The Department builds on this access to enhance its teaching strategies, from the traditional to the innovative. This include simulation laboratories, cadaver dissection, classroom and, on-line problem-based learning sessions.
• The Department is located at the doorstep of the capital: the center of health care policy making and advocacy. This provides students the opportunity to see the different professionals organizations in action and to experience policy making and advocacy at the national level.
• With its strong connection to the School of Public Health and Health Services, students in Department have access to a series of interdisciplinary lectures on such topics as global health, community health, and health policy. We also provide opportunities to engage in service learning activities, internships, and fellowships across the globe through the Office of Student Opportunities.
• The Department has strong ties with such world-renowned sites as the Federal Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, National Rehabilitation Hospital, and Children’s National Medical Center. These provide excellent opportunities for clinical and research internships for interested students. Students also have access to clinical facilities as far away as California and Australia. International internships can provide interested students with an authentic global perspective on health care.
• Finally, being part of a large university medical center provides a wealth of opportunities to interact with students from many disciplines. Being in the classroom or engaging in community service activities across disciplines naturally fosters team building, teaching, and leadership qualities within our students.  The Department believes that there is no better way to develop effective health care teams than to engage in interdisciplinary team activities.

We hope you find this site informative. We encourage you to contact us with any additional questions that might arise, and wish you the best of luck in the pursuit of your educational goals.