Life-Changing Research
UCF is a hub for health and human performance research and innovation. Here, faculty members collaborate across disciplines — and offer unparalleled opportunities for student researchers — to accelerate diagnoses, advance medicine, improve patient outcomes and elevate quality of life.
Gregory Welch
AdventHealth Endowed Chair
in Healthcare Simulation
Innovating Learning for Real Life: A computer scientist and engineer, Gregory Welch was the first non-nurse faculty member to join UCF’s College of Nursing. As part of his pioneering research in healthcare simulation, he created the first physical-virtual patient — melding the physicality of a manikin with the versatility of virtual humans. His nationally acclaimed work has resulted in more than 25 patents at UCF.
Impact to Industry: Welch’s development of these simulation technologies has elevated the quality and capabilities of nursing education — not only at UCF, but also inspiring similar tech across the country. Having an interactive, human-like patient has vastly improved students’ opportunities to safely, realistically practice the interactions involved in the diagnosis and treatment of disease long before entering the field.
Ozlem Garibay
Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
Sudipta Seal
Department Chair of
Materials Science and Professor
Harnessing AI for Better Healthcare: Fueled by UCF’s opportunities for interdisciplinary discovery, researchers Sudipta Seal and Ozlem Garibay ’01MS ’08PhD, a UCF alum, created an Al-based prediction method that helps develop life-saving medicines and treatments for various diseases with up to 97% accuracy. Using a unique two-step approach, the method enhances drug design accuracy and efficiency when identifying critical protein binding sites.
Impact to Industry: This development can further help improve any deep learning-based prediction model and ultimately lead to quicker, lower-cost medication design. The goal is to provide the possibility for swift treatments, disease prevention and longer, healthier lives for patients.
Melanie Coathup
Lead of the Biionix Cluster and Professor of Medicine
A biomedical engineer, Melanie Coathup created groundbreaking technologies and therapies to protect and rebuild damaged bones from radiation — pivotal for cancer patients and space travelers alike.
Deborah Beidel
Executive Director of UCF RESTORES, and Trustee Chair and Pegasus Professor of Psychology
Reimagining Mental Health Support: An internationally recognized leader in traumatic stress research, Deborah Beidel leads UCF RESTORES — a clinical research center dedicated to changing the way PTSD is understood, diagnosed and treated. She and her team have pioneered advancements in trauma management using innovative technologies as part of an intensive outpatient program.
Impact to Industry: Beidel’s use of virtual reality to treat people with PTSD has led to the development of treatments that are two to three times more effective than standard psychological treatments. UCF RESTORES also recently launched the Resiliency Command Center — a first-of-its-kind mobile behavioral health facility that provides a safe environment for evidence-based care to first responders at the scenes of crises across Florida.
Ladda Thiamwong
Florida Blue Endowed Professor for Healthy Communities
Collaborating with psychology, kinesiology and engineering faculty and students, Ladda Thiamwong developed low-cost, portable technology to help reduce falls and fear of falling for older adults, and improve quality of life.
David Eddins
Professor of Communication
Sciences and Disorders
Advancing Hearing Tech and Diagnostics: A classical psychoacoustician and clinical audiologist, David Eddins is nationally regarded for his research addressing hearing impairments and discoveries leading to the improvement of diagnostic tools and hearing enhancement devices. He’s ramping up his pioneering work to develop assistive technology solutions that improve the quality of life for people with hearing challenges — and creating more effective tools for the clinicians treating them.
Impact to Industry: The developments taking place in Eddins’ newly created Communication Technologies Research Center have implications for children and adults facing hearing challenges that stem from trauma, disease and neurodevelopmental disorders — as well as people with age-related conditions and patients like professional singers or athletes who rely on voice, respiratory and speech health.
Simulation Centers of Excellence
Across health-related programs at UCF, our cutting-edge facilities provide realistic environments and clinical settings by leveraging innovative technologies to advance faculty research, enhance student education and improve patient outcomes. Explore some of our most significant centers of excellence in rehabilitation, medical and nursing simulation:
Reimagining
Rehabilitation Training
Health Professions and Sciences
At the Rehabilitation Innovation Center, BLISS (Blended Learning Interactive Simulation Suite) is an immersive, mixed reality space for both student learning and patient care. It’s used to facilitate practice of advanced techniques and train interdisciplinary healthcare teams in new procedures and protocols.
Preparing Future
Medical Professionals
Equipped with training simulators and medical manikins, the Clinical Skills and Simulation Center is used to teach students clinical assessment and intervention skills. It also provides space exclusively for faculty research and development in virtual reality and simulation technologies.
Innovating to Aid
Nursing Education
From simulated birth suites and pediatric-age manikins, to mock-ICU settings and more, the STIM (Simulation, Technology, Innovation and Modeling) Center creates a variety of evidence-based simulation experiences using real and simulated medical devices to prepare nursing students for clinical practice.
Leading the Charge in Healthcare Innovation
The UCF Academic Health Sciences Center is leading the way in healthcare education by bringing together various disciplines where faculty and students can focus on academics, research and practice. Comprised of the UCF Lake Nona Medical Center, the UCF Lake Nona Cancer Center, the College of Health Professions and Sciences, the College of Nursing and UCF Health, the center is a model for healthcare education in the 21st century. From nursing and biomedical sciences to athletic training and physical therapy, students have an opportunity to fulfill a number of careers within healthcare.
Our healthcare programs not only look at what students learn, but also how they learn. Through interprofessional education, students from each discipline collaborate together — gaining a better understanding of the various roles and scopes of practice within healthcare. This allows them to practice hands-on communication skills, develop mutual trust and respect, and provide quality patient care. For instance, nurses, pharmacists, physicians, social workers and therapists may work as part of a team to take what they have learned in the classroom and apply it to the real world. Upon completing their programs, each student will be prepared for the future of healthcare and serving the community through their work.
Medical school in U.S. to provide full scholarships to an entire class
Physical therapy ranks in the top 8% of programs nationally on first-attempt licensure pass rates
First-time pass rate on national nurse practitioner board certifications
Match rate of medical students in 2022 — significantly higher than the national rate of 93%
Residents and fellows currently training with UCF and HCA to help alleviate the state’s physician shortage
Clinical site affiliations where students earn clinical experiences
Top 15 Most Innovative University in the Nation
U.S. News & World Report ranks UCF as one of the most innovative in its annual list of best colleges.
Sport and Exercise Science Program
UCF’s Sport and Exercise Science doctoral program ranks 6th nationally by the National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK).
Best Online Nursing Programs
U.S. News & World Report ranked UCF No. 17 in Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs in the nation.
Best Healthcare Management Program
UCF is ranked No. 47 in Best Healthcare Management school in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
Institutes, Associations and Affiliations
- Aphasia House
- HCA Healthcare
- Legacy Pointe
- McCormick Research Institute
- NCH Healthcare System
- Provision Healthcare
- Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute
Companies Employing UCF Graduates
- AdventHealth
- Brooks Rehabilitation
- Central Florida Regional Hospital
- Heart of Florida
- Nemours Children’s Hospital
- Orange County Health Department
- Orange County Public Schools
- Orlando Health
- Osceola Regional Medical Center
- Select Medical
- Seminole County Public Schools
- United Cerebral Palsy
- Veterans Affairs Medical Center
The World’s First Large-scale System for Extended Reality Research
Researchers at UCF have achieved a groundbreaking milestone in the field of extended reality (XR) by developing the world’s first large-scale system for XR research. With the aim of enabling experimentation and collaboration among XR experts, this initiative has been led by UCF’s School of Modeling, Simulation and Training, paving the way for a brighter future in XR research.
The XR Collaboration and Learning Environment (XR-CLE) is a remarkable system that comprises advanced hardware and software components, enabling researchers to explore the endless possibilities of XR. This cutting-edge platform includes a high-performance computing cluster, a large-scale immersive display, motion capture equipment, and various other tools that empower researchers to create and manipulate virtual environments with unparalleled precision. With the XR-CLE, researchers can expect to break new ground in fields such as education, healthcare, and entertainment, opening up a world of limitless possibilities.
Health and Human Performance Degrees
As the health and human performance industry continues to evolve and change over time, UCF health and human performance programs keep students current with the latest techniques and curriculum — ensuring they are prepared from day one.
Bachelor’s Degrees
In-demand health and human performance bachelor’s degrees
Graduate Degrees
Best master’s health and human performance programs for advancement
Alternative Degrees
Various disciplines needed in the health and human performance industry
UCF Online Degrees
Nationally recognized fully-online health and human performance degrees
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