Institute for Health Studies

The Adrian College Institute for Health Studies supports students from any major in securing:

• a broad core knowledge of health care, and the issues faced in its delivery,
• a deep understanding of how a liberal arts education affects and benefits scientific analysis, patient service and health policy,
• awareness of future alternatives, and the insight essential to accurately focus personal academic interests and career selection,
• a wide range of experiential learning opportunities in health care,
• a structure for exploring global health issues through service learning around the world, and to experience health services as they are now delivered in underserved rural and urban areas of the United States, and
• support for research initiatives that will sharpen their skills in analysis.

A key mission of the Institute for Health Studies is to position our students to secure their academic, professional and personal goals. To accomplish this result, we seek opportunities for our scientific and liberal arts constituents to inform each other, for students to develop the capacity for innovation, to practice critical assessment of risk and intelligent risk taking, and to find that combination of focus and flexibility that permits life and career satisfaction.

Delivery of health care, research in the life sciences and development of innovative biomedical technologies are broadly understood as complex tasks requiring concrete skills. The technical skills on which these services depend are, however, only one component of quality care.

These skills are best applied by an individual who habitually connects ideas across disciplines, who extends critical analysis to each task, who communicates effectively within and across cultures, and who is skilled in written communication – in short, the precise capacities one acquires in a quality liberal arts education.

More than 50% of our 2008 entering freshmen express an academic or career interest in life science and health related fields – yet, they have enrolled at a liberal arts college. Simply stated, our students understand that a technical degree would provide only one skill set. Given the pace of technological and social change in their lives, they know intuitively that a liberal arts education is a valuable commodity. Some of our current students will work in roles we cannot imagine today, and they will need every skill we can provide to build a sustainable and creative future. The Adrian College Institute for Health Studies anticipates this future.