Department of Health Sciences

Health Sciences at Providence College
The Department of Health Sciences offers students comprehensive preparation for demanding careers in the healthcare industry, including health services management, health policy development, and public health practice. Additionally, the program provides a solid foundation for pursuing graduate education in clinical career settings. Students in the department are pursuing careers in physical therapy, nursing, athletic training, physician’s assistant, public health, social work, dietetics, and other healthcare professions.
We provide a distinctive training environment for individuals aspiring to lead in the development of healthier communities through professional practice, research, and service. Our science-based curriculum fulfills many graduate prerequisites while offering flexibility for elective coursework.
Our department emphasizes the importance of integrating theoretical knowledge with practical experience. To facilitate this, we offer a structured field placement during the senior year, providing students with the opportunity to develop and apply professional skills under the guidance of both industry professionals and faculty supervisors.
Department of Health Sciences
Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm
Mondor Center – First Floor
hsc@providence.edu
Health Care Club:
The Health Care Club is officially recognized and funded by Providence College’s Student Congress and convenes regularly throughout the academic year. The club organizes a variety of events, including career panels featuring physical therapists, community walks, and fundraising activities.
Additionally, the club participates in outreach initiatives such as writing letters to Hasbro Children’s Hospital, assembling care packages, and raising funds to support research and awareness for various diseases and conditions.
For more information or to become involved, please contact Dr. Brett Ely at bely@providence.edu.
DEGREE PROGRAMS
B.S. Health Sciences
The health sciences degree program is a diverse area of study involving a variety of disciplines that contribute to the science and practice of healthcare. Students are exposed to an array of courses that include chemistry, microbiology, human anatomy and physiology, biostatistics, and psychology. Additionally, students have opportunities to study various topics in-depth, including health and society, data science, medical technology, public health, epidemiology, and more. This dynamic curricular and cross-disciplinary approach prepares students for a wide range of clinical and non-clinical careers and graduate study in several health-related fields.
This pre-requisite review by our Health Professions Advising team demonstrates course requirements that align with graduate degree programs sought by students pursuing careers in health care.
B.S. Health Policy and Management
The HPM program prepares students for positions in health services management, health policy-making, and public health practice, and provides a strong foundation for graduate study. Required coursework builds on the student’s liberal arts background and fosters the value of an interdisciplinary approach to the study of health and healthcare. It seeks to develop future decision-makers and leaders who will navigate the complexities of the healthcare system with competence and compassion.
Spanish Minor for Health Professions
A minor in Spanish Minor for Health Professions is offered to students within the School of Nursing and Health Sciences and students in complementary disciplines like biology or social work. The coursework provides a combination of language and culture studied through didactic classes along with immersive “real world” opportunities in community-based medical settings where there will be significant interaction with patients and health care professionals. This blended experience will have a transformational impact on students, and the patients, families, and communities they will serve.
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

Apply for an undergraduate research grant of up to $2,500.

Gain on-site, hands-on practice through the department’s required field experience course (HPM/HSC 450).

Participate in a summer, semester, or full-academic year study abroad or domestic study away experience.
FACULTY
Our faculty are scholars who have earned doctoral degrees from Brown, Harvard, Miami University, Northeastern, SUNY Binghamton, UConn, University of Cincinnati, Yale, and other prominent institutions.
IN THE NEWS
AFTER PC
Graduates of the Department of Health Sciences work in many different areas both within and outside of the health care industry. This page provides an overview of various career options for Health Sciences majors and offers background information on the roles and tasks associated with different career options, along with a brief discussion of relevant graduate school programs for each career path. Please note, however, that the career/graduate school options discussed below are intended as a representative sample, rather than an exhaustive list, of possibilities for graduates.
97%
of 2021 – 2025 health sciences graduates are employed and/or attending graduate school
75%
are employed only
15%
are attending school 0nly
7%
are employed and attending school
Due to rounding, some totals may not correspond with the sum of the separate figures.
Selected Places of Employment/Service
3M
Aon
APEX Behavioral Consulting, LLP
Aspire Dermatology
Atrius Health
Barton Associates
Benefit Strategy Partners, LLC
Berkshire Health Systems
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Beth Israel Lahey Health
Bierman Autism Centers
BlackRock
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island
Boston Benefit Partners
Boston Children’s Health Physicians
Boston Children’s Hospital
Boston Consulting Group
Boston Scientific
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Brown & Brown
Butler Hospital
Cape Cod Healthcare
Catholic Health
CDR Insurance
CityMD
ClinCrowd
CVS Health
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
DataDog
DaVita Kidney Care
Deloitte
ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group
Elite BioPharma Consulting
eternalHealth
Everest Re
Fidelity Investments
Foley Hoag LLP
Garden State Urology LLC
Granite Telecommunications
Guidepoint
HealthEdge
Hilb Group
Johnson & Johnson Vision
Lifespan
Marsh McLennan Agency
Mass General Brigham
Massachusetts General Hospital
Maxim Healthcare
Medically Home
MEDITECH
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Mercer
Mount Desert Island Hospital
N1 Health
NFP
Northwell Health
NYU Langone Health
Ophthalmic Consultants of Connecticut
Orange County Ophthalmology Medical Group
Overture Partners
Pediatric Healthcare Associates
Pediatrix Medical Group
Pfizer
Physicians’ SurgiCenter
Pioneer Valley Plastic Surgery
Porter Novelli
Pri-Med
PwC
Ratio Therapeutics
Rhode Island Blood Center
South Shore Health
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Tufts Medical Center
UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealthcare
Veeva Systems
Willis Towers Watson
Selected Graduate Schools
Boston College
Boston University
Brandeis University
Brown University
Cornell University
Columbia University
Dartmouth College
Emory University
Endicott College
Fordham University
George Washington University
Johns Hopkins University
Molloy University
New England College of Optometry
New York University
Northeastern University
Providence College
Rhode Island College
Robert Morris University
Saint Leo University
Salve Regina University
St. John’s University
Suffolk University
Trinity College Dublin
Tulane University
University of Connecticut
University of Hartford
University of Iowa
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Yale University
ADDITIONAL CONTACT INFORMATION
Dr. Todd Olszewski
Chair, Associate Professor
Howley Hall 201
401-865-1217
tolszews@providence.edu
Nicole R. Garofalo
Administrative Coordinator
Howley/Service 229
401-865-2370
ngarofal@providence.edu