Vivian Sanchez, Chancellor & CEO, University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
In an interview with Invest:, Vivian Sanchez, chancellor and CEO of the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, highlighted the university’s growth in Texas, addressing critical health practitioner shortages. She emphasized innovative educational models, such as hybrid learning and immersive training as the university enables faster graduation rates and increased access through scholarships. Committed to community engagement, it offers pro bono clinics and partnerships while integrating social determinants of health into the curriculum.
Can you provide an overview of the University’s presence in the region?
The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) is the leading graduate health sciences university that specializes in addressing the healthcare practitioner shortages, which guided us to expand our presence in Texas. USAHS opened its Austin, Texas campus in 2012, which strongly impacted the University and its surrounding community, but then we started to assess things and began to understand the need was so significant here in North Texas. Texas ranks in the bottom 10%, which can even be considered 49th out of 50 states, for the supply of physical, occupational, and speech-language pathology therapists, making our presence here essential. Texas has a growing and aging population, exacerbating workforce shortages, so we decided to expand our campus footprint to Dallas in Las Colinas and help address these shortages.
Our Las Colinas campus recently celebrated its 5th anniversary, and in just this short amount of time, we have been able to make a tremendous impact in North Texas. We have almost 600 students, offer graduate programs in Physical Therapy (PT), Occupational Therapy (OT), and Speech-Language Pathology (SLP), and have over 450 graduates. As I reflect, that trajectory continues to be the same, and I only anticipate more growth for us.
What methods are you employing to graduate students quickly?
You cannot fill practitioner gaps with the same model and traditional way of viewing higher education because students are no longer traditional. At the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, there are students that like to come to the campus who are residential, but we also have hybrid students who come to campus for immersive experiences but take most traditional lectures online. Our innovation hubs offer tools like 3-D printers, Anatomage tables, and driving simulators to enrich hands-on clinical training. We also have weekend programs, which provide flexibility and allow students to continue working while earning their degrees. Within all that we have also shortened the curriculum and made sure it can be delivered to different types of students so it is accessible to them in various methods, and they can consume it in a way that works for them. For example, our Physical Therapy program is seven terms in length, and our weekend program is nine terms in length. Compared to the traditional nine-term programs, USAHS’ accelerated programs support student success and create a stronger, quicker pathway to the workforce.
How are you addressing affordability and access when it comes to education?
The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences offers academic performance-based scholarships and started a new program last year where we have given almost $1 million in additional scholarships during this time to 130 students. At the end of the day the value of education is important, but it has to still be accessible, otherwise the value is not perceived.
Can you speak to the expansion of your facility in Las Colinas?
We chose Las Colinas because our top priority is the safety and security of our students. We wanted to have an environment where they could feel comfortable coming and going from the campus. Another reason is the proximity to the metroplex’s two, main airports to accommodate those students who are flying in to attend the University. Given the impact we have been able to make thus far on the Las Colinas campus, we decided to further invest in the area with another $8.5 million in a new 55,050 sq. ft. space, which includes simulation centers, conference rooms, dining facilities, and a coffee bar. You walk in and it really feels like an acute care hospital setting.
Are there any plans for pro bono clinics or community service projects using your facilities?
Yes and yes. The University of St. Augustine for Health Science is deeply involved in its community through pro bono clinics and other activities. We recently hosted an innovation day where we showcased our latest technology that we are using to train our future healthcare professionals, in an effort to promote collaboration in the community. The way we view things is “how do all tides rise” and how do we work collaboratively so that faculty and students can be valuable.
We have two types of pro bono clinics on the Las Colinas campus; we have pro bono clinics on campus that are primarily occupational therapy based, but our students also go into the community. We have a partnership with Open Arms Health Clinic which is a great example of how we do a pro bono service for the benefit of the community. We also have virtual pro bono clinics. Our speech-language pathology students participate in our telehealth pro bono clinic where they provide speech therapy to underserved populations that don’t have access and can’t transport themselves.
Our pro bono clinics fulfill our mission in preparing students to be exceptional practitioners through real-world experiences. Pro bono clinics allow students access to diverse populations and offer them a better understanding of a wide range of patients from multiple backgrounds and identities.
How are you incorporating social determinants of health into the curriculum?
You can incorporate social determinants of health into the curriculum, which is conceptual, but it is another thing to make it practical in terms of outcomes for diverse populations. For USAHS, it is about being in different clinical placements and being able to do clinical research where students can get more involved in the outcomes of diverse communities. Capstone projects are also a requirement for our occupational therapy students. The capstone project is an opportunity for students to dive deeply into a topic that interests them within their field and allows them the opportunity to make a direct impact in the community. Our Summer ‘24 Occupational Therapy graduates completed various capstone projects revolving around adaptive sports, mental health in adolescents, injury prevention, supporting marginalized youths, and more.
What are your top priorities for the next two to three years?
I would love to see a world where we continue to have greater amounts of pro bono clinics and social activities. For the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, that is a major focus as we continue to build bridges into the community. We want to continue to enhance blended learning for our programs and focus on building stronger clinical partnerships. For most organizations and universities, when they talk about having a PT or OT class, it is made up of about 40 students. The fact that we have 600 students is really unique. We currently have over 1,043 clinical sites in Texas alone, ensuring our students have diverse and practical experiences. We are looking forward to seeing how we can leverage partnerships to further contribute to our mission.
Our vision also includes graduating students that are technologically literate and will be leading the healthcare of the future. Students use technology so frequently, so it is crucial that we continue weaving that into our curriculum. We all know that technologies are only as good as the moment we have them, but that is why we need literacy and critical thinking skills so that students can continue to adapt. Our Las Colinas campus will continue to lead in that space in both North Texas as well as Texas as a whole.
