Photo by Dan Aguirre

Dear Friends,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and good spirits. We have experienced a year filled with uncertainty and upheaval—although not without hope—making healthcare, research, and education especially vital.

At Boston University and Sargent College, we quickly shifted to a remote learning format in March. I am proud to say the Sargent community rose to the challenge of the University’s flexible Learn from Anywhere plan, due in no small part to the dedication of our students, as well as exceptional faculty, academic counselors, and well-established digital learning capabilities.

Digital engagement through telehealth has also been surprisingly effective in our academic clinical centers. Providing clinical services in physical therapy, nutrition counseling, and speech therapy via telehealth enabled existing patients and clients to maintain and advance their treatment progress. A surprising benefit has been our clinicians’ enhanced insight into patients’ daily environments, which has reinforced our ability to adapt treatment to specific needs and to reach even greater levels of patient/client centeredness. And as social distancing protocols keep us physically safe, isolation has had an inevitably negative impact on our mental health. Assistant professor Dan Fulford’s timely research studies loneliness and how smartphones can help the socially disconnected to reconnect.

While we worked as an institution to address and overcome the challenges posed by COVID-19 on campus, our students and alumni discovered new opportunities to support current and new patients and programs all across the country. From managing testing sites to contact tracing to overseeing the nutritional needs of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, our Sargent community has been—and continues to be—on the front lines of this pandemic.

The past year also shined an overdue and painful light on the inequities in our healthcare system and, more broadly, the systemic racism and unconscious bias that pervade our institutions. Leanne Yinusa-Nyahkoon, clinical assistant professor of occupational therapy, has dedicated her career to understanding health disparities in Black communities. Most recently, her research has focused on addressing adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes affecting Black women.

While we navigate these unprecedented times, it is important to celebrate successes when they happen. U.S. News & World Report released its updated graduate best health schools rankings in March. Our occupational therapy program was recognized once again as #1 in the nation, speech-language pathology improved its ranking to #10, and physical therapy remains a top-tier program at #20. We are now the only university in New England to have three programs in the top 20 on their respective lists.

Next year, Sargent celebrates 140 years since its founding in 1881. Throughout our history, we’ve pursued innovative academic and clinical programs, developed cutting-edge research, and attracted standout faculty. This year, we introduced our third named professorship, aptly named for our founder, Dudley Allen Sargent. And while much has changed in the last 140 years, we remain committed to the same values Sargent advocated when he founded our college more than a century ago—improving the health of all individuals by driving innovations in health and ensuring healthcare equity and access for all.

Best wishes,

Christopher A. Moore
Dean and Professor