About AHS

Our History:

The “Department of Medical Allied Health Professions” (DMAHP) was formally established as an academic department of the UNC School of Medicine in 1970. Prior to that year, allied health personnel training at UNC was conducted under the auspices of the North Carolina Memorial Hospital (NCMH), and was delivered by staff of individual clinical units within the hospital. Recognizing the need to separate these educational activities from the clinical service responsibilities of hospital personnel, the administration of the UNCMH and the UNC School of Medicine agreed to combine these separate training programs into one, academic department. In September, 1971, a total of 105 students were enrolled in this new department. The original DMAHP programs were medical technology, physical therapy, chaplaincy, cytotechnology, radiology technology, blood bank technology, and histopathology. In 1998 the Department's name was changed to the Department of Allied Health Sciences (DAHS). Today, the department enrolls nearly 400 students, and offers academic programs ranging from entry level, professional cetificates through advanced professional doctorates and research PhDs, in seven disciplinary Divisions: Clinical Laboratory Science, Cytotechnology, Occupational Science, Physical Therapy, Radiologic Science, Rehabilitation Counseling and Psychology, and Speech and Hearing Sciences.

Our Organization:

The DAHS is a department in the UNC School of Medicine, part of the Health Affairs division of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Chair of DAHS also serves as an Associate Dean of the Medical School. Each of the seven divisions in this department has a Division Director with administrative responsibility for all aspects of that division’s operation. In addition to the Chair/Associate Dean, the department’s administration includes an Associate Chair for Clinical Services, Associate Chair for Student Services, Development Director, and Assistant Chair for Finance & Administration.