Measurable Momentum: CHS Highlights from Dean Kruse's First Year
Published October 6, 2026
By Darlene Muguiro
UTEP College of Health Sciences
First Year, Measurable Momentum: UTEP College of Health Sciences Adds Two Degree Programs, Guarantees Internships and Expands Research Under Dean Kruse
A college-wide strategic plan, a bachelor's in communication sciences and disorders, an online Master of Social Work program, and a first-of-its-kind stewardship initiative for community leaders and partners mark C. Scott Kruse's first 12 months as dean.
One year after C. Scott Kruse, Ph.D., became dean of The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) College of Health Sciences, the College has adopted a new strategic plan, won approval for two degree programs aimed at regional shortages, secured an agreement that guarantees annual internships with the city’s professional soccer team, and increased external grant submissions by 11%.
"When I arrived, I asked the faculty, staff and students what this College should look like in 10 years, and then we started building it," Kruse said. "A year later, we have a plan the whole College wrote together, two new degrees, and a partnership that will provide annual placements with a professional soccer team. That is not a vision statement. That is a schedule."
Two new degrees and certificate program for a Health Professional Shortage Area
The College launched a new online Master of Social Work in summer 2025 and plans to begin a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders in January 2027. Both respond to documented health professional shortages: El Paso County has roughly 42 speech-language pathologists per 100,000 residents, compared with 61 statewide, and is also officially designated a mental health professional shortage area, with approximately 1,300 residents per each licensed clinical social worker.
The SLP bachelor’s program will create a direct pathway into UTEP's existing master's program in speech-language pathology and into the region's schools, clinics and hospitals, while the online Master of Social Work will complement the traditional in-person MSW option and significantly expand the number of students in the region’s pipeline within the field. The program is also responding to growing state and national trends, with future social work professionals seeking online training in lieu of on-site options, and has exceeded enrollment expectations with a combined group of 50 students in the first and second cohorts.
In addition to planning and launching two new degrees in the 2025-26 academic year, the College announced an online Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Administration, creating a new opportunity for students to pursue specialized graduate study in the field. The program’s first cohort of four students is on track to earn the credential in Fall 2026. Additional scholarship opportunities were offered to support these students during their spring and summer terms as they progressed toward completion. A proposal for a complete Master of Healthcare Administration degree is in development.
Professional sports medicine internships and plans for a public rehabilitation clinic
UTEP Athletics has committed annual sports-medicine placements with the El Paso Locomotive, FC. The agreement will provide a pipeline of practitioners for El Paso’s professional Division II soccer team.
As a complement to its new academic programs and internships, the College is working to develop a publicly accessible rehabilitation clinic within its Rehabilitation Sciences Complex, where occupational therapy and physical therapy students can practice their clinical skills onsite under the supervision of licensed professionals. Under Dr. Kruse’s leadership, the College completed a major preliminary step in the planning process, obtaining approval for access to a HIPAA-compliant SAAS EMR (electronic medical record) system. The EMR will be used to manage data for patients who will visit the clinic to receive care from students, also under the guidance of licensed physical and occupational therapists.
Research and faculty
The College submitted 51 external grant proposals in Kruse's first year, up from 46 the prior year, and was awarded $5.3 million in new funding. Faculty published 90 peer-reviewed articles, with new work concentrated in artificial intelligence and the healthcare workforce, digital health, cybersecurity in health systems, and population health along the U.S.–Mexico border.
Kruse, whose own research in health informatics and digital health was cited more than 3500 times in 2025 and 2026 – placing him in Stanford’s Top 2% Scientists Worldwide – recruited 10 faculty members: Asghar Abbasi (Regents Research Assistant Professor, Kinesiology); Ahmad Alkhatib (Regents Research Excellence Professor, Kinesiology); Karla Armendariz (Assistant Professor, Speech-Language Pathology); Nicholas Buoncristiani (Assistant Professor, Kinesiology); Lailani Chehedeh (Clinical Instructor, Speech-Language Pathology); Anirban Dutta (Regent’s Research Excellence Professor, Physical Therapy); Naomi Fertman (Visiting Assistant Professor, Public Health); Cesar Melo-Silva (Associate Professor, Physical Therapy); Jessica Nakos (Clinical Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy); and Rita Ruelas (Clinical Assistant Professor, Social Work).
"At the Table with Dean Kruse"
To connect the College to the organizations that hire its graduates, Kruse created "At the Table with Dean Kruse," a series of working sessions with health systems, public agencies, nonprofits and industry. In its first year, the series convened 13 sessions, including meetings with leadership from the Meadows Institute for Mental Health, Paso del Norte Health Foundation, WestStar Bank, and Workforce Borderplex Solutions, among others. Discussions centered around identifying opportunities to support student success and broader community health, strengthening the College of Health Science’s student pipeline, and raising awareness of the College’s role in preparing future health professionals and addressing community needs around health and quality of life.
Student success
Fall 2026 enrollment in the College rose by 10% from 2025, reaching 2,348 students; first-year retention reached 89%; and 418 students received $1.3 million in scholarships, nearly double the amount received in the prior academic year. Graduate employment rates in the Clinical Laboratory Science, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences PhD, and Doctor of Physical Therapy programs remained at 100%.
Strategic plan
The College adopted its strategic plan in August 2026 after a process that drew 18 faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members into four working sessions. The plan sets five priorities through 2031: student success, research excellence, workforce development, community impact and strategic partnerships, each with measurable targets developed by the departments and programs that the College will report annually.
“The College of Health Sciences is central to UTEP's mission as an anchor institution in the Paso del Norte region, and it is great to see it translating that mission into measurable benefits for our students and the community. By expanding academic pathways, strengthening clinical and community partnerships, and advancing research that addresses local health needs, the College is preparing graduates to serve our community while building a healthier future,” said Dr. John Wiebe, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
"None of this was mine alone," Kruse said. "The faculty who wrote the proposals, the staff who built the partnerships, and the students who show up every day to become the clinicians and public health leaders El Paso needs — they are the story. My job was to make sure the table was set and clear the obstacles."
About the UTEP College of Health Sciences
The College of Health Sciences at The University of Texas at El Paso enrolls 2,340 students in 12 undergraduate and graduate programs in clinical laboratory science, interdisciplinary health sciences, kinesiology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, public health, rehabilitation sciences, social work, and speech-language pathology. The College engages in interdisciplinary and cross-border research, teaching relevant courses and engaging students in initiatives designed to examine and address some of the most pressing health challenges that our local and global communities face.
