John G. Rangos, Sr. School of Health Sciences

Mission

The Rangos School of Health Sciences faculty will educate ethical healthcare professionals to engage and serve diverse local and global communities to advance person-centered healthcare. In the spirit of Duquesne University, moral, ethical and spiritual values support the scientific and philosophic underpinnings of all Rangos School of Health Sciences curricula. Students will be provided with opportunities and experiences to foster the development of comprehensive knowledge for practice in health care, education, and other professional settings. This knowledge will support advanced graduate education and scholarship. Graduates from the Rangos School of Health Sciences will be culturally-competent health science professionals who demonstrate competence, leadership, expertise, and a profound moral/ethical respect for their patients/clients, professional colleagues, and the general public.

Philosophy

The RSHS was founded in concert with the educational philosophy and objectives of Duquesne University. Students in the RSHS are exposed to a broad liberal arts education with emphasis on understanding the scientific, theoretical and theological constructs of the world. The academic programs focus on the scientific theories, which support the skilled ethical practice of the various professions, coupled with a strong appreciation and understanding of spiritual values. In recent years, health care in the United States has seen a transition to massive, complex health care delivery systems, which offer society choices to receive health care. A mixture of generalists and specialists practice in this sophisticated system to meet the growing health service demands of our society. To integrate our graduates into this system, the academic programs in the RSHS instill in-depth scientific and theoretical knowledge of health care practice, enhanced by a rich infusion of moral and spiritual values, necessary to prepare our graduates to be competent health care professionals. Through this preparation, students are encouraged to become cognizant of the needs of their patients/clients, their colleagues, and the health care systems in which they practice. Students are also required to develop an understanding of the necessity for on-going research and are prepared to advance the bodies of knowledge in their respective professions through their research efforts. All aspects of the students' education are coupled with an awareness and sensitivity of the human response to the functional limitations in various social and health care delivery contexts. The ultimate goal of the educational programs within the RSHS at Duquesne University is to educate truly outstanding health care professionals and citizens capable of explaining, investigating, and delivering the highest level of quality care with kindness, dignity, responsibility, and respect.

History

The Rangos School of Health Sciences has a distinguished history -- On January 29, 1990, Dr. John E. Murray, Jr., then President of Duquesne University, announced that the John G. Rangos, Sr. School of Health Sciences was being created to "graduate professionals who will provide assistance to people in maintaining their physical well-being. It will make them more self-sufficient physically and provide great hope for their futures. It meets an overwhelming societal need and it enlarges opportunities for students at Duquesne. In serving the citizens of Western Pennsylvania and our students, this initiative is precisely in accordance with the purposes of Duquesne University." The Rangos School of Health Sciences was Duquesne's first new School since 1937.

On March 18, 1991, Mr. John G. Rangos, Sr., President and Chief Executive Officer of Chambers Development Company, Inc.; The John G. Rangos Charitable Foundation; and the Chambers Development Charitable Foundation, made a major gift to Duquesne University in support of the School of Health Sciences. In recognition of that gift, Dr. Murray announced the School would be named the John G. Rangos, Sr. School of Health Sciences (RSHS).

In September 1991, the first freshmen were admitted to the athletic training, health management systems, occupational therapy, perfusion technology, physical therapy and physician assistant programs; students were also admitted into the professional phase of the physical therapy program. In May 1992, the professional/accredited phase of the physician assistant program was initiated and in September 1992, the professional phase of the athletic training and occupational therapy programs were implemented. In September 1993, the health management systems professional phase was implemented. During the 1993-1994 academic year, the RSHS became fully operational. Approximately 700 students were enrolled from the freshman year through the fifth year of the entry-level master's degree programs. In September 1996, the first freshmen were admitted into the speech-language pathology program. In September 1998 the professional phase of the speech-language pathology program was inaugurated. In May 2002, the last class of perfusion technologists graduated from the perfusion technology program. The Department of Engineering joined the School on July 1, 2019.

Duquesne University is proud of its association with regional health care organizations which provide unique clinical experiences for health sciences students. In addition, many private practitioner groups have contributed significantly to the development of the RSHS. A complete listing of RSHS clinical affiliation sites is available in the Office of the Dean.