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Research, Partnerships & Service: Health Data Science for Positive Change

The College of Health augments Lehigh’s research strengths and interdisciplinary approach to address critical needs in health and health care, domestically and abroad.

Research with Impact

Through innovative inquiry and the design and development of health technology, Lehigh is positioned to advance the body of research in population health. Cornerstones of this effort include the creation of the Population Health Data (PHD) Warehouse, a constellation of curated data resources ranging from restricted government data in secure computing facilities to large, linked, open public data resources to a biospecimen repository. State-of-the-art resources such as data visualization, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality labs will be available to faculty and students as they conduct cutting-edge research and projects.

With world-class faculty and strong external partnerships, Lehigh is poised to have a major impact through research and innovation. Lehigh is competitive in external research funding, a crucial and reliable partner in contracts, and a source for innovative private ventures.

Partnerships for Positive Change

The College of Health will infuse innovation and technology into teaching, research and practice. Through partnerships, the College will be able to build sustainability and influence the health and well-being of local, national and global communities.

The College of Health drives innovation and technology development through robust partnerships with government, industry and nonprofit organizations. Leading technology companies, venture capital and established health care organizations are actively seeking academic partners to pursue innovative projects that will change the face of health and health care. Lehigh embraces these partnerships in a program of rigorous scholarship and innovation.

We will partner across all Lehigh colleges and collaborate with health networks, community organizations and governmental agencies locally, state-wide, nationally and globally. These vital partnerships will create experiential learning opportunities for our students to positively impact decision-making and improve the health of our community. Moreover, these partnerships will allow faculty to engage in important collaborative research, which in turn will help our partners better understand the health and well-being of their population.

A Commitment to our Community

The College of Health will infuse innovation and technology in teaching, research and service. The College is committed to improving the health and well-being of the people of the Lehigh Valley, as well as communities across the country and around the world. This commitment allows students and faculty to actively engage with community partners and residents to better understand the factors impacting their health and ways we can support the work already being pursued to address health disparities and improve health equity. Community engagement will be bi-directional and occur within projects, research, forums, summits, and support of community sponsored events. Through partnerships and associated funding, the College will build sustainability and influence the health and well-being of local, national, and global communities.

An early platform for bi-directional dialogue and partnerships launches with the inaugural Community Health Summit in the fall of 2020, when representatives from Lehigh, local community members and key stakeholders of community-based organizations explore what engagement with the College of Health can look like. During the summit, Lehigh leadership will share its vision for dynamic collaborations among students, faculty, and community and industry partners in the new Health, Science and Technology building. The annual summits will host ongoing conversations, refreshing Lehigh’s local service initiatives with current community needs, priorities and partners.

Research Resources

Lehigh’s state-of-the-art Health, Science and Technology building will be rich with research resources including: