St. Davids, PA: Eastern University is pleased to announce that Dr. Patricia Reger has been named Dean of the College of Health and Social Sciences (CHeSS). After serving as Interim Dean since January 2016, Dr. Reger was appointed as permanent Dean in March and officially assumes the position on July 1, 2017.
The CHeSS is one of the newly formed colleges at Eastern University, within it there are a variety of health and wellness and social science majors available for study. The undergraduate programs included in the college are Athletic Training, Exercise Science, Criminal Justice, Missiology and Anthropology, Nursing, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology and Social Work. The Graduate programs available include Counseling Psychology, Marriage and Family (DA/PhD), International Development, Theological and Cultural Anthropology, School Health Services and Urban Studies.
As Dean, Dr. Reger plans to move the College forward by developing programs that will bolster academic success and strong Christian leadership as well as creating external partnerships that will provide students with an enhanced academic experience and opportunities for growth outside the classroom.
“I am honored to accept this position and look forward to working closely with students, faculty, staff and community partners to prepare the next generation of health and social science professionals to positively impact individuals and communities,” she said of receiving the new position.
Dr. Reger moves into the position with many years of academic, clinical and administrative experience. She received a BS and MS in Physical Therapy as well as a PhD in Kinesiology from Temple University. She has been in higher education for over seventeen years and joined Eastern in 2006. Her roles at Eastern currently include Professor of Exercise Science, Chair of the Department of Kinesiology and the Director of the Exercise Science program. Prior to joining Eastern, Dr. Reger was an Instructor in the Physical Therapy program at Temple University.
Licensed in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, she has twenty-eight years of experience in clinical physical therapy practice in multiple clinical environments. Working in a self-employed capacity she serves as a consultant for the evaluation and treatment of pelvic and foot and ankle dysfunction. She has also worked at Temple Sports Medicine Center, Rehab Station, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center and Abington Memorial Hospital.
Dr. Reger has presented and published research in the cardiovascular benefits of exercise training, with recent works including poster and platform presentations, original research in journals such as the Journal of Applied Physiology and the American Journal of Physiology Heart and Circulatory Physiology, and recent abstracts published in the International Journal of Exercise Science. Dr. Reger has also conducted student guided research.
Her administrative experience encompasses both the academic and clinical settings and while at Eastern she has served on many committees covering the areas of search, personnel, admissions and accreditation and has most recently served as Co-Chair of the Organizational Design Task Force and the Organizational Design Oversight Committee.
