Students gain knowledge and applied skills for careers that range from nursing and physician assistant roles to occupational and physical therapy
Lauren D’Arco ’25 chose to major in health science to pursue a career where she could serve others with science. But she never imagined she could help avert a public health crisis while still a student at Stonehill.
That’s exactly what D’Arco did as an intern with a health official in East Bridgewater, where she researched the potential health effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — known as “forever chemicals” — on a proposed development of 30 area homes. After D’Arco presented the hazards posed by PFAS found in the homes’ lots, the town of East Bridgewater voted to prohibit connecting these homes with well water, preventing unhealthy exposure for residents.
“After that experience, I found myself inspired to continue to make changes to better the public’s health and what I can do to help the environment,” explains D’Arco, who is now applying to graduate programs in public health.
D’Arco’s experience reflects just one of myriad avenues students pursue via the Health Science program, which provides the necessary knowledge and applied skills for a wide range of research and allied health careers — from nursing and physician assistant roles to occupational and physical therapy (OT/PT).
The common thread? “Students choose this major because its long-term focus is on working directly with people, delivering patient-centered care,” says Katharine M. Harris, assistant professor of health science and biochemistry and Health Science Department chair.
The opportunity to provide a vital, direct human service initially drew Grace Sanders ’22 to the Education Studies Department at Stonehill, until a sophomore-year epiphany suggested that a career combining her passion for fitness and nutrition could offer a better fit. Sanders approached Harris regarding the possibility of changing majors, and Harris helped her condense the necessary course and internship requirements for health science over the following two years.
“I had no idea if I could even make the switch work, but Professor Harris made it happen, and I somehow ended up taking even more than what was required, such as an advanced organic chemistry course,” notes Sanders. “That kind of support from professors is invaluable.”
Even with the condensed timeline, Sanders says she emerged from the program with the right foundation of essential knowledge to pursue a master’s degree in nutrition and dietetics at Boston University while also working as a dietetic technician at Boston Children’s Hospital, where she screens patients for nutrition risk.
The program gave me a broad and deep understanding of core science, When I read patient notes and consider how medication impacts a patient’s nutrition status, I can understand all of it because of what I learned in the classrooms and labs at Stonehill.
“The program gave me a broad and deep understanding of core science,” she says. “When I read patient notes and consider how medication impacts a patient’s nutrition status, I can understand all of it because of what I learned in the classrooms and labs at Stonehill.”
While graduate school is a necessary next step for most students seeking careers associated with the Health Science program, the curriculum — which includes 112 hours of internship experience — also prepares them to transition into a wide range of employment opportunities available immediately after Stonehill.
“The Health Science program gave me the background I needed to secure a number of offers from both clinical and basic science labs,” says Robert Murphy ’23, currently a research assistant at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester, who plans to begin medical school in the fall. “The professors and career development advisors were also supportive as I work through the process of applying to medical schools.”
Despite the groundbreaking advancements witnessed in modern health and medicine, the growing number of career opportunities available to health science majors connects back to something more elemental: the human experience. “Our program has a deep foundation in the physical sciences while also offering courses that examine what ‘health’ fundamentally means,” Harris says. “For example, an OT might support someone who wants to ride a bike again following an accident. That is about individual health — how we help people spend time doing what is healthy mentally and physically.”
In addition to readily available support through the Career Development team, students find help evaluating their next steps in the on-campus Pre-Health Society, which presents alumni speakers sharing their career pathways while offering CPR and basic life support certification, a prerequisite for many jobs and graduate programs.
Rachel McCarthy ’25 discovered additional extracurricular experience as president of the Pinky Swear Pack — which supports families of children diagnosed with cancer — and as a volunteer for Hope House, where she was paired with a neurodivergent individual to participate in various weekly social activities. “I’m very passionate about helping others. Volunteering and community service were a large part of my childhood and led me to this path toward a health care career.”
McCarthy completed her internship at NAPA Center, a world-renowned pediatric therapy clinic, and will begin a doctoral program in occupational therapy at the MGH Institute of Health Professions in the fall.
The compassion at the heart of her chosen career path is shared by students and alumni across the Stonehill Health Science program — no surprise at a college where service is a core value. “Nutrition affects everybody; we all have to eat,” notes Sanders. “I want to help people navigate toward optimal health through nutrition, so they can truly feel their best.”
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