This fall semester, Antioch University is welcoming the inaugural class of the new MS in Allied Health—the first new program to launch as a result of the partnership between Antioch, Otterbein University, and Coalition for the Common Good. The program, which is offered entirely online and asynchronously, is a transformative opportunity for students to explore the wide variety of career paths available throughout the healthcare industry.
Gifty Akomea Key, the Program Chair, explains that Allied Health is often considered the “catch-all” field because it encompasses many of the career options in healthcare outside of medicine and nursing. “Most people automatically think doctor or nurse, but that’s not the only place… you do not have to go to medical school to make a difference,” she explains. “We have administrators, we have program managers, we have community health workers, we have the planners, the executives, the directors, that are all doing the good work.”
Addressing Critical Gaps in Healthcare
The launch of the Allied Health program comes at a pivotal time in the healthcare sector, as demand increases for leadership, management, healthcare administration, and other adjacent careers. “Maybe you want to be an athletic trainer, helping people to maintain their physical health,” explains Key. Or a student might want to go into health administration. As she explains, “There are so many areas that we do not recognize that require this health degree, and so our job is to not only prepare and train but introduce students to it all.”
The numerous directions students can take with an Allied Health degree lend themselves well to the mission of the Coalition for the Common Good—the university system consisting of both Antioch and Otterbein University. The Coalition for the Common Good (CCG) has a shared commitment to collaboration and prioritizes hands-on, applicable learning. This approach, a central component of CCG, is baked into the Allied Health degree.
What sets the Antioch degree program apart from other Allied Health programs is its innovative, detail-oriented, and multidisciplinary approach to education. “I have uniquely handpicked each faculty member to ensure that all of us have different experiences in the healthcare, corporate, and research systems,” explains Key. This ensures that each professor represents a different perspective and career history within general healthcare.
In addition, students can choose a concentration in either Exercise and Health Science or Healthcare Administration in order to tailor the Allied Health experience to align with students’ particular career goals. Even more notable is the option for students to take courses outside of their department and across disciplines throughout Antioch and the broader CCG. Key explains, “This program specifically and uniquely collaborates with other programs to allow for students to explore their unique skill set. In other words, students are able to specifically fit their aspirations into their master’s program.”
An Experienced, Multidisciplinary Leader
Key comes to Antioch with decades of experience in the New York City public health sector. Her career began as a New York City health inspector. In that organization, she eventually worked her way up to the position of Assistant Director of Staff Development. Eventually, though, she decided to pivot into education.
“I loved what I did,” Key says. “But it was important for me to get deeper and to perhaps go a little further back. I wanted to impact public health on a macro level, as well as educate and train. So that’s why I shifted into academia.”
Once making the transition to academia, Key worked in both faculty and administrative positions, most recently as Chair of the Health and Exercise Science Department at Cabrini University. And with an undergraduate degree in Allied Health herself, Key comes to Antioch with a desire to propel the field forward.
“This program is fresh and innovative,” says Key. “It’s taking what I’ve done and going even further. And I’m really, really excited to be part of this new perspective of ensuring that we are training and educating health professionals on a more just and equitable approach to healthcare.”
