Health Science Programs
Curing Diseases. Cultivating Health. Changing Lives.
We saw the need and responded to the call. Northeast Texas faces a healthcare shortage. Our mission is to improve healthcare availability and accessibility across the region. At A&M-Commerce, we're making this happen. Every day our students are making a difference in the world through caring for others. With our help, they'll not only save lives. They'll transform them.
Programs by Interest
A Note from President Rudin
Dear Lion Community,
I am pleased to present the long-awaited Nursing and Health Sciences Building on the campus of Texas A&M University-Commerce!
This beautiful facility will enable us to meet the growing healthcare needs in East Texas and beyond. Here, future healthcare leaders will learn life-saving skills in our Clinical Learning Center, and faculty will conduct leading healthcare research in our state-of-the-art laboratories.
The building's open-concept design places education on display and promotes a collaborative learning experience. Students will engage with peers using interactive elements, like writable whiteboard walls and tables, technology for connected group work sessions, and Active Learning Environment classrooms designed for high-impact education.
The clear glass exterior reminds us that our work doesn't end here. A&M-Commerce is not only committed to caring for our community, but also our state, nation and world. We are ready to partner with outside industries, healthcare providers and school systems to expand training programs, innovative research and community outreach.
A bright future lies ahead for A&M-Commerce. With our new Nursing and Health Science Building, we can ensure that A&M-Commerce will continue to produce leading educators and healthcare workers in the state of Texas.
Please stop by and tour the facility the next time you're on campus. You will be amazed!
Go Lions!
Health is more than a discipline. It's an integrated mission.
Opened in 2020, our Nursing and Health Science Building provides a collaborative space for innovation, growth and discovery. The three-story facility features a simulation hospital, teaching kitchen, laboratories and learning centers. You’ll have access to leading technology for conducting advanced research in public health, nursing, body mechanics, nutrition and wellness, and kinesiology.
What We Do
Five years ago, A&M-Commerce united together with a single purpose in mind: improving the healthcare of Northeast Texas. Together, the Department of Nursing, the Department of Health and Human Performance and the Biomedical Institute for Regenerative Research are making this happen.
A Once Broken Heart is Being Restored
Located in the new Health Science Center, the Biomedical Institute for Regenerative Research (BIRR) is a new venture of A&M-Commerce that discovers ways to reduce damage and restore hearts. While here, you'll work with a renowned team of scientists as you explore ground-breaking discoveries. We're paving the way in cardiac regenerative research. Are you ready to join?
Treating Patients, Caring for People
Healthcare continues to change. At A&M-Commerce, we're evolving with it. Our nationally recognized nursing program uses the latest technology to prepare our students for an ever-changing world. While here, you'll join a community of faculty and students who strive for excellence in nursing education, practice and administration. Discover how you can make a difference. Explore our nursing program today!
Transforming Lives in Commerce and Beyond
Improving rural health is our mission. You can help make this happen. Featured in our Nursing and Health Science Building, our Department of Health and Human Performance has one goal in mind: making a difference. Join our team as we discover new ways to prevent diseases, promote health and provide support. At A&M-Commerce, we’re paving the way to a better future within our community, country and world.
Faculty Spotlight
Student Profiles
Featured News
Community Food Drive Benefits A&M-Commerce Lion Food Pantry
A&M-Commerce student and Master of Public Health intern Alyssa Brimer, along with Assistant Professor of Health and Human Performance Dr. Katharine Halfacre, recently coordinated a food drive benefiting the Lion Food Pantry on campus. The drive netted 3,700 pounds of food donations. With the number of students seeking assistance from the pantry having doubled in […]
A&M-Commerce Kinesiology Student Discovers Career Focus as a Champion for Accessibility in Sports
Standing courtside at a recent unified basketball event hosted at Texas A&M University-Commerce, kinesiology student Katelyn Frisbie’s eyes light up as she cheers for both special education and general education students participating in the event. As an aspiring adapted physical education (PE) teacher, it’s an environment where she feels right at home. What is Adapted […]
A&M-Commerce Earns Third Consecutive Silver Distinction for Campus Wellness Efforts
Texas A&M-Commerce is one of only 145 universities and colleges worldwide recognized by Exercise is Medicine for its efforts to create a culture of wellness on campus. The Exercise is Medicine on Campus (EIM-OC) leadership team at A&M-Commerce—including Dr. Vipa Bernhardt, John McQuillan and graduate students Chaehyun Byun and Ernesto Balderrama—earned silver-level distinction for the […]
TAMUC Health and Human Performance Students Present at Regional Conference
Twelve students and three faculty from the Department of Health and Human Performance at A&M-Commerce attended and presented at the annual conference for the Texas chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine in Waco, Texas, Feb. 22-23. Marshall Tousant, Raquel Cavazos, Francesca Aquilino, Shelby Gerner, Austin Riffe, Ernest Balderrama, Chaehyun Byun and Cheyenne Martinez—all […]
Health and Human Performance Students Present at Social Change Conference
A&M-Commerce students from the Department of Health and Human Performance, guided by Assistant Professor Katharine Halfacre, presented an educational session titled “Roundtable: Perspectives on Women’s Health and Nutrition” at the Social Change Conference held on campus Feb. 20. The session addressed various topics related to health equity, including diet culture, eating disorders, women’s health programs, […]
A&M-Commerce Alum, Instructor Spearheads Changes to CFL Collective Bargaining Agreement
A&M-Commerce alum and instructor Dr. Brandy Runyan recently celebrated the culmination of a two-year effort to battle fraudulent practices targeting free agents in the Canadian Football League (CFL). Runyan, founder of Black Diamond PR & Sport Management Firm in Dallas, championed the addition of Article 28.1 to the CFL’s collective bargaining agreement, marking a big […]
A&M-Commerce Students Gain Skills for Healthy, Affordable Cooking
The Department of Health and Human Performance at A&M-Commerce, in conjunction with the Lions Coalition for Accessible Needs, recently hosted a seminar on healthy meal preparation in the testing kitchen within the Nursing and Health Sciences building on campus. More than 30 students attended the event, where Dr. Katharine Halfacre, assistant professor of nutrition, and […]
A&M-Commerce Nursing Instructor Inspires Students to Take Flight
Few roles in healthcare are as dynamic and demanding as that of a flight nurse. These dedicated professionals provide quick, specialized care to critical patients during emergency air transport. Brandy Estes worked as a flight nurse for seven years before joining the nursing faculty at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Recently, Estes reflected on the diverse background […]
TAMUC Nursing Student Enjoying Second Life After Championship Boxing Career
Former two-time world champion boxer and current A&M-Commerce nursing student Kaliesha West-Hoke was recently inducted into the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame. West-Hoke is the subject of a feature article published by the Herald-Banner in Greenville, Texas. She retired from boxing in 2018 to become a business owner and is now working toward her […]
A&M-Commerce Hosts Special Education Mini Field Day for Commerce ISD
Students of all abilities from Commerce ISD (CISD) and A&M-Commerce joined forces to facilitate a day of activities for students with disabilities on Friday, Sept. 29. In total, more than 50 CISD students attended with several teachers and staff members. General education students participated as peer mentors. Hosted in the Nursing and Health Sciences Building’s […]
Our Work Is Local, But Our Vision Is Global.
Whether here or abroad, we’re committed to improving the well-being of those around us. Graduates from A&M-Commerce have traveled around the world, bringing their knowledge and service with them. Through our shared vision of transforming lives, we are creating solutions to an ever-changing, ever-growing world.