The College of Health and Human Services at Western Michigan University is at the forefront of impactful research initiatives, contributing significantly to advancements in the fields of allied health and human services. Located in the heart of Kalamazoo, Michigan, the College of Health and Human Services places a strong emphasis on research that addresses societal challenges and promotes the well-being of individuals and our local communities. Faculty members engage in cutting-edge research across various disciplines, including but not limited to public health, nursing, social work and rehabilitation counseling. Collaborative projects and interdisciplinary approaches are encouraged, fostering a dynamic research environment. Students actively participate in research endeavors, gaining valuable hands-on experience and contributing to the generation of new knowledge.
The College of Health and Human Services is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of research— ultimately making a positive and lasting impact on the health and welfare of diverse populations. It is through our research initiatives that our local communities have access to cutting edge technology to improve their health and quality of life. And it will only be by creating new partnerships and strengthening our current ones that we will be able to continue our mission.
In pursuance of our goals, the College of Health and Human Services at Western Michigan University is fortunate to count with the expertise of 90+ researchers, eight active research-dedicated laboratories and a fully dedicated auxiliary clinical unit responsible to provide all necessary logistics for clinical research, delivery of clinical care to our local community and training to our next generation of health care providers—the Unified Clinics. At this point in time, we would like to share with you some of our current initiatives and, most importantly, our planning for the future.
Currently, we look for partnerships to the main areas of interest listed below. Note that these areas encompass a broad spectrum of interests but all focus on the progression of science while allowing our community to have access to our developments and expertise.
• Neurological and Neuromuscular Conditions (diseases and trauma)
• Addiction and substance abuse
• Aging
• Speech, Language and Hearing research
• Wellness, prevention, and social health
• Human resilience
• Bioinformatics and epidemiology
• Cardiovascular diseases
• Orthopedic conditions (diseases and trauma)
Please join us in our endeavors by helping our college’s development either as an investigator, a sponsor, a clinician, or a student intended to make our community a better place to all by emailing us at chhs-officeofresearch@wmich.edu.
We are proud of our research and service accomplishments, and as a student here, you will work with faculty members on research and scholarly activities to make a significant contribution to health and human services disciplines.
Social Work Professor awarded a $2.3 million Opioid Impacted Family Support Grant
The Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded an Opioid Impacted Family Support four year $2.3 million grant to Western Michigan University under Principal Investigator, Dr. Jennifer Harrison. The Supporting Underserved Peer Professionals in Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) program will address the shortage of peer professionals trained to work with Michiganders with Opioid Use Disorders. SUPPORT will provide three main components to up to 24 peers/year:
- Coursework in WMU’s SPADA program
- On-demand trainings and
- Peer professional mentoring.
Over two years of participation, peers throughout the state will be eligible for $17,500 in tuition remittance and stipends. Professional development will be monitored using Goal Scaling Solutions, a secure digital outcome measurement. With capacity and successful completion of all objectives with previously funded HRSA MY-PROUD and I-PEER programs, and partnerships with Recovery Institute of Southwest Michigan and individual peer professional content experts, the SUPPORT team is prepared to offer this same expertise in supporting the peer professional workforce in Michigan to enable their work with individuals and families coping with Substance Use Disorders.
Student Research Highlights
Aiding Local Classrooms
Under the direction of the Resiliency Center at the Unified Clinics, occupational therapy students assist teachers and staff at local, underprivileged elementary school. Working together, WMU students are able to ease the stress of teachers while giving valuable, one-on-one time to elementary kids who are struggling or academically falling behind.
Serving Rural Communities
CHHS students across multiple disciplines examined examples of interdisciplinary workforce development programs in non-urban Southwest Michigan. With the use of digital telehealth tools, they expanded access to social work and case management for residents in rural areas.
Student Projects
- Fall prevention culture
- Blood pressure and hypertension
- Geriatric populations
- Human postural sway and falling
And more!
Student Funding
Finding funds to support your research is a critical part of conducting research. Especially as a graduate student! Learn what can be offered to you.
Faculty Research Support
We are actively seeking ways to
- Provide pre-award and post-award support
- Expand research capabilities
- Increase scholarly productivity of college faculty
If you need assistance in any of these areas or in something else research related, please contact us.
Hope Gerlach-Houck
Moving into the next phase for voice-activated technology accessibility
An interdisciplinary group of researchers from Western Michigan University and Michigan State University has received an National Science Foundation (NSF) Convergence Accelerator grant to make voice-activated artificial intelligence (AI) more accessible to those who stutter or have other speech differences.
An additional $5 million award will continue the second phase of their work over the next three years, says WMU's Dr. Hope Gerlach-Houck, assistant professor of speech, language and hearing sciences and co-principal investigator for the project, which received its first NSF grant in 2022.
"Speech recognition technology is becoming more and more important in everyday life," she says. "This technology is embedded in our healthcare system, in the cars we drive and in the phones we use. The consequences of not being able to access voice AI can range from being annoying to life-threatening. What if, for example, you're in a car accident and can't reach your phone?"
With voice AI technology expected to quintuple by 2030, there is an urgency about the team’s work. An estimated 1% of the population stutters—which amounts to more than 3 million people in the U.S. and 80 million people worldwide. Much of Gerlach-Houck's work has focused on reducing disparities in health and quality of life that are often associated with stuttering.
As co-PI on the project, Gerlach-Houck has contributed by designing studies to learn about the stuttering community’s experiences with voice AI.
"We surveyed adults who stutter about their experiences with voice AI and asked them to describe and rate barriers and facilitators to voice AI use," she says. "Seventy-five percent reported that they experienced difficulty using voice AI at least some of the time, with 38% reporting frequently or always experiencing difficulty."
Participants estimated that voice AI systems misinterpreted their speech 60% of the time. But they still reported a desire to use voice AI technology more, with 79% indicating they would use voice AI more if it worked more accurately.
There's an app for that
The group of researchers, led by Dr. Nihar Mahapatra, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at MSU, has developed a prototype of an app designed to recognize stuttered speech called HeardAI.
The app is still under development, but the team has used it to collect speech samples and get input from people who stutter. “Our team has connections with so many people who stutter,” said Mahapatra. “As we develop the app, we will constantly engage them to make sure the technology addresses their needs.”
Once fully developed, HeardAI will include flexible solutions for individuals interacting with voice AI systems like Siri, developers creating accessible voice AI services, and organizations relying on accurate ASR transcripts.
During the second phase of the project, the group has two priorities beyond delivering the HeardAI application itself. They also hope to create a “test bed” that other developers can use to help make their own applications work with stuttered speech. And finally, the team will create accessibility standards to guide the development of voice AI technology going forward.
In addition to her research role, Gerlach-Houck is also the publicity and marketing lead on the project. She was heavily involved in creating the project video and is currently working on launching a website for the project.
She is optimistic that the outcomes of this project will positively impact individuals with speech differences, those that she has focused on throughout her career. "People who stutter deserve to live their lives as fully as everyone else," she says. "And making voice AI accessible is a critical piece of the puzzle."
Orientation and mobility
Multiple researchers in the Department of Blindness and Low Vision Studies are helping people explore the world through the eyes of technology
By Rachael Witt, CHHS OR
Vision loss can pose a profound and multifaceted challenge that may significantly impact individuals,
communities and societies. Beyond the obvious, the impact on one’s ability to see, visual loss can lead to a cascade of difficulties, ranging from limited access to education and employment opportunities
to heightened risks of accidents and injuries. Individuals grappling with visual loss often face social isolation, as navigating the world becomes more challenging. The challenge may extend to mental health, with increased rates of depression and anxiety reported among those experiencing visual impairment. Moreover, the economic impact cannot be overlooked, as societies must invest in adaptive technologies, accessibility measures and healthcare resources to support individuals with visual loss. Addressing the challenge of blindness requires a comprehensive approach that encompasses educational or rehabilitative services, medical interventions, assistive technologies, vocational opportunities and societal adaptations to ensure inclusivity and a better quality of life for those affected.
Dr. Robert Wall Emerson and his collaborators, Dr. Dawn Anderson and Dr. Dae Kim, have focused on the development of new methods to improve mobility and educational access for those who are blind or have low vision. Their work encompasses the training of new strategies to improve instruction of orientation and mobility skills and braille reading techniques through the use of neuroscientific principles. For example, their work includes projects to define what the critical components to determine whether a child who is blind or has low vision would be best served by receiving materials in braille, print, large print, auditory or combination of modes.
In addition, for the past decade, this group of researchers have also focused on technological improvements of common items utilized by patients who have low vision and blindness. They have investigated multiple factors impacting how well a cane user detects drop offs and obstacles. Some of the factors investigated include the size of the drop off or obstacle, how the cane is used, cane length, cane weight and cane flexibility. They have completed laboratory-based studies and have since moved the studies outdoors to more ecologically valid environments. Consequently, they also added a line of enquiry into what factors impact how well a cane user is able to discriminate differences in roughness of the walking surface.
Anderson and Emerson are also working on an application-based system aimed to support assessment and instruction of students with cortical visual impairment (CVI). The project has developed a set of training modules and a structured mentoring that continues to be updated and refined as the project progresses. Teachers of students with visual impairments (TVIs) in seven states have been or are going through the process to become expert trainers responsible for bringing the process to more TVIs in their area using a “train the trainer” model. By the end of the project, enough states will have been reached that an open source version of the app and the training materials will be available. It is hoped that continued work by the TVIs trained in the project will create a cascade effect and bring the use of the application to students with brain-based visual impairment across all the states. For more information, visit wmich.edu/visionstudies.
About Robert Wall Emerson, Ph.D.
About Dawn Anderson, Ph.D.
About Dae Kim, Ph.D.
CHHS Research Opportunities
- Blindness and Low Vision Studies
- Bronson School of Nursing
- Healthcare Services and Sciences
- Integrative Holistic Health and Wellness
- Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Ph.D.
- Occupational Therapy
- Physician Assistant
- School of Interdisciplinary Health Programs
- School of Social Work
- Specialty Program in Alcohol and Drug Abuse
- Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences