Gordon Schmidt is now dean of New York Institute of Technology’s School of Health Professions in Old Westbury after serving as interim dean for six months.
Schmidt, who lives in Great Neck, has been on the faculty at NYIT since August 2017.
The School of Health Professions had been operating with an interim dean because its previous dean, Sheldon D. Fields, stepped down in August to “focus on research and other professional endeavors,” according to a university spokesperson.
Schmidt had been the associate dean before being appointed interim dean.
The school hosts both undergraduate and graduate programs, which include clinical nutrition, health and wellness, health sciences, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy and physician assistant studies.
“We strive to be at the forefront of scientific knowledge and the cutting edge of health science,” Schmidt said in a statement. “As a school of health professions in a technology-infused institution, we are in a unique position to provide an exceptional inter-professional education.”
His research, for which he has received 14 grants, focuses on topics such as metabolic diseases, muscular capacity and body composition, according to NYIT.
Before joining NYIT, Schmidt spent 16 years as the chair and graduate program director at William Paterson University’s kinesiology department.
He previously worked with an Indiana police agency where he determined qualifying age and physical requirements for officers, according to NYIT.
He also spent a decade in Singapore creating curriculum at Nanyang Technological University. Among his studies there was an investigation into athletic and nutritional behaviors during Ramadan, according to NYIT.
Schmidt earned a doctorate in exercise physiology and anatomy at Indiana University.
“Gordon will be charged with expanding our health professions programs as they continue to experience great demand,” said NYIT Vice President for Health Sciences and Medical Affairs Jerry Balentine. “His other initiatives will include the continued development of our eSports-related degree programs and incorporating exercise and wellness as an integral part of our campus community.”
