Dr. Mark A. Merrick has been selected to lead The University of Toledo College of Health and Human Services.
Merrick, who earned his baccalaureate and doctoral degrees at UToledo, has spent the last two decades at Ohio State University as director of the Athletic Training Division in OSU’s College of Medicine.
His appointment at UToledo begins July 1.
Merrick
“We’re excited to welcome Dr. Merrick back to The University of Toledo. He brings valuable leadership and experience to the College of Health and Human Services,” said Dr. Karen Bjorkman, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “Throughout this pandemic, we’ve seen the value of public health and allied health fields. Dr. Merrick will be a great asset to the college and the University.”
The majority of Merrick’s academic career has been spent at Ohio State, where he was the founding director of the university’s new Athletic Training Division. Merrick was instrumental in creating OSU’s bachelor of science in athletic training program and growing the program to national prominence.
Prior to Ohio State, Merrick held faculty positions at Xavier University and Indiana State University, where he was director of both the undergraduate and graduate athletic training programs.
“It’s great to return home and have a chance to give back to the place where my professional life began,” Merrick said. “The College of Health and Human Services has a strong and dedicated faculty who are working to make a difference for people in our community and world. Their passion and enthusiasm are evident in not only what they do and how they do it, but also in the students in whom they are so invested.”
Merrick earned a bachelor’s degree in athletic training from UToledo, a master’s degree in athletic training from Indiana State, and a doctorate in exercise physiology from UToledo.
Merrick is a certified and licensed athletic trainer, and a member of the National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine’s Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education. Additionally, Merrick previously served as president of the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education.
“If you look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics projections, there is a growing need for the kinds of professionals we prepare in the College of Health and Human Services,” Merrick said. “This is a college poised to grow to not only meet that need, but to also partner with our community, region and state in doing so. The University is focused on its role in Fueling Tomorrows, and, in the College of Health and Human Services, we plan to play a big part in that vision.”
Bjorkman also thanked Dr. Barry Scheuermann, interim dean of the College of Health and Human Services, for his leadership during the transition.
