‘TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL’
College of Allied Health Sciences welcomes new dean
The College of Allied Health Sciences at East Carolina University officially welcomed a new leader on Aug. 1.
Dr. Robert Orlikoff brings 28 years of experience in academic administration, education, clinical practice, research and professional service to his new role as dean of allied health sciences at East Carolina.
He comes to ECU from West Virginia University, where he served as associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Education and Human Services, as chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, and as director of the Clinical Voice Laboratory.
Orlikoff said he sees “a tremendous need and a tremendous potential” in eastern North Carolina. He looks forward to a lot of “active learning” during his first weeks and months on the job, including getting to know the region, his faculty and staff and their students.
The College of Allied Health Sciences is a unique and interdisciplinary college encompassing nine different health sciences disciplines: Addiction & Rehabilitation Studies, Biostatistics, Clinical Laboratory Science, Communication Sciences & Disorders, Health Services & Information Management, Nutrition Science, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Physician Assistant Studies.
“My role is to unify them and embrace their diversity,” Orlikoff said. “Patients don’t come with isolated issues. They are all related.”
Orlikoff earned a master of science in speech pathology and a PhD in speech and voice physiology from Columbia University.
His professional career includes previous academic and clinical appointments at Seton Hall University, Hunter College – CUNY, the University of Memphis, United Cerebral Palsy and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
“You make a great deal of difference in patient care when you’re teaching students,” he said. “And in administration, I found I could be a support for faculty with areas of expertise outside of mine.”
Orlikoff is also an internationally recognized researcher with an extensive publication record that includes several research articles, texts, and book chapters. He was recently named a Fulbright Specialist.
He has served on the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Council for Clinical Certification in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology and continues as a program accreditation site visitor for their Council on Academic Accreditation.
“Dr. Orlikoff has had a distinguished, strong and diverse career with extensive experience at different levels of academic administration and working with the varied disciplines that comprise the field of Allied Health Sciences,” noted Dr. Phyllis Horns, vice chancellor for the Division of Health Sciences.
“His success in many roles is well documented, and his personality and leadership style are good fits with the College of Allied Health Sciences and all of ECU. We are fortunate to have a person of this caliber as the next leader for this excellent college.
Horns also extended her gratitude “for exceptional service, dedication and diligence” to Dr. Gregory Hassler, who served two years as interim dean for allied health. Hassler has returned to his teaching role as an assistant professor in the Brody School of Medicine’s Department of Bioethics and Interdisciplinary Studies.