Robbins College Research News & Highlights
Congratulations to the 2026-27 Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences internal seed funding award recipients! In addition to the Robbins College Research Program, the College awarded the Pedagogical Scholarship Award Program and the Dr. Mike and Mrs. Micki Maris Endowed Seed Fund for Graduate Student Research.
Mickey Langlais, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Sciences and Design in Baylor University’s Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, has received a three-year $519,501 R15 award from the National Institutes of Health for his project, “Mobile Media Use and Preschoolers’ Peer Interaction Skills.”
Baylor-led research has found a dramatic shift in sleep for college students. Jason R. Carter, PhD, researcher and Dean of Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, explains why this could have significant implications for mental health, academic success, and long-term health.
Researchers in Baylor University’s Robbins College are celebrating a number of recent, significant external funding awards. Totaling more than $7.4 million, the awards stretch across departments and disciplines, but share a common theme of seeking to enhance health, quality of life, and human flourishing for individuals and communities.
Many stroke, traumatic brain injury, or neurological disease survivors experience aphasia, which is an impairment in their ability to communicate. Researcher Jungjun Park, PhD, CCC-SLP, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, says a speech-language pathologist can help individuals relearn language skills or develop alternative ways to communicate through electronic devices, gestures, notebooks, and pictures.
As environmental challenges amplify wildfires to grow more frequent and more destructive, the lines between rural and urban danger have begun to blur. Professor of Interior Design Debra Harris, PhD, facilitated a national taskforce to create a “guidance toolkit” that shares expert safety tips for before, during, and after wildfires.
Communication Sciences and Disorders alumna Katherine A. Hutcheson, PhD, BCS-S, SLP-CCC, is a nationally known expert in head and neck cancer dysphagia. Through her current research at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, she focuses on two core survivorship areas: communication abilities and eating abilities.
In Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, faculty are pursuing innovative research aimed at making a positive impact across the cancer journey—from prevention to treatment to survivorship. Driven by a calling to make a difference through their skills and expertise, these researchers are transforming lives, one study at a time.