Behavioral and Human Sciences
Examining and modifying the environmental, psychological, and social determinants that influence behavior and health.
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.”
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.
The Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) program will offer students a unique opportunity to explore the intersection of faith and therapeutic practice. In this Q&A, inaugural Program Director Matthew Brosi, PhD, LMFT, speaks into designing an intentional degree that will set Baylor University apart from other programs.
In the heart of Dallas, Texas, Master of Public Health in Epidemiology alumna Natalie Noreen, MPH, works directly with individuals who are currently living at the edges of America’s healthcare system. She says Baylor professors helped to shape how she sees people—not as diagnoses or datasets, but as whole human beings.
In 2025, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences researchers published more than 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals and publications. View examples from across the College, as well as a selection of grant-funded projects.
Each academic semester, the Public Health Fair takes place underneath the Interstate 35 overpass near Baylor’s campus—utilizing the same unassuming concrete where Church Under the Bridge holds outdoor worship services on Sundays. The fair’s outreach serves as an opportunity for Waco’s underserved residents to gain vital information about their own health, and it provides real-world immersive learning through a blend of academics and service for Public Health students.
Just a short drive from Newport Beach sits an old barn flanked by peaceful indoor and outdoor spaces, bamboo forests, and friendly dogs—aptly named, Barn Life Recovery has resided as a holistic rehabilitation center since 2018—providing community-based treatment for individuals living with mood disorders. Among the center’s practitioners is Baylor University alumna Polly Sweitzer, OTD, OTR/L, who serves as the Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) in mental health.
Long gone are the days of fluorescent lighting, rows of metal desks, and stark white paint on every wall in schools. Today, with the guidance of Baylor University alumna Jillian Diffee, RID, IIDA, school campuses are being designed for both students and educators—with their mental and physical wellbeing top of mind—offering bold environments that are inclusive, energy-efficient, and inspirational.