New Dean of the College of Health Sciences Announced

Mar 27, 2026

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 27, 2026) — University of Kentucky Provost Robert DiPaola, M.D., has announced that Phillip Gribble, Ph.D., will become the next dean of the College of Health Sciences effective July 1, pending Board of Trustees approval.

Gribble is a professor in the Department of Athletic Training and Clinical Nutrition in the College of Health Sciences and serves as chair of the department and director of the graduate certificate in musculoskeletal injury management.

“The extensive experience Dr. Gribble has not only in the College of Health Sciences but in the field of athletic training and health is invaluable as we work to prepare a new generation of health professionals,” DiPaola said. “The future health of our Commonwealth is built in the present, by researchers, experts and educators on UK’s campus and beyond. As the next dean of the College of Health Sciences, Dr. Gribble will help lead our Health Sciences faculty, staff and students to build a Kentucky that can attain the highest level of health possible.”

Gribble joined UK as an associate professor in 2014 and earned professorship in 2018. Previously, he taught at the University of Toledo in the College of Health and Human Services from 2003 to ’14.

He was named a University Research Professor and also received the College of Health Sciences Outstanding Researcher Award in 2019. Gribble is internationally recognized as an expert in ankle instability and previously served as co-director of the International Ankle Consortium.

His research focuses on understanding the neuromuscular consequences of musculoskeletal injuries and developing intervention strategies to alleviate the health care burden from those injuries. He is an active researcher with funding from the Department of Defense, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. He has published more than 165 peer-reviewed manuscripts in scientific journals and presented more than 300 abstracts at conferences and scientific meetings.

Gribble will step into the leadership role as the College of Health Sciences prepares to expand into the new Michael D. Rankin MD Health Education Building, which is expected to grow the enrollment capacity of the college by 30%.

“The education, research, service and care components of the College of Health Sciences’ mission are second to none in the country,” Gribble said. “The dean of the UK College of Health Sciences holds an important role in leading efforts to build up the health of our communities. And I’m thrilled to be able to work closely with the Health Sciences faculty and staff to continue training our students to be leaders in their chosen health fields, particularly as Kentucky faces a critical shortage of health care workers.”

Gribble earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physical education/exercise and sport science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and he earned his doctorate in kinesiology from Pennsylvania State University.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.