Candace Passi, PhD

Dean, College of Professional Studies – IL

Candace Passi, PhD, was appointed Dean of the College of Professional Studies – IL in 2024. She works closely with the Assistant Deans of chiropractic medicine, naturopathic medicine, and acupuncture and herbal medicine in the development, operation and evaluation of programs. Much of this collaboration pertains to enhancing curriculum, personnel resources, scheduling and coordination of facilities. She also assists with the academic advising of students.

Dr. Passi has more than 16 years of experience in higher education. Most recently, she was the Dean of the College of Allied Health Sciences and Distance Education at NUHS. Prior to that, she held the position of Dean of Students at St. Xavier University in Chicago, where she was the chief judicial officer. She also served as an advocate for students on academic, tuition, financial aid and personal issues. She is passionate about interacting with students and helping them become successful in their program(s) and as future health care professionals.

Dr. Passi earned her PhD in education and social policy and her Master of Education from Northwestern University. Her primary research focus was on informal student-faculty interactions and freshman year outcomes. She also earned her Master of Biology and Bachelor of Science in Biology degrees from Loyola University of Chicago.

Outside of NUHS, she loves gardening, cooking and spending time with her family.