Congratulations to faculty member Dawn Lowe, PhD who was selected as the 2013 - 2014 Fesler-Lampert Chair in Aging Studies. The Fesler-Lampert Chair in Aging Studies was created in 1999 by the Center on Aging, through the generosity of David and Elizabeth Fesler. This Chair allows Dawn one year of funding to pursue an aging related project.
The Brain Plasticity Lab (BPL) was recently featured in the University of Minnesota Medical Bulletin. Directors Dr. Jim Carey, Dr. Teresa Kimberley, and Dr. Bernadette Gillick discuss their research. Click HERE for the online version of the Medical Bulletin.
WCCO Radio interviewed Dr. Bernadette Gillick to discuss how her lab, only one of two in North America, is testing a ground-breaking brain stimulation therapy on children with Cerebral Palsy to increase their motor function. (The interview starts just past the midway point).
Geriatric Clinical Residency Update Last September our Geriatric Clinical Residency expanded to a second clinical site, St. Therese in New Hope, and expanded to two residents (Emily Pierce at St. Therese, and Megan Connelly at Augustana Care Center in Minneapolis). Every year the didactic requirements include a teaching module, with one part of that module being a continuing education presentation to community physical therapists and physical therapist assistants as part of our Physical Therapy Program's $10 Tuesday CE Series each spring. This spring's session was held on April 9, 2013, with Megan Connelly presenting on "Imagining Success: Use of Motor Imagery and Mental Practice in the Rehabilitation of Older Adults," and Emily Pierce presenting on "Bringing out the BEST: Using the Brief-BESTest and the Mini-BESTest as Balance Assessments with Older Adults." This also became a "reunion" night for all geriatric residents, as our past residency graduates, Emma Phillips and David Gillette, were in attendance for the course as well.
The Foundation of Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (FCMSC) has awarded Jeffrey Chih-Huang Yu a scholarship to attend the 2013 MS Rehabilitation Student Annual Meeting May, 2013 in Orlando, Florida. This is an annual interdisciplinary meeting. Jeffrey is a student in the Rehabilitation Science Program pursuing his PhD under the guidance of Dr. Virgil Mathiowetz. Dr. Mathiowetz is faculty in both Rehabilitation Science and Occupational Therapy. Congrats, Jeffrey!
University of Minnesota Physical Therapy Program Global Outreach Jeanne Lojovich, Greg Santema, Troy Lund and Jim Carey visited Niger, Africa from Mar. 2 - Mar. 15, 2013. This was the fifth year for such a visit with activities centered on teaching medical students about rehabilitation, consulting with health care workers on providing rehab for patients, and meeting with administrators to plan for a School of Physical Therapy within the Universite Abdou Moumouni. Normally, three of our physical therapy students also join us but we deferred on students this year because of cautions from the State Department. Following the State Department recommendations while there, our visit was entirely safe. High value continues in this experience both for the people of Niger and also the U of M PT Program, as faculty (and usually students) gain enormous knowledge on culture, health care, etc during these visits. The ultimate goal is to get a School of Physical Therapy started there and this idea is progressing, slowly but surely. We are very proud of the University of Minnesota for supporting this effort.
Scholarships and Fellowships
The Program in Physical Therapy is pleased to be able to offer the following scholarships and fellowships through the generous donations of many outstanding physical therapists, alumni, and friends of the Program. The following outstanding students were honored at a banquet with donors and faculty in May, 2012.
Allison Nitzkorski (2012) received the Janice Steadland Fellowship Fund (Class of 1956)
Byung-Chul (John) Park (2012) received the Beatrice E. and Hurd Boody Scholarship (Class of 1945) and the 2012 University of Minnesota President's Student Leadership and Service Award
Matthew Moore (2013) received the Sharp Family Fellowship (Class of 1956) and the Barbara Lee Graham Scholarship (Class of 1956)
Natalie Yarbrough (2013), Brianna Radtke (2014), Jennifer Oligmueller (2014), and Lauren Kratzer (2014) received the Rudolf Ptak Endowed Fellowship in Physical Therapy (Class of 1953)
Kristina Henshue (2013) received the Eleanor McManmon Daly Scholarship (Class of 1948)
Kellen Feeney (2013) and Sarah Traffas (2014) received the Marguerite P. Gardner Fellowship (Class of 1969)
Allison Kosir (2012), Kris Kuehl (2012), and Jill Opsahl (2013) received the Richard P. Di Fabio Fellowship
Alison Pagliaccetti (2012) received the 2012 MN APTA Outstanding Student Award
Kellen Feeney (2013) and Dan Monroe (2013) received the MN APTA 2012 Student Capitol Hill Scholarship
Student Posters Accepted for the APTA Combined Sections Meeting 2013 in San Diego, CA
"First Ray Kinematics in Females with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Bunion: An Imaging Study," Jensen D, Kampa B, Karg L, Krych A, Ludewig P, Glasoe W.
"First Ray Axis: Clinical Measurements Leading to Treatment Strategies for Foot Bunion," Wolff K, Wicks A, Shaw A, Smith J, Ludewig P, Glasoe W.
"Cortical Volume Differences and Presence of Motor-Evoked Potential in Pediatric Stroke," Cassidy J, Gillick B, Battista B, Brown C, Calmes J. Cupit J, Carey J.
"Effect of Aerobic Exercise on Cortical Activity and Cognition Following Traumatic Brain Injury," Lojovich J, Gates S, Femrite R, Feeney K, Armstrong M, Carey J.
"Comparing Cortical Excitability in Focal Dystonias Using TMS," Moore M, Gress S, Lauer L, Mallas A, Meidl A, Meister N, Monroe D, Morlock C, Schlicht R.
Joint DPT/PhD Program The Programs in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science offer a joint DPT/PhD program option. This joint degree program allows select DPT students to begin work toward a PhD in Rehabilitation Science prior to completion of the DPT. The goal is to streamline the process for a DPT student completing a professional doctoral degree, to continue pursuit of an additional doctoral research degree. Students must be enrolled in the DPT program prior to applying for this joint program option. Anticipated length of completion of a joint degree program is approximately 6-7 years, versus the 7-8 years required to complete both degrees independently.
LeAnn Snow, M.D., Ph.D has been selected as the honorable mention winner of the 2012 Association of Academic Physiatrists Excellence in Research Writing Awards competition for her research paper "Skeletal Muscle Plasticity after Hemorrhagic Stroke in Rats: Influence of Spontaneous Physical Activity"
