Dr. Lena Ting has just been elected as a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). This is a prodigious honor and speaks volumes about Dr. Ting’s international recognition as a leader in Neural Engineering. Dr. Ting will be inducted to the AIMBE College of Fellows at the Annual Fellows Meeting in the spring. Congratulations Dr. Ting!
Dr. Lena Ting Elected a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
Emory’s Doctoral of Physical Therapy Program, Benefits GiGi’s Playhouse
Emory Doctor of Physical Therapy student Logan Smith helps a young child with Down Syndrome pet a hippotherapy horse last Saturday at the Fall Fit at Chastain Horse Park. The annual event, which is hosted by Emory’s Doctoral of Physical Therapy program, benefits GiGi’s Playhouse, a Down Syndrome awareness center. Families affected by Down Syndrome gathered for a fun day of purposeful play, parental education, and interactive activities, as doctoral students helped parents find ways to incorporate balance, strength, and coordination training into their children’s daily lives.
Class of 2015 Marquette Challenge Donation
The Emory DPT Class of 2015 opted to donate $520.55 to the Marquette Challenge in honor of the “incredible Faculty and Staff in the Emory Division of Physical Therapy”. Claire Bradley, 2015 Class Treasurer made this announcement on behalf of their class. According to Claire this donation serves as a symbol of gratitude for all of the support the class has received from the faculty and staff during their time at Emory. “If it weren’t for the countless hours of hard work from the faculty and staff, we wouldn’t be the soon to be physical therapists we are today! This money was raised by participation fees for the Career Fair held in March. We are so happy to be able to donate it to the Marquette Challenge, which raises money to fund physical therapy research.”
Dr. Kapasi, Director of the Program, accepted this generous and gracious gift on behalf of the faculty and staff and encouraged the class to remain engaged in service of their chosen profession for years to come.
Which Side are You On?
Our very own Dr. Bruce Greenfield, PT, MA (Bioethics) PhD was featured in the Oxford Debate arguing against the proposition at this year’s NEXT Conference and Exposition June 3-6, 2015 in National Harbor, MD. The debaters argued points and counterpoints on the following topic: Physical therapy is a business, and all physical therapists must demonstrate comprehensive business management and marketing principles as an entry-level skill to the profession in all settings. The Moderator was Charles (Chuck) Ciccone, PT, PhD, FAPTA, Chair. The Debate took place on Friday, June 5th and was a “spirited dialogue on this provocative topic” complete with costumes and props.
Dr. Greenfield also serves as a Senior Fellow with the Center for Ethics here at Emory University.
DPT Associate Director Invited to Serve on APTA’s Awards Committee-Subcommittee on Education
Dr. Marie Johanson, PT, PhD, OCS Associate Professor and Associate Director has been invited to serve on the Awards Committee-Subcommittee (2015) on Education from 07-01-15 through June 30, 2017 by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Board of Directors. This new assignment only adds to Dr. Johanson’s considerable work and recognition at the national level as well as showcasing the growing visibility of the Emory DPT Division and Faculty. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Johanson in being selected for this national committee!
Dr. Susan Herdman Awarded the Anne-Shumway Cook Lectureship for 2016
Former DPT Program Director and Professor Emeritus, Susan Herdman, PT, PhD, FAPTA has been awarded the Anne Shumway-Cook Lectureship for 2016 by the Neurology Section of American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). This Lectureship is designed to acknowledge and honor an individual who has made a significant contribution to the area of neurologic physical therapy research and practice. Recipients of the Ann Shumway-Cook Lectureship have distinguished themselves as an esteemed neurorehabilitation scientist whose work has influenced neurologic physical therapist clinical practice. Dr. Herdman’s lecture at CSM 2016 will provide an opportunity to share experiences related to the translation of her research into physical therapy clinical practice.
Our Division is now fortunate to boast of two faculty members receiving this honor. Dr. Steve Wolf was the recipient of the Anne Shumway-Cook Lectureship for 2014.
Dr. Steve Wolf Selected as 2015 Fellow by the American Society of Neurorehabilitation
The American Society of Neurorehabilitation (ASNR) Education Foundation has selected Steve Wolf, PhD, PT, FAPTA as the 2015 Fellow. This is an honorary position established in 2008 to honor individuals annually who have contributed significantly to the field of Neurorehabilitation and to the ASNR specifically. Congratulations to Dr. Wolf for this very well deserved honor and bringing further limelight to our Division and Profession.
Emory DPT Program Receives Coalition of the Liberal Arts Funding
We are happy to announce that the Coalition of the Liberal Arts (CoLA) at Emory has funded a $20,000 grant to us to offer a course entitled “Disability, Resilience and the Mortal Self” in spring of 2016. The Principal Faculty involved in submitting the proposal are Sarah Blanton, PT, DPT, NCS, Bruce Greenfield, PT, MA (Bioethics) PhD, Zoher Kapasi, PT, PhD, MBA and Aaron Stutz, PhD, MA (at Oxford College) Additionally, several of our students were involved in the planning and writing of this course proposal including Rebecca Crockett, Kari Lindegren, Katherine Voorhorst and Kevin Tolbert (who will start the DPT Program in June and is currently graduating from Emory College).
This CoLA course will engage the participants in an intricate, hands-on exploration of disability and resilience in the human life-course and focus primarily on physical disabilities that present neuromuscular impairments. However, participants will explore how dealing with neuromuscular impairments shapes and relates to contexts for dealing with other forms of disability.
Congratulations to these students and faculty members in submitting a compelling course proposal that has successfully garnered this funding.
Congratulations to Dr. Michael Borich and Dr. Sumire Sato on Publication Acceptance
We are very pleased to announce that a perspective paper authored by Sumi Sato, SPT (first author) as part of a directed study with Dr. Michael Borich has been accepted for publication in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. Sumi is a second year DPT student and now has a publication to her credit! Outstanding! This is a clear testimony to the vital mentorship of Dr. Borich.
Students publishing papers before their formal research projects have commenced is becoming a healthy trend in our program! In recent years, Michelle Sauer (DPT 2015) published a paper with Dr. Trisha Kesar and Rob West (DPT 2014) published a paper with Dr. Bruce Greenfield.
Join us in congratulating Sumi Sato and Dr. Borich for this remarkable achievement!
Emma Stewart and McCade Powell Featured in AJC Article on Emory’s Senior Mentor Program
DPT 2nd Year Students, Emma Stewart and McCade Powell will be featured in an article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution regarding Emory’s Senior Mentor Program where they will be shadowed at a meeting with their mentor. Emma and McCade were deemed as having been exceptional this year with the program and have forged some very special relationships with their mentors. They were both also asked for speak to next year’s student group. What a great honor and privilege it is have them represent our program. Congratulations to Emma and McCade.
Dr. Randy Trumbower Received Department of Defense Funding
With immense pleasure we are excited to announce the Department of Defense has funded a $2.1 million grant to Dr. Randy Trumbower to study a set of novel approaches that may enhance mobility in persons with subacute, incomplete spinal injury. Dr. Trumbower has garnered consistent funding for his work since he joined our faculty about 5 years ago including a substantial NIH grant that he is currently working on related to spinal cord injuries.
Clearly, this additional grant from Department of Defense speaks to the strong confidence the funding agencies have in his ideas and the quality of the work accomplished in his lab!
Please join us in wishing Randy our heartiest congratulations.
Emory DPT Program Announces the Appointment of Dr. Edelle Field-Fote to its Faculty
It is with immense pleasure we announce the appointment of Dr. Edelle Field-Fote as Professor in the Division of Physical Therapy, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine (effective June 1st).
Dr. Field-Fote will serve as the Director of our recently created DPT/PhD dual degree program with the School of Applied Physiology at Georgia Tech.
As most of you know, Edee is internationally known for her pioneering contributions to the field of Spinal Cord Injury research and currently is serving as the Director of Spinal Cord Research at the Shepherd Center. Edee received her Bachelor of Science degree in Education with a certificate in Physical Therapy followed by a Master of Science degree in Environmental Health and Safety from University of Miami in Florida. She then got her PhD in Movement Science from Washington University in St. Louis. Edee returned to Miami to complete her postdoctoral training in motor control physiology and worked with the Miami project to cure paralysis. She then joined the Department of Physical Therapy in the Miller School of Medicine at University of Miami and rose through the ranks to become a full professor before she recently moved to Atlanta to join the Shepherd Center. As indicated earlier, Edee is a prolific researcher with a long standing interest in working with patients with spinal cord injury and she has served as an editorial board member on many prestigious journals in the field of rehabilitation and currently she is Editor in Chief of the Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy, the official journal of the Neurology section of the American Physical Therapy Association. Among many honors to her name, Edee is a Catherine Worthingham fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association. She is also the recipient of Eugene Michels New Investigator Award, Dorothy Briggs Memorial Scientific Inquiry Award, Chattanooga Research Award and John Maley award for outstanding contributions to leadership in research.
We can now boast of having three faculty members who are recognized as Fellows of the American Physical Therapy Association (Steve Wolf and Susan Herdman along with Edee). It is with great joy that we welcome Edee to our faculty!
Dr. Kathy Lee Bishop Chosen for a Crystal Apple Award
Congratulations to DPT Faculty Member, Kathy Lee Bishop, PT, DPT, CCS who has been chosen this year for a Crystal Apple Award. The Crystal Apple Awards honor faculty members who go above and beyond in their search for knowledge and involvement in the Emory community. Each year, students are asked to nominate their professors. Of the eight (8) different Crystal Awards, Dr. Bishop was chosen to receive the Laura Jones Hardman Award for Excellence in Service to the Emory Community.
This award is named for Mrs. Laura Jones Hardman, a distinguished member of the Emory Board of Trustees, who exemplifies devotion to Emory, its students, and unsurpassed altruism to the greater community. It is bestowed upon an instructor who exemplifies incredible service that is generally separate from obligations to teaching and research. Dr. Bishop has been in the forefront for a number of years in promoting heart health in our community and has modeled for our students volunteerism at many levels in serving our community. Clearly, our students have recognized her altruism and unbeknownst to the faculty (including Dr. Bishop) took it upon themselves to nominate her successfully for this award! This is Emory’s only teaching award given to teachers by students and thus makes it all the more special!
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Bishop on this outstanding honor.
Dr. Randy Trumbower Receives APTA’s Eugene Michels New Investigator Award
We are delighted to announce that Dr. Randy Trumbower has received the American Physical Therapy Association’s Eugene Michels New Investigator Award. Its purpose is to acknowledge an outstanding new investigator who has demonstrated a commitment to a defined research theme as exemplified in the professional and research career of Eugene Michels (deceased 1996). He was a former Associate Executive Vice President for Research and Education, who also served as APTA President for two terms (from 1967 to 1973), and as APTA Treasurer (from 1964 to 1967).
The Eugene Michels New Investigator Award recognizes Dr. Trumbower’s contribution to research thus far and more importantly how this contribution is having (at present and in the future) an impact upon our profession. Dr. Trumbower joins other illustrious investigators in our field including Edee Field-Fote, PT, PhD, Stuart Binder-McLeod, PT, PhD as well as others who have received this prestigious award.
Our recognition and thanks is extended to Dr. Steven Wolf for successfully spearheading the nomination process on behalf of our faculty.
Congratulations to Dr. Trumbower on his meritorious achievement!
DPT Director Appointed to APTA’s Excellence in Physical Therapist Education Task Force
Dr. Zoher Kapasi, Associate Professor and Director of the Emory University School of Medicine, Division of Physical Therapy has been appointed to the APTA’s Excellence in Physical Therapist Education Task Force. This task force is charged with providing advice and counsel to the APTA Board of Directors “regarding current and emerging issues impacting the ability of physical therapist education to produce practitioners to meet the needs of the current and evolving health care system”. This appointment is a testament to Dr. Kapasi’s national visibility and leadership in physical therapist education and reflects so well not only on our educational programs, but our entire Division and Department.
Roger Herr, APTA Board Director, will be chairing the task force; other members include Rebecca Craik, Anthony Delitto, Jamie Dyson, Peggy Blake Gleeson, Marty Hinman, Karen Paschal, and Lisa Saladin, as well as external consultants.
Dr. Michael Borich Selected as a CORRT Scholar
Faculty Member, Dr. Michael Borich has been selected as a CORRT Scholar effective September 1, 2015. The Comprehensive Opportunities in Rehabilitation Research Training (CORRT) is a Multicenter Career Development Program for Physical and Occupational Therapists. It provides funding for new investigators to acquire the research skills necessary to become independent investigators in rehabilitation approaches. It is funded by the National Center Medical Rehabilitation Research, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development / National Institute Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Borich has proven himself to be very adept at using multimodal imaging approaches to study brain activity in healthy individuals and after stroke. Additionally, he has a proven funding and publication track record. As a CORRT scholar, funding will be available for protected time for research for up to 5 years. This success shows his singular focus and drive to establish himself as an independent investigator.
Congratulations to Dr. Borich!