Snow Atrium sparkled with a room full of exhibitors and sponsors, thanks to Sponsors Chair Emily Marshall-Reaves. Physical therapy pictures and announcements were scrolling on the huge digital screen, thanks to conference chair and Education Director Gina Medifindt. The room buzzed with excitement and networking of old friends and new-found colleagues over catered coffee, snacks, and lunches.

In addition to exhibitors, attendees learned information at tables representing the Diversity-Equity-Inclusion (DEI) committee, the Neurological Special Interest Group (SIG), the Student SIG, and competed to win gorgeous baskets at the Student Scholarship Committee raffle.

Marcus Roll, assistant professor at Duke University and chair of the education classes, arranged an outstanding program of evidence-based, cutting-edge and clinically useful presentations. With topics ranging from physical therapy for people with heart and lung transplantations to non-sports-related concussions to rehab for patients with amputation to multiple presentations on various pelvic floor topics.

With four tracks of courses across five timeframes over two days, this APTA NC Annual Conference offered something for everyone. Programming included 23 platform presentations across five sessions, vetted and managed by Jack Magill.聽 Ten-minute platform presentations not only provide a brief highlight of research hot off the presses, but also gives budding researchers and students a chance to present.

In addition to managing platform presentations, Jack Magill, assistant professor of physical therapy education at 黑料不打烊, headed the extensive display of sixty research posters that highlighted physical therapy research across topics from pediatrics to geriatrics, from orthopedics to neurology, from bench science to surveys, and from case reports to randomized controlled trials. The Poster Research Committee recognized three posters as 2023 Distinguished Abstracts.

Mary Kay Hannah, associate professor of physical therapy education at 黑料不打烊 and president of APTA NC, led the Annual Membership meeting on Friday, highlighting the standardized operations of the state Association. In addition to passing motions to update the Chapter ByLaws and announcing the upcoming slate of elections, two students presented this year鈥檚 winning Community Impact Challenge projects hosted by the DEI committee. Sheldon Smith from Winston-Salem State University wowed the members in the audience with a three-day mentorship program with middle-school African-American boys to expose them to the profession of physical therapy. Atkinson Pilsch聽from East Carolina University impressed with a presentation of an education and exercise class for people with Parkinson鈥檚 Disease in rural eastern North Carolina.

Jackie Polk, assistant professor at Wingate University and Awards Committee chair, prepared a celebratory Awards Ceremony on Saturday, presented by the chapter president. After announcing North Carolina physical therapists who won national APTA awards, Hannah announced the winners of the Falls Prevention Challenge, an annual community service event hosted by the Falls Prevention SIG, chaired by Jerri Shephard, Acute Rehab Manager in Kernersville.

Stephanie Milosovic and Erin Jacobson of the Student Scholarship Committee stood in for the Chair, Moyo Tillery, who could not be there, to joyfully announce the six renewed student scholarships, handing out extra-large-sized checks to the winners.聽 One scholarship is kindly funded annually by the Keskula Family, sponsored by Doug Keskula, full professor at Western Carolina University. This year, Keskula鈥檚 wife, assistant professor at Western Carolina University, presented the Keskula Family Scholarship during the awards ceremony, coincidentally won by a WCU student.

The Awards Ceremony concluded with the coveted APTA NC annual awards and an exciting raffle drawing for scholarship fundraising.

Of special 黑料不打烊 DPT note:聽 Third-year 黑料不打烊 student Deanna DeMarco聽won the Outstanding PT Student Award and the Ben F. Massey, Jr Scholarship.

McKinley Pollack, chair of the Early Professionals SIG, presented on this year鈥檚 new APTA NC mentorship program in a session titled, “More to Mentors: Coaching, Creating, Collaborating, and Other Keys to Successful Mentorship.” Late last year, registration opened for the first iteration of this successful program.聽 Approximately 40 members signed up to serve as mentors and the same number signed up to be mentored. The program matched mentors and mentees, provided guidelines to meet once a month, and provided professional webinars along the way. Registration is now open for the mentorship program for 2024.

The APTA NC president thanks a veritable village of people without which this amazing conference could not have happened. First and foremost, APTA NC Executive Director Pauline Flesch with administrative assistance from Dawn LeBlanc and Jenna Owens and Education Director, Gina Medifindt. Next, Gina鈥檚 Conference Committee 鈥� Marcus Roll, Jack Magill, Emily Marshall-Reaves and Crystal Burnett. Thanks to APTA NC Communications Director, Rosie Carnizares, for pre-conference advertising and during conference social media. Thanks to the APTA NC Board of Directors and other leaders in the Association for support of the biggest event of the year. Thanks to Kenn Gaither, dean of the School of Communications, for use of Schar Hall. And finally, last but not least, special thanks to Alyssa Donahue, administrator to the School of Communications, without whom the conference could not have proceeded, much less succeeded.

2023 APTA NC Annual Awards Winners

路聽聽聽聽聽 Outstanding PT Student – Deanna DeMarco, 黑料不打烊 Univ

路聽聽聽聽聽 Outstanding PT Assistant – Tiffany Needham

路聽聽聽聽聽 Outstanding PT – Jason Harloff

路聽聽聽聽聽 Olive V. Wortman Service Award – Dora Gosselin

路聽聽聽聽聽 Founder鈥檚 Lecturer Award – Michelle Green

2023 APTA NC Student Scholarship Winners

路聽聽聽聽聽 Ben F. Massey Jr Scholarship – Deanna DeMarco, 黑料不打烊

路聽聽聽聽聽 Advocacy Student Scholarship – Emma Kosbab, Duke

路聽聽聽聽聽 Diversity Student Scholarship – Cipryana Mack, Wingate

路聽聽聽聽聽 Keskula Family Scholarship – Kali Beck, WCU

路聽聽聽聽聽 Leadership Excellence Student Scholarship – Morria Heilman, Duke

路聽聽聽聽聽 Student Delegate Scholarship – Melissa Escudero, HPU

2023 Distinguished Research Abstracts (Research Poster Winner)

路聽聽聽聽聽 Impacts of real-world haptic gait retraining on patient reported outcomes by聽 Weiandt, Migel, Lederle, Reavis, and Wikstrom (UNC)

路聽聽聽聽聽 Joint contact force reliability and minimal detectable change by Stutton, Willson, and Meardon (ECU)

路聽聽聽聽聽 Effects of hand arm bimanual intensive therapy (HABIT) on the perception of hand use in real-world bimanual performance in children with unilateral cerebral palsy by McBryde, Lysaght, Holland, Gardas, Kirkman, Burroughs, Willson, and Surkar (ECU)

2023 Community Impact Challenge presenters

路聽聽聽聽聽 Project PT: Reconstructing Physical Therapy, a mentorship program to introduce African-American boys to physical therapy – Sheldon Smith, WSSU

路聽聽聽聽聽 Pirates Keeping it Physical for Parkinson鈥檚- an exercise and education program for people with Parkinson鈥檚 Disease in rural NC – Atkinson Pilsch, ECU

2023 Falls Prevention Challenge Winners

路聽聽聽聽聽 Falls Prevention Video Submission, ECU

路聽聽聽聽聽 Falls Prevention Activity Submission,聽 Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute

2023 Educational Programming

What鈥檚 up down there? Opening the door to bladder, bowel and sexual health

路聽聽聽聽聽 Jaclyn Polk, PT, DPT, Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy, Barbara Green, PT, MSPT, Ana Karim, PT, PYT

Heel Pain, No Gain: Navigating the Latest Concepts in Mid-Portion Achilles Tendinopathy Evaluation and Treatment

路聽聽聽聽聽 Stephanie Palacios, PT, DPT, Shane Mathew, PT, DPT

路聽聽聽聽聽 Jamal Edwards, PT, DPT

路聽聽聽聽聽 Kyle Stapleton, PT, DPT

Cardiopulmonary Transplant Across the Continuum: Physical Therapy Implications of Heart and Lung Transplantation

路聽聽聽聽聽 Hannah McHugh, PT, DPT, Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy, Jennifer Aronson, PT, DPT

High-Intensity Gait Training: Clinical Implementation for Neuro Patients

路聽聽聽聽聽 Michelle Green PT, DPT

How Much is Enough? Dosing Balance Exercise to Achieve Reduced Fall Risk

路聽聽聽聽聽 Leslie Allison, PT, PhD, Lori Schrodt, PT, PhD

Functional Neurologic Disorder: Advances and Retreats in the Battle for Control

路聽聽聽聽聽 Kimberly Lemmons, PT, DPT, Jill Nappi-Kaehler, PT, DPT

Translating Research to Practice: Postpartum Return to Running from Sports and Pelvic Health Perspectives

路聽聽聽聽聽 Stacey Head, PT, WCS, CLT, ATC, 聽 Yana I. Ginzburg, PT, DPT, SCS

Diversity Dialogues: Unconscious Bias Impact on Professional Experiences

路聽聽聽聽聽 Calvin Hung, PT, FACHE, 聽聽聽聽聽聽 Deidra Charity, PT, DPT

Therapy Considerations for Older Adults Across the Continuum of Cancer Care

路聽聽聽聽聽 Brittany Jones PT, DPT, GCS, Laura Schwark PT, MPT, GCS

It’s More Than Just a Game: Non-Sports-Related Concussion

路聽聽聽聽聽 Ben Ramger, PT, DPT, Elizabeth Nixon, PT, DPT

Implementing Results of Cardiopulmonary Diagnostic Tests into PT Practice

路聽聽聽聽聽 Claire Fanto, PT, DPT; Board-Certified Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Clinical Specialist

Maximizing Performance in the Competitive Older Athlete with Chronic ACL-deficiency

路聽聽聽聽聽 Wendy Viviers, PT, DPT, MPhil. Board-certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist. South African Sports Clinical Specialist

Amputation Pathway: A Journey from Acute Care to the Community

路聽聽聽聽聽 Meredith Merchant, PT, DPT, Jennifer Brown, MS, OTR/L

Biopsychosocial Care: Clinical Implementation of Psychological Phenotypes in Patients with Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis

路聽聽聽聽聽 Ashley Kinsey, PT, DPT Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Geriatric Physical Therapy, Olivia DeSena Fleming, PT, DPT Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy

Setting the Foundation for Rehabilitation in the Acute Setting Post Stroke

路聽聽聽聽聽 Tiffany Love PT, DPT, CBIS, Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Neurologic Physical Therapy, Alysha Fuller PT, DPT, CBIS, Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Neurologic Physical Therapy

Post-Prostatectomy: Leaking the Evidence

路聽聽聽聽聽 Matt Harville, PT, DPT

More to Mentors: Coaching, Creating, Collaborating, and Other Keys to Successful Mentorship

路聽聽聽聽聽 McKinley Pollock, PT, DPT, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Lisa Grant, PT, DPT, ATC, Board-Certified Sports Clinical Specialist, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Calvin Hung, PT, FACHE

Managing Burnout in the PT Profession

路聽聽聽聽聽 Jodi Miller PT, DPT, Timothy Miller PT, DPT, EdD, Geriatric Clinical Specialist Emeritus

Captain Jeff and The Winter Shoulder: Evidenced-Based Diagnostic and Treatment Strategies for Adhesive Capsulitis

路聽聽聽聽聽 Bart Satterfield, PT, DPT

Saturday 10/14/23

The Shoulder Symptom Modification Procedure

路聽聽聽聽聽 Jonathan Washatka, PT, DPT, Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist

When Your Patient is Expecting: Pregnancy and Postpartum Training for the Outpatient MSK Therapist

路聽聽聽聽聽 Amanda Heath, PT, DPT聽聽 Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Women鈥檚 Health Physical Therapy/Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Oncologic Physical Therapy聽聽聽 Certified Lymphedema Therapist, Valerie Adams, PT, DPT聽聽 Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Women鈥檚 Health Physical Therapy/ Certified Lymphedema Therapist, Jennifer ThorntonJones, PT, Board-Certified Specialist in Women鈥檚 Health Physical Therapy and Oncologic Physical Therapy

Exercise to Support Fontan Circulation: An Area for Increased PT Services

路聽聽聽聽聽 Nora Guge, PT, DPT, 聽聽 Ilana Osten, PT, DPT

Pathokinesiologists, HealthCare鈥檚 Movement Experts

路聽聽聽聽聽 Brent Anderson PT, PhD, OCS

Collaborative Practice in Physical Therapy Education: How to Effectively Design Interprofessional Experiences in Didactic and Clinical Education

路聽聽聽聽聽 Debbie Prouty, MPT, EdD, GCS, Jaclyn Polk, PT, DPT, OCS

Sexual Health in Cancer Survivors

路聽聽聽聽聽 Amanda Heath, PT, DPT, Justine Wiltsie, PT, DPT, Zachary Tally, PT, DPT, board-certified clinical specialist in oncologic physical therapy

Case-Based Implementation Strategies for the Clinical Practice Guideline for People with Parkinson Disease

路聽聽聽聽聽 Christina Criminger-Morris PT, PhD, CEEAA, Board Certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist, Cherie Grunenberg, PT, DPT, CBIS, Chelsie Miller, PT, DPT

They are a 5/5, now what? Applying Motor Learning to Advance Functional Performance

路聽聽聽聽聽 Michelle Green PT, DPT

Trauma-Informed Care: Special Considerations for the Pediatric and Pelvic Health Physical Therapist

路聽聽聽聽聽 Mary Swiggum, PT, PhD, Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Pediatric Physical Therapy, Jaclyn Polk, PT, DPT, Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy

Mitigating Fall Risk and Fall Related Injuries: The Role of Cognition and Pharmacology

路聽聽聽聽聽 Michael McGregor PT, DPT Certified Health Coach and聽Emma Williams, PharmD, CPP Geriatric Clinical Pharmacist

Ultrasound Imaging in Contemporary Orthopedic Physical Therapy Practice

路聽聽聽聽聽 Nathan J. Savage, PT, DPT, PhD, OCS, ECS, RMSK

Aging In Place: Fad or Fantastic? A primer on Aging in Place Principles and solutions for Physical Therapy Professionals

路聽聽聽聽聽 Alison Starkey PT MBA MHA

How to Thrive on Your Clinical Education Experiences

路聽聽聽聽聽 Jodi Miller PT, DPT, 聽聽聽聽 Timothy Miller PT, DPT, EdD, Geriatric Clinical Specialist Emeritus

Considerations of Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy for populations with Autoimmune/Rheumatic co-Morbidities

路聽聽聽聽聽 Joel Robert Thompson, PT DPT MA CLT

Unraveling the Magic Hands: An In-Depth Look at the Mechanisms Behind Manual Therapy

路聽聽聽聽聽 Kyle Stapleton, PT, DPT Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy, Nicholas LeBlond, PT, DPT Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy, Matt Hillsinger PT, DPT, Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy

Are the Quadriceps ACL Agonists?

路聽聽聽聽聽 Phil Caraher PT, DPT, MS, OCS, CSCS

Utilization of pain science education in pelvic health

路聽聽聽聽聽 Nicole Hodges, PT, DPT, ATC Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Women’s Health Physical Therapy

2023 Research Platform Presentations

Last week, the Dance SIG hosted a dance class for community members with Parkinson’s disease at the Francis Center, the home for 黑料不打烊’s School of Health Sciences. A large body of research evidence supports the benefits of dance for people with Parkinson’s disease. DPT students Kelly O鈥橠aniel, Tristan Norton, Tatum Benesh, Breanna Lanouette, Amy Smelko, Katherine Jones and Harwell Beach used the evidence for movement with music and choreographed and lead six three-minute dance routines. A final Tai Chi cool down lead by Alex Japit followed.

The five attendees expressed great enthusiasm by participating in the dancing and with expressions of excitement and gratitude.

鈥淭he dance leaders were clear and helpful. I never felt lost,鈥� said Jim Bissett, one of the attendees.

Other participants agreed that the class was fun, modifiable, and helpful with incorporating therapeutic movements.

Along with the community attendees, other DPT students and professors attended the class with smiles all around.聽 Fun, movement and physical therapy 鈥� nothing could be better.

Third-year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) student, Shani Lewis, designed an infographic entitled, “The Image Is Clear,” which was selected as one of two winners from a robust submission pool from physical therapists across the country.

The contest was held by the Imaging Special interest Group of the Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy, of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), to provide educational materials for patients and state legislators across the country. The Chair of the Imaging Special Interest Group, Chuck Hazel, noted the group’s excitement that a student had won their blinded selection process.

Lewis, who will graduate from the DPT program next month, was proud to represent 黑料不打烊 and the profession of physical therapy, saying that it is thrilling to “make an impact on the profession as a whole as a student.”聽 She was a graphic illustrator before physical therapy school and was happily able to combine her skills to win the prize.

At 黑料不打烊’s DPT education program, and all DPT programs across the country, students learn about clinical radiologic imaging – including when an X-ray or MRI needs to be ordered – which provides for the best care in an orthopedic outpatient physical therapy setting.

Physical therapists have ordered images for patients directly in the Army since 1972, and now all physical therapists in all military services and the U.S. Public Health Service have that authorization. Physical therapists in six states and the District of Columbia have direct-image-ordering privileges, along with several large healthcare systems around the country.

When a patient requires a radiologic imaging exam, a direct referral by a physical therapist can save the patient and the health care system time and money. The award-winning infographic was published in the Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Practice journal and as a part of the APTA Government Affairs office’s “Imaging Advocacy Tool Kit” for all fifty state chapters of the Association.

The Yokohama competition was a chance for athletes to earn valuable points toward Paralympic ranking that determines qualification for the 2021 US Paralympic Triathlon team. 聽Those rankings in turn can earn country-quota slots for the Paralympic Games to be held later this year in Tokyo.

The main event consisted of completing a sprint-distance triathlon with a 750-meter swim in the port of Yokohama, followed by a 20-kilometer bike, and 5-kilometer run. Elite paratriathletes competed in the first World Paratriathlon Series race to be held since February 2020.

Christopher was able to work with several athletes during her time to make sure they were ready to compete. 鈥淚t was a very different trip compared to previous paratriathlon team travel and unfortunately, I was unable to explore Yokohama,” Christopher said. “However as a physical therapist, I love treating athletes so the restrictions were worth the service.鈥�

The event was held inside a strict COVID-19 bubble with many safety protocols.聽 Christopher was required to be COVID-tested within 72 hours of traveling, a requirement that had to be certified and signed by a medical doctor on Japanese-government documentation. This was made difficult by a Sunday evening departure but was made possible by members of 黑料不打烊’s Ready & Resilient team, with Jeff Stein, Dr. Ginette Archinal and Madelyn Pastrana helping her obtain the required nasopharageal PCR test and documentation. As the Japanese government is not currently allowing visitors, a special visa was also required.

Christopher carried a variety of other related documentation that was checked upon arrival, and she had to check into several location tracking apps during her week in Yokohama which informed the government of her whereabouts. The team could only use private transport as public transport was not allowed.

Once they arrived at the hotel, the team was not allowed to leave their rooms unless they were receiving treatment from Christopher or traveling to training. Meals were hung from the doorknob three times a day. Teams from each country were given a training slot and athletes, staff, and coaches were escorted by race staff from the hotel elevators to the bus. The only time the team was allowed to be outside was on race day.

Several PCR tests were performed during the six-day trip to Japan to make sure all race participants, staff, and coaches were COVID free. Although navigating training before the race was difficult, the Japanese government and race organizers did a wonderful job keeping everyone safe.

The team physical therapist assists getting the athletes ready for race day. Christopher spent time between training sessions treating the team whether it was a nagging old injury or flight-related aches and pains.

Christopher has been a contract physical therapist with the US paratriathlon team since 2018 and traveled to a variety of races, including the championships in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2019. She uses lessons from her trips to inform her teaching with rich case studies of patient encounters. She has included several projects on working with adaptive athletes into her classes as she is very passionate about equitable sports participation opportunities for all.

With the COVID-19 pandemic still heavily influencing everyday life on a global scale, this year鈥檚 Student Conclave theme was focused on the future of physical therapy (PT) in a constantly changing healthcare world. The presentations highlighted developing advances of PT. Karlyn Jackson, Grant Bitzer, and Sabrina Fogleman presented anecdotal and research experience with, 鈥淧hysical Therapy Management of COVID-19 Patients.鈥�. Dr. Lance Mabry presented his research interest and passion,鈥淒iagnostic Imaging in Physical Therapy: Past, Present, and Future鈥�. APTA NC President Mary Kay Hannah of 黑料不打烊, along with Ginger Garner and N.C. lobbyist Alex Miller presented on advocacy in the physical therapy profession. During this presentation, there was an interactive activity that provided students the opportunity to contact local state representatives of PT and PTA students across North Carolina by emailing them to advocate for the profession.

This year鈥檚 Student Conclave would not have been possible without Jimmy McKay and his team running the 鈥渂ehind the scenes鈥� on Streamyard, a new cutting-edge streaming service. In addition, McKay shared his own personal experience and atypical journey within the field of PT, including his experience as a radio host turned PT and how he combined the two experiences to carve his own unique place in the profession. Students thoroughly enjoyed hearing from McKay, the host of the popular podcast, 鈥淧T Pintcast.鈥�

One benefit of hosting the Student Conclave virtually this year was being able to include presenters from across the country. A student stated, 鈥淚 honestly liked it being online and felt it was more convenient, but also so that speakers from around the country could speak.鈥� Carol Ann Nelson did just that with her presentation 鈥淒estination Rehab: Taking Physical Therapy Outdoors,鈥� speaking from her home in Central Oregon. Nelson鈥檚 presentation gave the students an inside look into ways to apply neurologic PT sessions in outdoor parks, the snow, on hiking trails, or even on paddleboards.
In addition, John Seip, Peter Drinkwine and Sarah Jackson presented, 鈥淧hysical Therapy Practice in the Emergency Department鈥�. Students especially were grateful for this opportunity to hear from this group as PT is becoming prominent in the emergency room setting.

In addition, the APTA NC SSIG鈥檚 Community Service Project Committee planned two service events for the week leading up to Student Conclave. Students donated to a food drive benefiting multiple local food pantries in close proximity to PT and PTA programs across the state, as well as a virtual 5K benefiting the Special Olympics of North Carolina. One attendee stated, 鈥淭he Special Olympics is such a great organization and one that I would love to see in future service events, especially if we can volunteer with them in person in addition to raising money.鈥�

Last, the night prior to the conclave, the SSIG hosted a Virtual Pub Night including trivia and bingo events, where the SSIG was able to raffle off gift cards as prizes thanks to the sponsors Pivot Physical Therapy, Novant Health, and Confluent Health. This event was an opportunity for students to meet other students from various the 9 PT assistant programs and ten doctoral PT programs in NC.

Next year鈥檚 APTA NC SSIG 5th Annual Student Conclave is scheduled to be held at Campbell University and we all hope it will be in-person!

Christopher received the Excellence in Education award from the Academy of Sports Physical Therapy during the APTA鈥檚 annual event in Denver, Colorado. This prestigious award recognized Christopher for the outstanding preparation,聽patient care for athletes, research and service that contribute to her exceptional teaching in the sports physical therapy field.

Christopher is a board-certified sports clinical specialist and a licensed athletic trainer who currently teaches evaluation and treatment of lower extremities in the 黑料不打烊 Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. She wrote the chapter on the lower leg and ankle in the Reiman 2016 鈥淥rthopedic Clinical Evaluation鈥� textbook that is used in classes at 黑料不打烊.聽Christopher also teaches a six-week sports and orthopedic elective, a highly desirable course where students practice PT with sports patients, with one-on-one mentorship, and participate in sports PT experiences that range from working in the dugout of the Durham Bulls minor league baseball team to the wings of the Carolina Ballet stage.

Christopher is the founding director of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 new post-graduate residency program, 黑料不打烊Runs, a running-focused sports residency in collaboration with Division I athletics department physicians, coaches, athletic trainers and athletes. The 黑料不打烊Runs residency encompasses an entire network of activities that support the residency 鈥撀燾ommunity running club, resources for runners, research on running-related topics, and a running PT faculty clinic that includes specialty tests, such as running analysis done by Christopher herself.聽Christopher and the sports resident see athletes at the 黑料不打烊 athletic training rooms where DPT students are welcome to observe and participate to their education level.

Christopher鈥檚 excellence in the classroom and in the 黑料不打烊Runs program dovetails with her ongoing doctoral research. She has published two research manuscripts on post-partum running and is in the data collection phase of the final two studies that will start to fill an egregious gap in the literature regarding women runners.聽Above and beyond her required departmental duties, Christopher has supervised student research in baseball, softball, cross country, track and field, basketball and lacrosse 鈥� many of which resulted in platform or poster presentations at national conferences and, more importantly, provided valuable information to coaches and athletes.

Christopher鈥檚 leadership and participation in the AASPT show her commitment as a mentor and role model who inspires DPT students to get involved with their professional association.聽She serves on the running special interest group leadership committee as an item writer for the sports specialist exam, an abstract reviewer for the AASPT and the Team Concept Conference, and has been a speaker for running symposia.

Christopher鈥檚 selection to travel with the U.S. Paralympic Team to the World Games and other events also speaks volumes about her excellence in sports PT.聽It鈥檚 no wonder she was recognized by the AASPT with this year鈥檚 Excellence in Education award.

The Department of Physical Therapy Education is hosting visiting scholar Jerneja “Neja” Uhan for the next nine months.

鈥婾han has a degree in podiatry and is a doctor of philosophy candidate at Oxford University in聽England, studying foot posture during running gait. She is collaborating with Shefali Christopher, assistant professor of physical therapy education, and the 黑料不打烊RUNS program to develop a better understanding of arch height and foot posture with running. Her data will be collected in the 黑料不打烊 biomechanics lab using the 3D motion capture system and via ground force plates to analyze kinematics (joint motion) and kinetics (joint force) at the feet when running. 聽

During her time at 黑料不打烊, she will be collaborating with a variety of faculty and students on projects and mentoring current students during their research curriculum.

The research coordinator for Department of Physical Therapy Education,聽Associate Professor聽Srikant Vallabhajosula, has been her host at 黑料不打烊 and notes, “Having Neja here is both exciting and mutually beneficial. 聽Not only does she bring her knowledge and expertise in podiatry to apply to 聽on-going research here at 黑料不打烊, but she also brings rich research skills that are unique to doctoral training at a non-US institution.”

Christopher’s doctoral research on runners who are postpartum dovetails nicely with Uhan’s research. Pregnant women often have changes in foot posture and arch due to increased laxity and weight gain during that time.

鈥淲e are excited to have Ms. Uhan explore foot posture during running gait in postpartum women,鈥澛燙hristopher said. 鈥淭his will be an important variable to measure in postpartum runners as foot posture can affect knee and hip mechanics. This will be a unique and much-needed clinically applicable feature to the extant running literature.鈥�

Important partnerships at 黑料不打烊 have supported this research collaboration with Oxford University. 鈥淲e are so grateful to Dean Ann Bullock of the School of Education who helped us create this connection and who is hosting Neja in her home,” said聽School of Health Sciences聽Dean Becky Neiduski.聽

Furthermore, Uhan’s work at the Francis Center provides great opportunities for cultural exchange with 黑料不打烊 DPT students, faculty聽and staff. 聽“Learning and working with professionals from different backgrounds allows for organic sharing of cultural differences and aides in the development of cultural sensitivity and humility. 聽The development of these skills are critical for healthcare providers,” said Paula DiBiasio, global learning opportunities chair at the School of Health Sciences,.

Uhan said she chose 黑料不打烊 to host her data collection because of its excellent reputation in the field of running.聽 “For high-quality research, expertise from both the research and clinical aspects is essential,” she said. “The multidisciplinary team here at 黑料不打烊 is flourishing with their expertise in both fields from their highly established community running clinic, the 黑料不打烊RUNS club, and their state of the art running lab. I am looking forward to being a part of this amazing team, albeit my stay is for a short period of time.”

Christopher's keynote presentation highlighted three types of pelvic floor dysfunction that can affect runners' pelvic organ prolapse, pelvic pain and urinary incontinence. Up to 80 percent of females and up to 25 percent of males have urinary incontinence in the general population. In addition to the keynote address, Christopher taught a lab class covering such topics as the impact of breathing patterns on decreasing pelvic floor pressure while running.

Christopher pointed out that with runners, the concern is an increase in intraabdominal pressure that leads to stress incontinence — often a missed diagnosis due to embarrassment; thus providers must ask about this condition. If the diaphragm and pelvic floor don’t work in unison or if the runner holds the breath, the pressure can be too much for the pelvic floor to withstand. The pelvic floor is a group of muscles and must have both endurance and quick reflex properties and thus need to be rehabilitated as such.

A common misconception is that the pelvic floor muscles are too weak. However, over time they could be too tight (just like the hamstrings) and lead to incontinence or pain. The address also included topics such as the connection between outer hip muscles contractions and pelvic floor activation, along with how that translates to running drills and to running.

Other speakers included physical therapists Jay Dicharry and Eric Magrum, Dr. Robert Wildner, Dr. John Post, Dr. David Hryvniak, Dr. Siobhan Statuta, Dr. Frank Gwathmey and B. Kent Diduch. Conference attendees offered Christopher such comments as "Engaging and informative!" and "I feel more confident in my ability to screen for pelvic floor dysfunction in athletes and my ability to treat them after hearing this talk!"

“The UVA running conference is one of the nation’s top running conferences," Christopher said. "Every year they put on a great event. It was such an honor to keynote this prestigious conference and speak amongst world-famous running physical therapy specialists like Jay Dicharry."

Christopher has been treating runners in the Raleigh-Durham-黑料不打烊 community for the past 10 years, focusing on not only improving strength, flexibility, and range of motion, but also providing running analysis and gait retraining. She is the primary instructor in the 黑料不打烊 Doctor of Physical Therapy education program for evaluation and treatment of the lower extremity and the Sports/Orthopedic elective course.

Students from 13 of North Carolina’s Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA) programs participated in the 2019 North Carolina Student Conclave held March 23 at 黑料不打烊. 黑料不打烊's DPT program hosted the 2nd Annual Conclave, an event that was a huge hit and was attended by 200 students from across the state.

The night prior to the conclave, the Student Special Interest Group hosted Pub Night at Magerks with a PT Pintcast hosted by former rock radio DJ and current physical therapist and director of communications for Fox Rehabilitation, Jimmy McKay.  Twenty-five students were asked three questions: 1) Before you go to clinic, what's ONE thing you'll do to prepare?  2)  What's ONE thing you're most AFRAID of?  3) What's ONE thing you're EXCITED about? According to McKay, "The answers were as varied as the students' fingerprints."  Listen to the podcast episode here – .

The students packed plenty of school spirit for the conclave, which really showed during the introduction of the NCPTA Board of Directors and later during a live show recording of another episode of PT Pintcast recorded during the conclave. The episode of the conclave PT Pintcast episode will be available by April 29 here – .

The day concluded with a “speed networking” event during which students chatted with and learned from local clinicians, recruiters and residents about their experiences in their respective roles and available opportunities for students.  

Finally, Conclave attendees headed to a fun-filled afternoon at the HOPE 5K, a fundraiser for the 黑料不打烊 pro bono clinic where Hannah Stapleton, a PTA student from Guilford Technical Community College, won a $50 Target gift card sponsored by Drayer PT and Benchmark PT.  Community member Jonathan Draper won the 5K race and third-year DPT student David Guthrie came in second. 

As part of the conclave, students from around the state donated items such as clothing, shoes, blankets, coloring books, books, magazines, and toiletries to benefit a local skilled nursing facility in Burlington, Alamance Healthcare Center.

All-in-all, a fun time for students and their mentors. We are looking forward to #NCSC2020, to be hosted by High Point University!

OPAF offers a variety of introductory-level adaptive sports to those with mobility challenges. The students participated in the First Swim Clinic, an adaptive swim clinic which works to make amputees and those with physical challenges more comfortable in and around the water. The students took part in a three-hour educational session in the morning followed by a two-hour afternoon swim session with community participants. Participants included those with spinal cord injuries, bilateral and triple amputations.

Seven students helped with the workshop: Raina Stevens, Zach Collins, Michelle Jamin, Ryan Molinaro, Connor Vice, Ashely Etherton and Corrie Haynes. Michelle Jamin, a third-year DPT student and student intern with OPAF, said, “I was so excited to share my involvement with the adaptive sports community with my classmates. I hope to inspire others to get involved with this population.”

Third year-student Ryan Molinaro and first-year student Ashley Etherton reintroduced swimming to a community participant with a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed below the waist. This was the first time he had tried swimming since his injury.

Second-year student Connor Vice worked with a community participant eager to get back to fishing who was nervous about getting his prosthesis wet. With the right coaching, he and Connor jumped right into the water, whichwas the first time he had ever submerged his prosthesis.

OPAF is sponsoring the first Carolinas Adaptive Standing Tennis Tournament April 26-28. 黑料不打烊 DPT students will be in attendance. Other volunteers are needed.