Congrats to Dr. Brian Odom – President Elect of APTA-Arkansas. Odom, a UCA faculty member and alumnus, and has served as Vice President of APTA-AR in the past, was elected President during the 2025 OPTimize Conference held this weekend in Fayetteville. He will begin in January of 2026. Dr. Odom is an Assistant Professor in the PT Department at UCA, and a Certified Wound Specialist (CWS) by the American Board of Wound Management. He received his PhD in Physical Therapy from UCA in 2018 as well as his MS in PT in 1999, and PTA degree in 1996. Dr. Odom has been clinically active at Arkansas Children’s since 2002, taught in the PT Program at Harding for 10 years, began teaching part-time at UCA 2005 and joined the UCA Program full-time in 2022. Congratulations to Dr. Odom!

The annual meeting of our state professional physical therapy organization, APTA Arkansas, was held this past weekend in Fayetteville. UCA was well represented with 4 platform presentations by UCA faculty (Corbitt, Lowe, Odom, & Yates) and recent graduates (Madeline Morgan & Kaylie Lane).

A number of UCA DPT students participated as volunteers at the conference to help with registration and organization. (DPT2: Laci Davis, and DPT1: Trevor Fugate, Kara Sain, Lani Hackney, Brooklyn Wooldridge, and Samuel Huneycutt).

A special thanks and recognition to Dr. Leah Lowe who provided overall leadership as Conference Chair and Dr. Allen took on the role of Research Chair to organize the poster and platform presentations.

Dr. Jiabey Thach is APTA Arkansas’ Outstanding Physical Therapist 2025 and UCA DPT alumnus ‘04. Dr. Thach practices in geriatric, inpatient rehabilitation and neurological settings in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Dr. Jacob Luther is the recipient of the 2025 UCA Outstanding DPT Student Award, selected by students in the DPT Class of 2025. Considered a selfless leader, extremely pure hearted, committed to helping people and always stepping up when needed. Dr. David Taylor, Professor and DPT Program Coordinator, presented the award during the 2025 DPT Convocation Ceremony held on August 8th at Reynolds Performance Hall on campus at UCA.  Dr. Luther is from Bacolod City, Philippines where he received his BS degree in Biology from the University of St. La Salle. During the DPT Program he was a member of the DPT Student Advisory Committee and served as Teaching Assistant for Dr. Melissa Allen. He is a member of the ACAPT National PT Honor Society and recipient of the Research Excellence Award. Dr. Luther was also chosen by his class as the Keynote Student Speaker for DPT Convocation.  Each graduating class has had the opportunity to honor a member of the class who, according to class members, has had the most positive influence within the class. The Outstanding DPT Student of the Year is announced during DPT Convocation and honored with a plaque presented to the recipient while a separate plaque resides in the Physical Therapy Center with the name of each year’s award winner.  On behalf of the DPT Class of 2025, faculty and staff  – we congratulate to Dr. Luther!

The Joe Finnell Distinguished Alumni Award (JFDAA) recognizes and honors UCA Physical Therapy alumni for outstanding contributions and impact to the profession or community. The 2025 JFDAA recipient is Dr. Charlotte Yates. She will be recognized at the 2025 DPT Convocation Event at UCA in the Reynolds Performance Hall on Friday, August 8, 2025 at 2:00PM. The public is invited to attend.

Dr. Yates is a Professor in the UCA Department of Physical Therapy. She is a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Pediatric Physical Therapy and has practiced clinically as a pediatric physical therapist at Arkansas Children’s Hospital for more than 25 years. Dr. Yates is a graduate of the University of Arkansas, the University of Central Arkansas, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Within the last decade, she has received the Outstanding Physical Therapist Award from the Arkansas chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association, the UCA faculty Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Award, AND the Eleanor Carlin Award for Excellence in Academic Teaching, which is a national award from the American Physical Therapy Association. Dr. Yate’s research has made a significant impact in advancing the field of neurobiology and pediatric physical therapy, particularly in neurodevelopmental science, where she continues to contribute to our understanding of pediatric neurological rehabilitation. Through her tireless dedication to improving patient care, advancing the education of future PTs, contributing to the mission, vision and core values of the UCA Department of Physical Therapy, and leading initiatives to improve the profession and the community, Dr. Yates exemplifies the qualities celebrated by the Joe Finnell Distinguished Alumni Award.

The Department of Physical Therapy will host Convocation for the Doctor of Physical Therapy Class of 2025 on Friday, August 8th at 2:00 in the afternoon at Reynolds Performance Hall at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway.  Family and friends are invited to attend. No tickets are necessary.

The DPT Class of 2025 will be celebrated with Dr. Mieke Corbitt as the Keynote Speaker for the Ceremony selected by the class.  The DPT 2025 Student Speaker will be Jacob Luther.  Dr. Anne Moellers, President of the DPT Class of 2025 will also speak.  The 2025 Graduates of the Pediatric Residency Program will also be presented.

An Open House at the Physical Therapy Center will be held immediately following.

Madeline Morgan, DPT student in the Class of 2025 with UCA professors Dr. Mieke Corbitt, PT, DPT, OCS, and Dr. Charlotte Yates, PT, PhD, PCS, have published an article in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy Vol. 20, Issue 7, 2025. The article is entitled “Rehabilitation of a Professional Ballerina Post-Traumatic Fourth Toe Fracture: A Case Report.” Madeline will graduate with her class on August 8, 2025.  Congratulations!

https://ijspt.scholasticahq.com/article/140891-rehabilitation-of-a-professional-ballerina-post-traumatic-fourth-toe-fracture-a-case-report

Dr. Lara Davis has been awarded a Walmart Spark Good grant for $1000 to support the Anatomy Outreach Program for 2025-2026. Walmart Spark Good brings together all our community giving programs under one brand and empowers local organizations to engage with customers and associates to support causes they care about.

The Anatomy Outreach program is created to expose central Arkansas high school students to the healthcare professions and opportunities for study at UCA. Congratulations Dr. Davis!

The Anatomy Outreach Program at UCA provides an interactive experience for high school and undergraduate students to learn about the physical therapy profession and anatomy education in a human cadaver lab.  Visitors participate in various hands-on activities led by Doctor of Physical Therapy students.  These activities include skills DPT students are currently learning at the Physical Therapy Center as well as safe and ethical handling of human anatomical specimens in the Gross Anatomy Lab.

Please fill out the google form below if you have any interest in this program: https://forms.gle/gZZwMPC3VYDg1ZKR7

Tours are scheduled for specific dates on Fridays during the Fall and Spring semesters.  Tours are approximately 1.5 hours long and include the PT Center and the Gross Anatomy Lab.  Transportation is not provided.

After you fill out the google form, the Anatomy Outreach team will send more information regarding your tour.

If you have any questions about this Program contact: AnatomyOutreachUCAPT@gmail.com

If you would like to schedule a campus tour, please contact: https://uca.edu/admissions/group-campus-tours/ (501-450-3128)

Dr. Fernando Castillo, UCA PhD Graduate and DPT Class of 2020 alumnus has published an article in the International Journal of Sports Medicine with Dr. Charlotte Yates, PT, PhD, PCS, and Dr. Leah Lowe, PT, PhD, PCS in the April 1st issue.

Castillo F, Yates C, Escola K, Williams DK, Lowe L. Clinical Assessment of Spatiotemporal Parameters of Gait when performing a Visuospatial Cognitive task.  International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy.  2025. 20(4): 45-52.

Dr. Fernando Castillo, PT, DPT, PhD is Assistant Professor, PT Programs at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in Irving Texas.  He earned his Doctor of Physical Therapy and Doctor of Philosophy in Physical Therapy with an emphasis on neurological rehabilitation from the University of Central Arkansas.

 

Dr. Victor Prati is a 2025 PhD in Physical Therapy graduate completing his program recently this Spring.  Dr. Prati was hooded at the UCA Spring Commencement Ceremony held on May 1st.   Dr. Prati is also an alumnus of the UCA DPT Class of 2012.  He is clinical active at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock.

Congratulations to Dr. Prati and team for their article published in the May issue of the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy (IJSPT).

Prati VV, Spray BJ, Walker CW, et al. Social Determinants of Health and Quadriceps Strength Recovery in Children and Adolescents following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction. IJSPT. 2025;20(5):676-686. doi:10.26603/001c.133918

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40322519/