University of Central Arkansas     |      DPT Class of 2025    |     New Student Orientation     |     August 24, 2022

Welcome DPT Class of 2025 to UCA Physical Therapy

Sixty-two students attended New Student Orientation hosted by the Physical Therapy Club on Wednesday, August 24th before classes began on Thursday.  After an early start getting their name tags and photos made, the class was first greeted and welcomed by UCA President Dr. Houston Davis, Provost Dr. Patricia Poulter, Graduate Dean Dr. Angela Barlow, Dean of the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences Dr. Nancy Reese, and Associate Dean Dr. Darshon Reed.   We wish these new students the very best as they begin this important chapter in their life and move a step closer to their future careers as physical therapists!

Dr. Gary Merriweather, Jr.

Congratulations to Dr. Gary Merriweather, Jr. of the the Doctor of Physical Therapy class of 2022.  Dr. Merriweather was named the UCA 2022 Outstanding DPT Student of the Year. Dr.  David Taylor, Coordinator of the DPT program,  announced the recipient and presented the award on August 12th  during the DPT Convocation Ceremony to honor the graduates of the University of Central Arkansas DPT Class of 2022.  Gary was also the Student Speaker and gave his remarks during the ceremony.

This year, the Department of Physical Therapy at UCA is celebrating the 50th graduating class of physical therapy students. In 2003, UCA celebrated the first class of students receiving the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. Since then, each graduating class has had the opportunity to select one of its members to receive the Outstanding Doctor of Physical Therapy Student Award to honor a member of the class who, according to class members, has had the most positive influence within the class.

We wish Gary and the DPT Class of 2022 all the best as they take their next steps.

UCA Doctor of Physical Therapy Class of 2022

The University of Central Arkansas Department of Physical Therapy is pleased to host the Doctor of Physical Therapy Convocation Ceremony to celebrate the DPT graduating class Class of 2022 on Friday, August 12th at 1:00 in the afternoon in Reynolds Performance Hall.  An Open House is planned immediately following at the Physical Therapy Center.  University Commencement ceremonies will be held at 6:00 in the evening in Reynolds Performance Hall.  Congratulations to our graduates!

UCA DPT 2022 Convocation Program

The PT Department has an open position for an Administrative Assistant to the Chair.  Details are at https://jobs.uca.edu/postings/11035.  The position is open as of 8/1/22 and will remain open until filled.

The Department of Physical Therapy is pleased to announce the arrival of two new faculty members who will join the faculty in full-time positions beginning in the Fall of 2022, Dr. Meike Corbitt and Dr. Brian Odom.

Meike Corbitt, PT, DPT, OCS

Dr. Corbitt is a physical therapist and a Board Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties and a 2008 graduate of the UCA Doctor of Physical Therapy Program.  She will be an instructor in the Department teaching in the musculoskeletal course series.  Her clinical interests include sports rehabilitation with return to play and components of outpatient rehab and she continues to be clinically active in central Arkansas.  Her clinical focus for the past 14 years has been orthopedics within the private practice and hospital-based sectors, and has additional experience in the acute care setting. She has numerous continuing education certifications, including dry needling and blood flow restriction, and is currently pursuing her manual therapy certification.  Dr. Corbitt previously served as an adjunct lab instructor in the musculoskeletal tract at UCA during the Spring and Summer semesters of 2022. She has been an avid member of the American Physical Therapy Association and has previously served on the board of the Arkansas Physical Therapy Association chapter.

Brian Odom, PT, PhD, CWS

Dr. Odom is a physical therapist and a Certified Wound Specialist (CWS) by the American Board of Wound Management.  He received his PhD in Physical Therapy in 2018 from the University of Central Arkansas.  He is a 1999 graduate of the MS in Physical Therapy program at UCA.  Dr. Odom will be an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy teaching in the areas of teaching in the areas of kinesiology, foundational skills, cardiopulmonary, complex medical patients, and Integumentary. Dr. Odom began teaching in the UCA Department of Physical Therapy in 2005 as an adjunct instructor in the area of integumentary.  He is clinically active at Arkansas Children’s Hospital since 2002. He currently serves as Vice President of APTA Arkansas. He was selected by the Specialization Academy of Content Experts (SACE) as an item writer for the APTA- Academy of Clinical Electrophysiology & Wound Management; a new specialty exam in wound management that began in 2022.

Save the date…We are hosting an excellent CEU course at UCA on Pain Science.   In honor of our 50th Anniversary, we have arranged for Dr. Adriaan Louw, PT, PhD with Evidence in Motion to present Therapeutic Neuroscience Education on November 4-5, 2022.  Dr. Louw will present a 2-day course on pain science in the new Integrated Health Sciences Building at a special rate for this special occasion. Registration is now available. See link in this course flyer: Course Flyer UCA Therapeutic Neuroscience Education 2-day.

As a gift to the UCA campus and community, the UCA Department if Physical Therapy is also hosting a free, one hour lecture on pain science open to all disciplines and students.  Dr. Louw will present this lecture on Thursday, November 3rd in Ida Waldran Auditorium during X period from 1:30-2:30.

A dinner is also being planned for November 4th to celebrate UCA Physical Therapy’s 50th anniversary – more details to come soon!

Dr. Lori Mize

Dr. Lori Mize has been invited to present at the 2023 American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting. This is a reprise of her 2022 presentation that packed the conference room and resulted in a Podcast and invitations to speak at other schools. The presentation , “SPT to DPT”, helps students navigate the transition from being a student to a clinical professional.  The APTA Combined Sections Meeting will be held in San Diego, California on February 22-25, 2023.

CSM 2023

February 22-25, 2023 – San Diego, California

Congrats to Drs. Lowe, Flowers, Fletcher and Yates for their recent publication in the Journal of Physical Therapy Education entitled The Effects of Experiential Learning on Perceived Clinical Reasoning and Self-efficacy of Doctor of Physical Therapy Students. Lowe, Leah PT, PhD, PCS; Flowers, Meredith PT, PhD, PCS; Fletcher, James PT, PhD; Yates, Charlotte PT, PhD, PCS. Journal of Physical Therapy Education: June 2022 – Volume 36 – Issue 2 – p 122-127.

PT Patient Simulation

We are putting out a call for any and all thespians among our UCA PT alumni.

In response to student feedback, we have modified an existing course in year 2 of our curriculum (Complex Patient Management in PT) and we could use your help! In addition to the didactic portion of the course, students will be challenged with simulated patient experiences in order to prepare them for their final Clinical Practica in year 3. We have implemented similar experiences in our Adult Neuro course this past spring, and the response of both students and volunteer clinicians was overwhelmingly positive. We are seeking more volunteers to aid in this endeavor to continue strengthening our program.

This is where you come in.
• Volunteers are needed who can take on the role of a patient or caregiver.
• As PT’s, you have been through the practical exams during PT school and may have worked with students as clinical instructors. You are uniquely qualified to anticipate student responses and challenge them to problem solve on their feet.
• Cases will be provided with the simulated Dx and general progression of the case. Simply show up and have fun with it.
• Cases range from a patient who is non-verbal, post COVID in the ICU to a patient in LTAC with an amputation, post brain tumor resection, and a home health patient who is depressed, with UTI, and hypotensive. Simulated caregiver roles are also needed.
• Simulations are scheduled Tuesday and Thursday afternoons this summer (see dates below). Come for one hour or several hours depending on your availability.
• No grading is required but any feedback you can provide to students is welcome and encouraged.
• We want to encourage our graduates to invest in their alma mater and we will have a small token of appreciation for those who participate as volunteers. We are grateful and fortunate to have such dedicated Alumni to help us make these opportunities possible.

TUESDAY/THURSDAY Simulations 11:30am-5pm
June 21st & 23rd
July 5th & 7th
July 19th & 21st
July 26th & 28th
Final Practical: August 9th at 11:30am-5pm and August 10th at 9:30am-4:30pm

Contact Dr. Lara Davis, ldavis39@uca.edu, or Dr. Margaret McGee, mmcgee@uca.edu, for details.

Congratulations to UCA Physical Therapy faculty, Dr. Leah Lowe and Dr. Charlotte Yates, who have been accepted to present educational sessions at the 17th Annual Physical Therapy Education Leadership Conference to be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this fall on November 28-30.

Session title: Experiential Learning in Pediatric DPT Education: Implementation, Issues, and Innovation
Authors: Leah Lowe and Charlotte Yates.

Session title: Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice Strategies: Enhancing Excellence and Innovation in Physical Therapy Education
Authors: Myla Quiben, Amy Crocker, Cheryle Babin, Leslie Zarrinkhameh, Denise Bender, Kimberly Beran, and Leah Lowe.