News

The UCA College of Health and Behavioral Sciences hosted the 2022 Student Research Symposium on April 21 in the Farris Center.  DPT students from the Class of 2023 presented their research, sharing their work with their peers across the college.  Programs in the College include Athletic Training, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Exercise and Sport Science, Health Sciences, Military Science and Leadership, Nursing, Nutrition and Family Sciences, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Psychology & Counseling.

Link to UCA article about Go Baby Go held at UCA on April 1-2, 2022.

UCA graduate students came together for Go Baby Go — a program to adapt ride-on electric toy vehicles to accommodate children with mobility impairments: https://bit.ly/3xeozka

Job well done!  Kudos to DPT student leadership – Kursten, Kristin, Becca & Caressa with Go Baby Go! These 2nd year students applied and were selected to serve on the Interprofessional Student Leadership Committee for Go Baby Go.   This steering committee prepared for months in advance of the April 1-2 live event at UCA. Their diligent work helped put on an incredible event.

Kursten Jaime was a key member of the Patient-Centered Care Team. On this team, she developed a parent-survey to obtain helpful information for our event regarding each patient’s needs, employed easy-to-use technology to get the survey out to each of the families, and served as a bridge between patient-families, our team here at UCA, and the clinicians and staff at the Spinal Cord Disorders Program at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Kursten was professional, compassionate, and efficient in her work. Kursten’s excellent connection with the families built trust and fostered excitement that really contributed to the “Get Your Keys” portion of the event!

Kristin McCasland ended up being the only member of the Parts and Supplies team secondary to other students experiencing scheduling conflicts. Kristin carefully explored available Go Baby Go builder’s manuals to determine the needed vehicles, supplies for modifications, and tools needed to complete the modifications. She looked at all of this information in the greater context of a limited budget and found ways to save our group money and use the budget most judiciously. Kristin ordered and organized the parts and supplies, and through her hard work, each team had what they needed to get the vehicles built! Kristin’s attention to detail, superb level of organization, and willingness to put in numerous hours of exploring budget friendly options really stood out!

Becca Mize was on the Interprofessional Education committee. Becca and her team developed a fun, energizing, and poignant presentation for the Friday evening portion of the event. Becca played an integral role in communicating the goals of the event to the participants, guiding them through interactive activities that emphasized interprofessional collaboration, and emphasizing the value in building the modified cars for children to experience self-initiated movement and exploration of their environments. She presented information with confidence and enthusiasm and helped set the tone for a fun and educational weekend. Becca’s thoughtfulness, grasp of the importance of IPE and Go Baby Go, and her ability to communicate with her peers with ease really helped set her apart in this endeavor!

Caressa Wilson served on the donations team. Caressa played a key role in writing and distributing an informative donation letter, following up with potential donors to raise funds and receive material donations, working with the UCA Foundation office to manage funds received, and in communicating clearly and regularly with Parts and Supplies to ensure that donated materials were not purchased and that the budget was regularly updated. Through the hard work of Caressa’s team, meals were provided for all attendees, numerous parts and supplies were donated from community vendors, and the event remained within budget. Caressa consistently demonstrated a willingness to hit the ground running with tasks that are often intimidating to others. Her efforts and her willingness to step up helped get this event off the ground!

I could not be more proud of this team. This event truly was student-led, and our amazing DPT students really stood out! Please join me in congratulating them on a job well-done and a phenomenal Go Baby Go event!

Leah Lowe PhD, DPT

CHBS Sign by Dr. Dee Lance, Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Congratulations to Leah Lowe from PT, Lynne Hallaway from OT, and Maysoon Biller from CSD, for the successful coordination of the Go Baby Go car building workshop collaboration on April 1st and 2nd. Healthcare professionals from Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Pediatrics Plus, over 30 UCA CHBS student volunteers, and a team of engineers, electricians, and assistive technology professionals participated.

Go Baby Go is an event in which commercially available ride-on cars are adapted for increased postural support and ease of use. The event held at UCA provided adapted cars for 5 children identified through the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Spinal Cord Injury Program. In addition, UCA CHBS student volunteers and other professionals serviced and updated previous Go Baby Go cars for Pediatrics Plus to use at their clinics.

The following UCA students served on the Go Baby Go Steering Committee:
Physical Therapy Students:
Kursten Jaime
Caressa Wilson
Becca Mize
Occupational Therapy Students:
Tykira Bullins
Alyssa Clark
Johanna Cannon
Graycen Russell
Speech-Language Pathology Students:
Caitlyn Hughes
Maha Madani
Cassie Richards

Go Baby Go at UCA could not have happened without the generous support from the UCA Foundation. The start-up grant was used to fund this event so that the children and their families could participate free of charge. Additionally, the group secured over 15 donations from the community.

Link to article published on 4-3-2022 about Go Baby Go at UCA.
https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2022/apr/03/uca-arkansas-childrens-hospital-team-up-to-adapt/

The Department of Physical Therapy is hosting an Open House on Saturday, April 23rd from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM in the Physical Therapy Center.  Prospective students and their families are invited to this come and go event to meet and greet DPT students and faculty.  Save the date!

 

 

Check out our newest logo for UCA Physical Therapy!!  This summer we will be celebrating the 50th graduating class of physical therapists from the University of Central Arkansas.  The Department is planning events later in the year to commemorate this milestone.  More information to come!

The University of Central Arkansas is hosting the 8th Annual Day of Giving on Thursday, March 10th.  This 24 hour fund raiser can impact so many in the UCA community.  The Department of Physical Therapy is focusing on PT students.  So many alumni, faculty, and friends have invested in the amazing UCA Physical Therapy Program for over 50 years.  Giving can make a difference – please join us in the campaign on March 10 at http://uca.edu/DayofGiving .

The Department is continually striving to improve physical therapy education at UCA and across the nation. Support of the program by its alumni is at the foundation of this effort.  Thank you!!

Sandy Quillen, UCA PT class of 1977, was recognized by the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy for his distinguished contribution to the specialty of sports physical therapy. Dr. Quillen is pictured on the left receiving the Ronald G. Peyton Award at the APTA Combined Section Meeting on February 5th in San Antonio, TX. In addition to his professional contributions, Dr. Quillen has been a generous donor to the UCA PT Foundation Fund that supports student research dissemination and special Department initiatives.

Dr. Mize recently presented two educational sessions at the Combined Sections Meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association held on February 2 – 5, 2022 in San Antonio, Texas. On February 5^th from 8:00-10:00 Dr. Mize and colleagues presented an educational session for clinicians entitled, “When Sex Hurts:  Why Christian Women Experience Higher Rates of Pain and What to Do,” which was co-authored by Gregoire SW, and Sawtsky J. On February 4, Dr. Mize presented to 600 students.  Her presentation with colleage Shannon Walker was entitled “Career Transitions:  Watch out here I come! From SPT to DPT”.

UCA DPT students and faculty recently presented their research nationally at the Combined Sections Meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association held on February 2-5, 2022 in San Antonio, Texas. Eleven students were able to attend the meeting and present their poster presentations for research projects that they worked on with faculty including Dr. Lowe, Dr. Yates, Dr. Forbush and Dr. Bandy. This was a great opportunity for students to participate in the dissemination of their research. The poster presentations titles and authors are:

The effects of experiential learning on perceived clinical reasoning and self-efficacy of DPT students. Dr. Lowe, Helena Cichy, Hayley Dingler, Collin Gage, Emily Kaelin, Maddie Stout, Caressa Wilson, and Dr. Yates.

Survey on knowledge of, use, and diagnostic applicability of rotator cuff tests in clinical practice. Dr. Forbush, Dr. Bandy, Mollie Elliott, Gabrielle Kremers, Marc Corker, Will Hurst, Alexia Sharp, Amber Winberry, Connor English, Tiffany Westin, and Kelly Green.

Spatiotemporal parameters of gait when performing a visuospatial memory task in adolescents with concussion. Dr. Lowe, Hannah Aviles, Zac Cole, Kursten Jaime, Tyler Futrell, Melissa Miller, Josh Wise, and Dr. Yates.