News

UCA DPT students and faculty volunteered for the first annual para track meet event held in Arkansas on June 6, 2022.   Para- athletes from Texas, Missouri, and other surrounding areas came to UCA for the Meet In The Middle, put on by Southwest Wheelchair Athletic Association. DPT students worked the morning field events and the afternoon track events.  What a great day and exciting learning opportunity for UCA DPT!

Around 20 DPT students and two faculty members volunteered for the event.  Pictured to the right are Dr. Maresh and Dr. Lowe with Sarah Malakoff, Amanda Okolo, Shelby Little, Kaitlyn Passmore, and Cross Reames each of the DPT Class of 2024, along with Hannah Aviles and Dylan Alexander of the DPT Class of 2023.  Pictured below are Hannah Aviles, Cole Wright, Erin Woodward, and Sidney Hunt.  Hannah, Erin and Sidney are in the DPT Class of 2023 and Cole is in the DPT Class of 2024.  Volunteers helped with the track and field events including discus throw, long jump, javelin throw, shot put, 100, 200, 400, and 800 meter dash and 800 meter run.  Participants ages 10-19 competed in age groups including U11, U14, U17 and U20.

 

The inaugural Meet in the Middle para track meet was held at the UCA track and field complex. This event is a collaboration between Move United Chapters, Southwest Wheelchair Athletic Association based in Dallas Fort Worth and the Disabled Athletes Sports Association in St Louis. It gets its name because of the unique location between these two organizations almost exactly equal distance from each location. The Meet in the Middle will be part of the Move United Competition Series.  Sponsors included Pediatrics Plus and MacDonald Timing.  Results are posted at SWAA – 2022 Meet in the Middle (swaasports.org)

“Nineteen UCA DPT students taking the Advanced Pediatric elective experienced a real treat today! Dr. Suzann Campbell joined the class to speak with them about assessing infants using the Test of Infant Motor Performance. We are so thankful to Dr. Campbell for sharing with our students and colleagues at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.” said Dr. Leah Lowe on May 18, 2022 about the special guest.

Nineteen DPT students from the second-year class of 2023 are enrolled in the Advanced Pediatrics course being taught this week during the May Intersession and enjoyed a guest speaker, Dr. Campbell among other opportunities.  Suzann K. Campbell, PT, PhD, FAPTA, is Professor Emerita and former Head, Department of Physical Therapy, at the University of Illinois at Chicago, joined as a virtual speaker during a series of presentations arranged by course instructors, Dr. Yates and Dr. Lowe. Students in the elective heard a series of presentations regarding “Special Topics in Pediatric Acute Care Physical Therapy” while at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock on May 18.  Dr. Campbell is the author of the pediatric text used in the Neurological Rehab in Pediatrics course that all students in the DPT program complete during their second Fall semester. The advanced elective entitled, Advanced Evaluation and Intervention in Pediatric Physical Therapy, is taught by Dr. Yates and Dr. Lowe, who are each board-certified in pediatric physical therapy. Students enrolled in the elective receive enhanced knowledge and skill acquisition to address the needs of diverse pediatric populations. The course includes experiences in pediatrics such as NICU, community outpatient settings, elite athletes and other specialty areas.  The course is an outstanding opportunity for UCA DPT students.

UCA Pediatric Physical Therapy has been recognized as a national program of excellence in pediatric physical therapy education. UCA was named as a a program of excellence in “National Study of Excellence in Pediatric Physical Therapy Education: Design, Methods, and Results” published in Physical Therapy, 2021.

Dr. Lori Mize has just returned from South Korea where she was part of a group of faculty members of the American Physical Therapy Association’s (APTA) Academy of Pelvic Health Physical Therapy.  Dr. Mize and three colleagues taught a course for Obstetrical Fundamentals and Pelvic Health PT (the first of its kind in the country) including didactic material taught via webinars followed by 3 days of in-person lab experiences.   In addition, the group visited two physical therapy clinics in downtown Seoul and a postpartum center to discuss the importance of and methods to incorporate pelvic health and obstetrical physical therapy into their practices. Following the course, Dr. Mize and her colleagues met with the Seoul Physical Therapy Association and the Women’s Health subgroup of the Korean Physical Therapy Association to discuss continued partnership with South Korea PTs to elevate pelvic health practice through advocacy and PT education.

Dr. Mize is a faculty member in the Department of Physical Therapy and alumnus of the 2004 Doctor of Physical Therapy Class at UCA.  She is a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Women’s Health Physical Therapy.  As a faculty member for the APTA’s Academy of Pelvic Health (APHPT), Dr. Mize serves on the Academy’s International Education Committee, which seeks to increase pelvic health physical therapy education and advocacy for patients and the profession around the globe.

UCA PT…Impacting Arkansas and Beyond

 

Ali Guthrie, PT, DPT has been recently accepted into the Northwestern Medicine Acute Care Residency at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL.  Dr. Guthrie is an alumnus of the UCA DPT Class of 2020.  Before attending the DPT program at the University of Central Arkansas, Dr. Guthrie graduated from the University of Arkansas with a degree in Kinesiology and a minor in Theatre and is originally from Fayetteville.  Since graduating PT school in 2020, she has been working in acute care at three different hospitals in the Northwest Arkansas area. With a passion for treating medically complex patients in the ICU/CCU/COVID ICU, she enjoys the interdisciplinary approach to treating patients that acute care offers. In Feb 2021, Ali completed her Yoga teacher certification and is able to keep up “outpatient skills” fresh through yoga, teaching weekly group classes, private sessions, and workshops (focusing on low back pain) at a local studio.  Dr. Guthrie states, “I have decided to pursue a residency program to advance my skill set in the acute setting and eventually bring my specialty back to the NWA area. I am so excited for the opportunity to practice at Northwestern Memorial Hospital a Level 1 trauma center and the #1 hospital in Illinois”.  Congratulations to Dr. Guthrie on this accomplishment and upcoming journey to further her training.  Pursuing this residency will afford her the opportunity to advance her skills, to provide excellent care for her future patients and ultimately advance the profession.

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!