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WesternU DPT team shares expertise, provides leadership at APTA meeting

by Rodney Tanaka

February 18, 2025

Read 3 mins

The A group of people stand smiling next to a banner for Western University of Health Sciences in a modern hallway.WesternU College of Health Sciences Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) team showcased its leadership in advancing physical therapy education, research, and clinical practice at the 50th anniversary of the APTA (American Physical Therapy Association) Combined Sections Meeting (CSM) 2025, held Feb. 13-15, 2025 in Houston, Texas.

Three people stand in front of a presentation screen titled "Reach Out: Upper Extremity Strategies for Industrial, Sports, and Performing Arts Injuries.
Left to right: CHS Associate Professor Dr. Christine Eddow, Assistant Professor Dr. Gunnar Fillerup, and Professor and Director of Clinical Education Dr. Janet Konecne. (Courtesy of Dr. Deoghare)

A landmark moment was the launch of the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT)-driven Blueprint for Excellence in Physical Therapy Education, with Dr. Harsha Deoghare, Assistant Dean of Research and Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy Education at WesternU, serving as a key Task Force member. This framework offers a strategic vision for enhancing PT education, ensuring excellence in program development, student success, and clinical integration. The meeting’s theme emphasized innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and transformative care models, aligning seamlessly with WesternU’s contributions. Among the standout invited presentations was Dr. Christine Eddow, Associate Professor, Dr. Janet Konecne, Professor and Director of Clinical Education, and Dr. Gunnar Fillerup, Assistant Professor, who led a session on upper extremity rehabilitation strategies, highlighting evidence-based approaches for industrial workers, performing artists, and athletes, and emphasizing the critical role of core stability in upper extremity function.

WesternU’s research excellence was further recognized through Dr. Tammie Keller Johnson, Assistant Professor, and Dr. Deoghare’s selection into the prestigious Kay Shepard Qualitative Research Symposium. Being chosen for this symposium is a rare honor, as only three most impactful and methodologically rigorous qualitative studies are accepted across the U.S. Their research on virtual escape rooms as an innovative tool for interprofessional education (IPE) showcased how immersive, team-based virtual scenarios enhance critical thinking, communication, and collaboration across health care disciplines.

Additional poster presentations further solidified WesternU’s impact, with Dr. Eddow presenting on upper extremity rehabilitation innovations and Dr. Cody Serdar, Assistant Professor and Assistant Director of Clinical Education at CHS-Northwest, and Dr. Deoghare evaluating the role of APTA CPI 3.0 in fostering humanistic clinical practice. This study reflects WesternU’s core value of humanism, emphasizing compassionate, patient-centered care as a cornerstone of its educational philosophy.

 

Four people stand smiling in front of a presentation screen at the 9th Annual Kay Shepard Qualitative Research Symposium.
Left to right: Laura Hagen, PT, PhD, DPT, MS, from the Touro School of Health Sciences; Jamie Greco, PT, DPT, EdD, from the Duke University School of Medicine; Tammie Keller Johnson, PT, DPT, NCS, ATP, CBIS, MS, from the WesternU CHS Department of Physical Therapy Education; and Anita Santasier, PT, PhD, from the University of Montana (retired). (Courtesy of Dr. Deoghare)

 

 

 

Four people stand together in front of a projector screen displaying a presentation titled "Forgetting the Lungs Will Leave Your Patients Feeling Blue" at the APTA Combined Sections Meeting.
WesternU College of Health Sciences alumna Anna Sladkey, DPT ’09, (third from left) and her collaborators presented at the APTA Combined Sections Meeting.
Two people standing in front of a poster titled "Flipping a Patient's Understanding of Their Chronic Pain: A Case Series" at a presentation event.
CHS-Northwest students Jennifer Nguyen (left) and Emma Ruth Cabalum present their research poster at the APTA Combined Sessions Meeting in Houston, Texas. (Courtesy of CHS-Northwest)

 

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